573+ Acres, 30+ Years
The current state of the lagoon pond
Excessive nitrogen (N) primarily from wastewater (septic systems), fertilizers and road runoff has impaired the health of Lagoon Pond.
Coastal communities, including Oak Bluffs and Tisbury, rely on clean, productive, marine and estuarine waters for tourism, recreational swimming, fishing, and boating, as well as for commercial fishing and shell fishing. Eel grass is needed for shellfish and finfish shelter and proliferation. It also improves water quality, reduces coastal erosion and traps and stores carbon at rates 30 to 50 times greater than forests. Unfortunately, eel grass has all but disappeared from the Lagoon. Failure to reduce and control nitrogen loadings will lead to increases in algae blooms, decreases in oxygen concentrations and fish kills, widespread occurrence of unpleasant odors and visible scum, and loss of diversity of marine life in the Pond.
internships
An important part of the LPA. mission is to have an ongoing presence represented on the pond. LPA once again sponsored two interns this summer who assisted Oak Bluffs and Tisbury Constables, as well as the MVC and the MV Shellfish Group. They also participated in developing our LPA Repository which should correspond nicely with their hands-on work on the Pond.
Past and current projects
The Lagoon Pond Association is involved in the community in the following multiple projects:
Estuaries project (water quality)
OB-VH Wastewater management committee
Sponsoring summer interns for the Oak Bluffs/Vineyard Haven Shellfish
Constables
Shellfish propagation, eelgrass propagation, and research
Waterways monitoring, boating regulations and enforcement
Collaboration with other pond groups and MV Shellfish Group on best
practices
Collaboration with businesses to promote responsible usage of the
Pond
Review and recommendations on fertilizer regulations
Research, data collection and organization of water quality records in
the Pond
Earth Day beach clean-up
Regional High School science fair : Congratulations to Harrison
Lazarus: winner of the January 2023 Lagoon Pond Association award for “The effects of acidic water on germination.”
Family Shellfish Day
Egg addling
Algae Harvest
Porta Potty at Lagoon Landing
Dog Poop signs for Oak Bluffs & Vineyard Haven receptacles
Lagoon Pond Association Second Annual Biodiversity Survey
The Lagoon Pond Association held its second annual biodiversity survey at Douglas Cove on October 15th! Click here to see our seaweed chart and learn how you can help the pond!
Led by Maria Abate, PhD, our science committee chair, samples were collected in the North Basin of Lagoon Pond from the shore between Doug’s Cove and Brush Pond. Using a 6 ft x 50 ft foot ¼ inch mesh seine with 4 x 4 x 4 ft bag, two separate samples were taken. The organisms were gathered, sorted, counted. measured, and promptly returned to the water. It is important to note that due to high temperatures and algal blooms in August and September, the biodiversity survey was postponed until October. With the cooler temps, we saw a much lower amount of algae than last August.
Members of the Lagoon Pond Association board along with Tisbury Shellfish participated in the sampling. The first seine was taken at 3pm on a -0.1 ft tide. Seine 2 was taken on the incoming tide at 4pm. The water quality was good with the following parameters taken 1ft below the surface: 15.4 degrees C, 60 F, pH 7.87, salinity 47.9 ms/cm, oxygen 100.9% sat, 8.28 mg/l, chlorophyll 7.85 ug/l. Seventeen species of macro-fauna were found including: 8 species of fish with the total length of 72 fish measured, 3 crustacean species, 1 mollusc, and 5 species of seaweed/algae. Juveniles from several fish species were represented in these 2 short-distance traversed seines including 2 winter flounder, 1 cunner and 12 tautog. Seaweed was not excessive and tunicates were not found. Still, eelgrass blades were notably absent, but pipefish and young bay scallops were present. Total mobile fauna was circa 83 with the most abundant fish being the Atlantic silverside.
Photos of each species were taken to help with identification.
We hope to begin a program of more frequent surveys and to include interested supporters of the Lagoon, beginning Spring of 2025!
