Tara, natural resources staff, told the Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board on Jan. 7 that recent winter strandings on Nantucket beaches have been small compared with previous years and that staff have been documenting locations and timing.

She said the department began its microalgae production for the 2025 season after receiving new cultures, that a kelp line remains on the town aquaculture lease in the head of the harbor through March, and that staff plan to trial ribbed mussels this year as part of coastal resilience work. "We got our new microalgae cultures in today," Tara said.

The report also covered seed-moving operations: staff said they have moved seed on days when weather permitted and that recent movements have concentrated in the lower harbor, including both sides of Second Bend and Third Bend and First Bend. Tara asked commercial permit holders to report total bushels harvested in November and December to help the department evaluate how the recent bushel-limit change affected participation; she said six permit holders had responded so far. "From the people that responded, everyone is still getting their limit within four hours," Tara said.

Why it matters: the department is assembling historical and recent reports into a single shared drive to support an upcoming eelgrass management plan and broader permit-management decisions. Accurate harvest counts for November–December will inform staff analysis of whether the bushel-limit adjustment changed fishing patterns.

Board members and members of the public asked follow-up questions about the seed-moving locations and harvest reporting. A fisherman suggested an app to report catch quickly; board and staff agreed that improved, real-time reporting would help management and that staff would explore options.

Ending: The board did not take a formal action on the report; staff said they would resend the request for harvest data and aim to provide a more comprehensive harvest summary at the next SHAB meeting.