Maine Shellfish Harvesters Plagued By Acidic 'Dead Muds'

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — They’re called dead muds.

Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere combined with unregulated nitrogen pollution are having a deadly effect on Maine’s shellfish, some researchers say.

Scientists are starting to measure the impact of increasingly acidic waters on coastal organisms, and what they’ve found is alarming. Formerly fertile shellfish flats are becoming uninhabitable wastelands of dreck.

The phenomenon is another threat to Maine’s shellfish industry, estimated to be worth $60 million annually.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Bangor Daily News