Tara Riley, natural-resources staff, told the Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board on Feb. 4 that draft results from the town's 2024 water-quality report show generally positive conditions and "the nitrogen loads are a little bit down." Riley said the draft is under internal review and will be posted on the town website after the contracted lab work and edits are complete.

Riley said the town has received notice of a $65,000 contribution from the Great Harbor Yacht Club for an eelgrass management plan. "We received notice that we are getting $65,000 for the eelgrass management plan from the Great Harbor Yacht Club," she said, and the gift is scheduled to be accepted at the select board's next meeting. The town has engaged the Urban Harbors Institute to help develop the plan on an aggressive schedule aimed at finishing by July 1 and "hoping to roll it out in time for summer," Riley said.

Riley also reported staffing and research updates: the natural-resources office posted three short-term intern positions (hatchery research, field technician and water-quality) with a short application window, and the town is preparing March bid postings.

On possible debris linked to Vineyard Wind, Riley said the town has sent a second set of samples to UMass for analysis and the university has begun examining material collected July–October. "There appears to be some of the resin that was mixed in with the styrofoam," she said, but the researcher is trying to chemically identify the resin and match it to samples found on the beach and described the amounts as "very, very small, if anything." Riley said samples came from Nantucket Harbor, Madaket Harbor and Surfside Beach.

The board asked about sharing buoy data; Riley said the Mariah Mitchell buoy team is coordinating data sharing with the town and local NGOs. The board did not take any formal votes on the water-quality report at the meeting; Riley said she would arrange a short presentation by the report author, if the board wanted one after the draft is finalized.

The board will receive the finalized water-quality report once contract edits are complete and Riley confirmed the town will post summary materials and mapping tools online when the report is finalized.