Such a determination would clear the way for grants to find out why lobsters are dying. The die-off, described as the worst to hit the Sound in nearly a decade, has alarmed hundreds of lobstermen in New York and Connecticut and has prompted extensive laboratory testing by state and federal environmental officials. Last spring, tests of the water eliminated both pollution and low levels of oxygen in the water as the cause of the problem.
Marine biologists suspect that a parasite is causing the disease.
Representative Nita M. Lowey, a Democrat from Harrison, and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan also signed the request. Last year, New York's 8.5 million-pound lobster production ranked third nationally, behind Maine and Massachusetts. Connecticut lobstermen brought in an additional 3.5 million pounds. Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company May not be reproduced or transmitted without permission .