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 Biodiversity Survey
The first Lagoon Pond Association Biodiversity Survey took place on August 1, 2023!
This initial survey, focused on macroscopic mobile marine fauna and seaweeds, and was led by our science committee chair Maria Abate, PhD, marine biologist. Two separate 50-foot seine (1/4 inch mesh) samples were collected in the North Basin of Lagoon Pond from the shore between Doug’s Cove and Brush Pond. After sorting in containers, counting and identifying all organisms as well as measuring length of 126 fishes on shore, all organisms were returned to the water.
Twenty-two species of macro-fauna were found including: 11 species of fish, 7 crustacean species, 5 mollusks (3 bivalves and 2 snails), 1 anemone species, and 8 species of seaweeds. Juveniles from several fish species were represented including 11 Northern pufferfish, 2 striped bass, and 1 late-season winter flounder, cunner, tautog, and a sea raven. Seaweeds were not excessive and invasive tunicates were absent, unlike other spots in the Pond. Eelgrass blades were notably absent, but pipefish and bay scallops which prefer that habitat were still present. Total mobile fauna was circa 900 with the most abundant fish being the Atlantic silverside with over 800 individuals in a school in the incoming tide seine. The importance of the pond as habitat for young and forage fish was apparent.
We plan to perform future surveys to catalog changes over time and to better document the health of the Lagoon Pond ecosystem, as well as engage and educate members about these trends. The LPA Science Committee plans to conduct additional offseason survey(s), and invite LPA members in for a “Bioblitz” in the summer of 2024. Stay tuned!