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Long Island Sound Facts

Long Island Sound Facts
Long Island Sound is located between the eastern shores of New York City's Bronx, the southern shore of Westchester County, Long Island's north shore, and Connecticut to the north. Long Island Sound stretches 110 miles from NYCs East River to Long Island's north shore, to Block Island Sound, containing freshwater and saltwater from tributaries and ocean sources. Along the shore of Long Island Sound are many major cities including several in Connecticut and New York City. There are several wealthy neighborhoods along the shoreline which has resulted in many mansions being built that dot the coast.
Interesting Long Island Sound Facts:
There are many rivers in Connecticut that empty into Long Island Sound, including Connecticut River, Housatonic River, Mianus River, Mill River, Norwalk River, and Pequonnock River, among several more.
The rivers in New York that empty into Long Island Sound include Byram River, Hutchinson River, and Mamaroneck River.
Pawcatuck River in Rhode Island empties into Long Island Sound.
There are roughly 8.93 million people living in the watershed of Long Island Sound. Some of the cities in which these people live include NYCs Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, as well as cities in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
Seaweed in Long Island Sound's waters include monostroma, grinnellia, focus, Irish moss, mermaid's hair, sea lettuce, kelp, spermothamnion, and green algae species such as ulva and ulothrix.
Plants that can be found in Long Island Sound's tidal marshes include salt march plants such as saltwater cordgrass, cattail marshes such as bulrushes, and eelgrass marshes.
Plants found along the beaches and dunes of Long Island Sound include sea rocket, dune grass, beach pea, seaside goldenrod, orache, seaside spurge, and bayberry.
Fish commonly found in Long Island Sound include butterfish, winter flounder, summer flounder, northern sea robin, striped sea robin, black seabass, blackfish, bluefish, and dogfish.
False albacore and Atlantic bonito are members of the tuna family and can be found in Long Island Sound.
Over fishing has resulted in the depletion of fish populations.
Mollusks such as the blue mussel and eastern oyster can be found in Long Island Sound as well as crustaceans such as shrimp, crab, and lobster.
Sea turtles often enter Long Island Sound as they travel along the Gulf Stream.
Reptiles and amphibians that can be found along the shore of Long Island Sound include frogs, turtles, snakes, toads, and a variety of other species.
Endangered or rare species that have been found along or in Long Island Sound include shortnose sturgeon, and the eastern spadefoot.
Commercial fishing in Long Island Sound is popular for species such as lobsters, oysters, blue crabs, scallops, striped bass, bluefish, and tuna flounder.
Environmental concerns that are negatively affecting Long Island Sound include the contamination due to toxic substances, pathogen contamination, over-development, man-made pollution such as debris, industrial waste, and sewage systems.
The Supreme Court of the United States declared Long Island Sound to be a juridical bay in 1985 which means that the states and not the federal government have jurisdiction over the waters.


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