New Haven Harbor: Historical Perspective
New Haven Harbor, an essential element of Connecticut’s coastal landscape, is an estuarine system characterized by variations in physical and chemical conditions such as water temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen fluctuations.
Mid 17th. Century---> NHH as a primary exporter (i.e. wheat, corn, rye, etc.) along the shores of Connecticut and to Boston and New York
1793-----Vital Role in the fur trade---unprecedented level of prosperity in the city’s history
19th and early 20th century----traffic was quite impressive (e.g. 1895---31,000 vessels entered the harbor, of which over 8000 were barges (Smith 1998).
NHH shoreline has continued to become industrialized with, for example, oil storage and off-loading facilities, sewage treatment plants, and power plants.
Discharges entering the harbor have also added to the pollution burden