About the Project

Restoring shellfish populations can help control eutrophication and achieve mandated water quality targets; however, this approach requires that ecosystem managers have a better understanding of how nitrogen moves through their estuary and the capacities of shellfish communities to remove nitrogen (N).

By leveraging a well-established collaborative group at GTM Reserve and engaging additional users, this project helped create a better understanding of shellfish distributions, health, filtration capacity in and around the Guana River Estuary. The project not only generated valuable water quality and shellfish data but it also established a path for increased research and monitoring by fostering connectedness between people and data.

About the Resource

Project Lead Ashley Smyth (University of Florida) gives a 5-minute introduction to "Assessing the Current and Potential Role of Shellfish for Improving Water Quality." The presentation was given during a project team workshop in July 2021.