Friends of Pleasant Bay (FoPB) has launched the Pleasant Bay Fisheries Study, a new research effort intended to provide timely, locally grounded science that can help inform future fisheries management, coastal policy, and climate resilience initiatives in one of Cape Cod’s most productive and rapidly changing estuaries. The study, originated and funded by the Friends of Pleasant Bay, is being conducted by the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS).
Friends of Pleasant Bay is seeking to raise $100,000
to fully fund this critical research.
Study Background
The largest estuary on Cape Cod and a designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern, Pleasant Bay is a living laboratory—home to shellfish, finfish, and hundreds of species that sustain both coastal ecosystems and local livelihoods. But it has experienced dramatic change in the past decade due to climate change, warming waters, invasive species, and repeated breaks in the barrier beach. These changes directly influence fisheries, water quality, and habitat health.
Photograph by Spencer Kennard
Why This Study Matters
Pleasant Bay’s fish and shellfish are vital to the health of the Bay and to the recreational and commercial fisheries that depend on it. The Fisheries Study will provide the current science needed to guide stewardship, restoration, and local decision-making as climate change, warming waters, invasive species, and shifting inlets reshape the Bay.
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By understanding how rapidly changing conditions are affecting the Bay’s saltwater fisheries resources, this study delivers the data needed to respond responsibly.
Proven Scientific Foundation
This work builds on the landmark Marine Ecosystem
Assessment of Pleasant Bay: Beneath the Surface of the
Bay funded by FoPB and conducted by the Center for
Coastal Studies in 2015-2016. Center for Coastal Study scientists are now returning with a focused fisheries lens to measure change and inform the future.
What the Study Will Do
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Revisit the 2015-2016 Baseline Study
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Track Key Species including shellfish, lobsters, horseshoe crabs, and emerging “Gulf Stream orphans” such as snowy grouper.
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Analyze food webs, testing green crabs to reveal what they eat, and how they impact native species.
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Guide restoration and inform work on seagrass meadows, salt marshes, and other critical habitats.
Study Areas
Fieldwork spans Meeting House Pond, Paw Wah Pond, Muddy Creek, and Frost Fish Cove, each offering distinct habitats and circulation patterns. Together, these sites provide a clearer picture of shifting fisheries conditions across Pleasant Bay’s diverse and rapidly changing estuary.
Your gift directly supports fisheries research and habitat protection
Community-Funded Science
As federal and state funding for coastal science continues to decline, this work is possible through community support. Friends of Pleasant Bay is seeking to raise $100,000 to fully fund this study with the Center for Coastal Studies.
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Friends of Pleasant Bay is a grassroots, all-volunteer nonprofit protecting Cape Cod’s largest estuary since 1985.
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Join us in protecting the future of Pleasant Bay.