PROTECTING
THE FUTURE OF
Nantucket’S
HarborS
Impact Report
JULY 2024 to JULY 2026
FOR GENERATIONS, NANTUCKET, MADAKET, & POLPIS HARBORS HAVE SHAPED OUR ISLAND’S IDENTITY.
THESE HARBORS SUPPORT OUR ECONOMY, SUSTAIN IMPORTANT SHELLFISHERY TRADITIONS, AND REMAIN CENTRAL TO OUR WAY OF LIFE AS A COMMUNITY.
Protecting them requires more than conservation alone. It takes science, education, stewardship, partnership, and a community willing to invest in the people who will care for them in the future.
Over the past two years, that commitment has guided an important chapter for the Nantucket Shellfish Association.
Together, we have strengthened the organization; expanded our programs; invested in students, shellfisher men & women, and research; taken direct action to protect our harbors; celebrated Nantucket’s shellfisheries with our community; and inspired young people to become the next generation of harbor stewards.
This impact report is both a record of what we have accomplished together and a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who made it possible.
We hope you see your role reflected in this work, feel proud of what we have built together, and share our confidence in what comes next.
NINE IMPACT REPORT CHAPTERS
Scroll through the full report, or select a chapter to jump ahead.
BUILDING ON
A PROUD LEGACY
The Nantucket Shellfish Association was founded in 2003 by shellfisher men & women and community members who understood that healthy harbors and thriving shellfisheries are essential to our island’s identity and way of life.
For more than two decades, shellfisher men & women, scientists, educators, volunteers, donors, businesses, and island organizations have carried that responsibility forward.
Over the past two years, NSA has expanded its reach while remaining true to its original purpose: protecting Nantucket’s harbors, supporting its shellfisheries, and passing a commitment to stewardship from one generation to the next.
STRENGTHENING OUR
COMMUNITY
Over the past two years, NSA strengthened the community of people, families, businesses, foundations, and partners that support its mission.
During this time, NSA membership grew significantly to 1,287 total members, while the organization recorded 1,271 donations across campaigns, events, and giving opportunities.
This growing base of support reflects a community that believes in the future of Nantucket’s harbors, water quality, and shellfisheries.
Donors and businesses have deepened their financial support. Foundations, shellfisher men & women, schools, nonprofits, and island organizations have also contributed funding, expertise, services, and time.
This collective commitment has helped NSA reach more students, expand scholarships and grants, take on larger harbor initiatives, and bring more people together to celebrate and protect Nantucket’s shellfisheries.
Our impact is stronger because the Nantucket community is strong.
EDUCATING & INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION
In fall 2024, NSA launched Recreational Scallop 101 with the Nantucket New School, giving students a hands-on introduction to the harbor, Nantucket’s shellfishing traditions, and responsible stewardship. An adult version extended that experience to the wider community.
That pilot grew into Harbor to Future, NSA’s youth education program. Through more than 43 hands-on sessions with the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club and school partners, over 150 students have gotten into the water, learned to scallop, visited oyster and quahog farms, and explored marine science, shellfish ecology, and water quality.
This fall, Harbor to Future will expand into Nantucket Public Schools, creating even more opportunities for young people to connect directly with the harbor they will one day inherit.
We are not simply teaching students about the harbor. We are helping prepare the people who will care for it next.
INVESTING IN FUTURE HARBOR STEWARDS
NSA’s scholarship program reflects a simple belief: protecting Nantucket’s future requires investing in the young people who will help shape it.
In 2026, NSA expanded its scholarship program to award $50,000 to five Nantucket students, with each recipient receiving a $10,000 scholarship to support their continued education.
This year’s recipients include two returning scholarship students and three new awardees pursuing studies in agricultural and life sciences, fish and wildlife ecology management, biology, marine science, marine biology, and small vessel operations.
Each recipient brings a different set of interests and ambitions, but they share a meaningful connection to Nantucket and the island community that helped raise them.
