Suzanne Bricker (MSE COL) presenting at the Inaugural Great Bay Research Symposium on October 13, 2022 at the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center at the Great Bay NERR in Greenland, NH.

An NCCOS researcher recently gave an invited presentation, Great Bay Oyster Aquaculture Can Improve Water Quality: a win-win solution for seafood and water quality, and participated in discussions about collaborative research in the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GB NERR) at "The Inaugural Great Bay Research Symposium." It was held to encourage management relevant research by sharing findings to spark ideas for future work; promote use of existing research, monitoring infrastructure, and funding opportunities; and bring together researchers, students, and natural resource practitioners for networking and collaboration. The 60+ participants were from 4 universities, 2 NERRs and 2 NERR associations, 1 state and 3 federal agencies, and 2 conservation oriented non-profit organizations. They listened to presentations about research in 3 ecological communities: seagrass, salt marsh, and shellfish.

Participants at Great Bay Research Symposium. L to R - Ray Grizzle (UNH), Cory Riley (Manager, GB NERR), Suzanne Bricker (MSE COL), Kalle Matso (Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership), Chris Peter (Research Coordinator, GB NERR)

They also learned about funding opportunities to support collaborative projects. The presentations served as the basis for discussion and development of a priority list of research ideas that will be developed into an integrated collaborative research program directed toward research for management in the GB NERR. Time was also provided and participants were encouraged to begin scoping out potential project proposals. The symposium was held on October 13, 2022 at the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center at the GB NERR in Greenland, NH.