Boston Harbor Islands - NPS - Bivalve Quest

Welcome to Bivalve Quest! Thank you for helping document the bivalves of Boston Harbor! Bivalves are mollusks, a type of invertebrate, that utilize two shells connected by a hinge for protection, such as oysters, mussels, clams, and scallops. This project aims to document the distribution and abundance of bivalves in the intertidal areas of Boston Harbor, including the shorelines of Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. Knowing where each species lives will help scientists and park managers understand and protect these important marine critters.

This project began as the Delectable Oyster Quest for the 2018 City Nature Challenge, led by Dr. Carolina Bastidas of MIT Sea Grant, in partnership with the National Parks of Boston and Boston's City Nature Challenge Steering Committee. While the list of species that we are interested in has expanded to include mussels, clams, and scallops, the goal of providing a simple method that anyone can use to help capture information has remained.

There is little current knowledge about bivalve populations along Boston Harbor coastlines. In the past 20 years, water quality has improved considerably in Boston Harbor, while other global drivers such as increased temperatures are also affecting the abundance and distribution of marine species. With your help, we can better document the group of bivalves, their location, and habitat characteristics in Boston Harbor. less ↑