In the largest award for Long Island Sound research in the history of the collaboration between the Connecticut and New York Sea Grant programs and the EPA’s Long Island Sound Study, 13 projects have been selected that will improve understanding of factors impacting several fish species, shellfish, water quality and restoration of the estuary’s salt marshes.

“New York Sea Grant is thrilled to continue this long-standing partnership with the EPA Long Island Sound Study and our sister program across the Sound, Connecticut Sea Grant,“ said Rebecca Shuford, director of New York Sea Grant. “The most recent award cycle represents the largest single investment in the LISS research portfolio to date. With topics ranging from water quality improvement to salt marsh restoration to fish and shellfish population dynamics, all with explicitly defined societal benefit and actionable outcomes, we are certain this body of work will make a tangible impact on the interlinked ecosystems, communities, and economies of the Long Island Sound.”

The awards will provide scientists at five institutions in Connecticut and New York with $6.7 million in research funding, leveraging an additional $3.5 million in matched dollars. The one- to two-year projects will begin in January. The research initiative is designed to support science-based management of the Sound and its resources, and the implementation of the Long Island Sound Study’s Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the waterway.

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