Every year, the Mussel Watch Program (MWP) targets a specific region of the U.S. with a mission to collect bivalves — oysters or mussels — and a little bit of mud to assess the chemical health of our nation’s coastlines. This is not a small or trivial endeavor. No matter the region, the MWP works with a network of local agencies, programs, and volunteers to ensure that every data point collected has the maximum impact for communities that depend on these waters.
Each collection cycle begins with site selection. While many locations were established at the program’s inception in 1986, their longevity is their greatest strength. By sampling the same representative areas for nearly 40 years, the MWP has built a dataset that offers a rare window into environmental shifts happening nationwide over decades.
Starting with this framework, the MWP initiates a massive outreach campaign each year. Though the MWP works with many long-term partners, we constantly scout for new organizations to ensure every site is covered. Outreach typically begins with NOAA outposts and state departments of natural resources that often serve as primary boots on the ground. If these agencies can’t help us directly, they often act as the ultimate connectors, linking the MWP to local groups with the resources to collect samples from our sites.
In many cases, the MWP leverages ongoing local work, so that our samples can be collected alongside their own, cutting costs and maximizing efficiency. The MWP team is also often able to work directly with collaborators in the field and provide personnel support for the collections. This collaboration is more than just a convenience, it’s a necessity. Local knowledge of site access, navigation, and shifting tides is invaluable information that a national program simply can’t track for a network of over 400 sites. Whether it’s finding a hidden path to a remote reef or timing a landing with a fickle tide, local partners make the impossible possible.
Relying on collaborators for vessel logistics and personnel doesn’t mean that the MWP team is sitting idle. Behind the scenes, the coordination is a logistical marathon. To ensure a seamless collaborative effort, the MWP manages:
- Communicating site information, timeframe, and needs with collaborators
- Ensuring proper permits are acquired
- Preparing paperwork such as protocols, data sheets, sample labels, and chain of custody forms
- Sourcing, ordering, organizing, and shipping supplies to collaborators
- Instructing collaborators on protocols to ensure consistency within our dataset
- Moderating the shipment of samples to the analytical laboratory
All of these tasks come with their own set of challenges, ranging from the strict maintenance of the chemical integrity of scientific samples to ensuring that coolers don’t leak during transit and cause shipping delays…not to mention avoiding the skeptical glares we receive from shipping store staff suspicious of mud-covered people trying to ship coolers full of shellfish.
Whether it’s coordinating behind-the-scenes between dozens of collaborators or traipsing through coastlines of oyster reefs to collect samples, these efforts are monumental. But for those involved, the payoff is clear. Every mud-caked boot and color-coded spreadsheet contributes to a legacy larger than any one person or place. These bivalves are more than just shellfish; they are the storytellers of our coastlines, and the MWP ensures their story is heard.
This work is authorized through the legislative directive under Section 202, Title II of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) (33 USC 1442).
This LogBook entry was written by Lauren Jaramillo.