Henry Hirsch, a rising high school senior interested in a career in oceanography, joined Salem Sound Coastwatch this summer to explore the coastline and help develop new long-term blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) population studies. Blue mussels are an iconic habitat forming species that reportedly experienced a population crash in Salem Sound around 2000. It appears that mussel beds are returning, but this has not been studied. Working with SSCW staff, Henry visited potential mussel habitats in Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, and Manchester to identify where mussel populations are established, and which sites could work for long-term monitoring. Salem Willows Park Beach was determined to be the best place for new community science projects since there is easy access, parking, and public facilities. This location also has two distinct mussel habitats: flat intertidal off the beach and a rocky outcropping. Henry explored these habitats, researched intertidal monitoring studies, and worked with SSCW staff to develop and document two different study protocols. Volunteers and school groups will be trained to count mussels while walking from the beach to the low tide line following band transects. People monitoring the rocky outcropping will use 0.5-meter quadrats at 5-foot intervals along 5 transects to determine mussel populations and age classes. SSCW’s goal is to detect year-to-year changes in the abundance of blue mussels at Salem Willows Beach while educating people about their ecological importance.
Thank you, Henry, for making this a priority and writing up the protocols for each study. In addition, he participated in marine invasive species surveys (MIMIC), conducted salt marsh quadrat monitoring at the Collins Cove living shoreline, and learned about horseshoe crab telemetry efforts to track and better understand their patterns. He also helped remove plastic netting that covered salt marsh grass at the Leadmills restoration site.
Henry, we wish you all the best in your environmental journey and can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!