By investing in their potential today, we are helping prepare the thoughtful leaders, stewards, and ambassadors Nantucket will need tomorrow.
2026 NSA Scholarship Award Winners:
Top row: Cecilia Wendelken and Elissa Holdgate. Middle: Evan Belanger. Bottom row: Hawkin Edwardes and Natalie O’Brien.
PROTECTING OUR HARBORS
Healthy harbors are essential to Nantucket’s shellfisheries, marine ecosystems, and way of life. Over the past two years, NSA has paired direct action with financial and organizational support for the people and programs working to protect them.
Through the NSA Harbor Debris Clean Up Initiative, divers, fishermen, marine professionals, and community partners removed more than 3,500 pounds of hazardous debris from the floor of Nantucket Harbor during the initiative’s first phase. The recovered material included engine blocks, boat batteries, fuel tanks, wiring, piping, and part of a sunken hull.
NSA has also invested in shellfish and research grants and supported harbor, habitat, water-quality, and marine-resource initiatives led by scientists, shellfisher men & women, nonprofits, and island partners.
By leading direct action and strengthening the work of others, NSA is turning shared concern for our harbors into measurable impact.
CELEBRATING WITH
OUR COMMUNITY
NSA’s four signature shellfish celebrations bring Nantucket together around the shellfisheries that have shaped our island for generations:
NSA Scallopalooza,
NSA OysterFest,
NSA Scallopers Ball,
and NSA Clam Jam.
Over the past two years, these events have grown significantly in attendance, participation, and community support. They connect year-round residents, seasonal community members, shellfisher men & women, oyster farmers, businesses, families, and visitors through shared experiences rooted in Nantucket tradition.
Beyond celebrating, the events introduce more people to those who work on the water and generate critical support for NSA’s scholarships, grants, youth education, and harbor initiatives.
Each event is different, but together they transform community celebration into lasting support for Nantucket’s harbors and shellfisheries.
IMPACT BY THE
NUMBERS
Over the past two years, NSA expanded the scale of its work across education, scholarships, harbor action, research, partnerships, and community events.
Together, these numbers tell the story of a stronger organization, a more connected community, and a growing commitment to the future of Nantucket’s harbors and shellfisheries.
1,287
NSA Members more than doubled from 513 in 2024.
160+
Businesses donated to NSA events, programs, & harbor initiatives.
150+
Students connected to Nantuckets harbors & shellfisheries.
$51,000
Grant funding secured for Harbor to Future program.
3,500+
Pounds of debris removed from Nantucket Harbor.
1,271
Donations across campaigns, events, & giving opportunities.
50+
Shellfish, nonprofit, school, funding and island collaboraters,
43+
Harbor to Future youth education and inspiration sessions.
$65,000
Invested in student scholarships over 2 years.
270,000
Quahog seeds planted through the Clam Pilot Program.
LOOKING AHEAD
The past two years have strengthened NSA’s foundation and expanded what the organization can deliver for Nantucket’s harbors, shellfisheries, and community.
The next chapter will build on that momentum. Harbor to Future will expand into Nantucket Public Schools, creating new opportunities for students to learn through direct experiences on and around the water. The Harbor Debris Clean Up initiative will move into its next phase, targeting specific areas of Nantucket Harbor.
NSA will also relaunch the Fishermen’s Council as a direct forum for Nantucket’s working waterfront and continue the Speaker Series to engage year-round residents, seasonal community members, and visitors in important conversations about our waters and shellfisheries.
Scholarships, shellfish grants, research support, community celebrations, and collaborative harbor initiatives will remain central to the work ahead.
The next chapter will bring new leadership and new opportunities, but the responsibility remains the same: to protect Nantucket’s harbors and ensure that our island’s prized shellfisheries continue to thrive.
WITH GRATITUDE
Everything accomplished over the past two years was made possible by a community that believes Nantucket’s harbors and shellfisheries are worth protecting.
Our members and donors provided the foundation.
Our funding partners invested in new ideas and expanding programs.
Shellfisher men & women, scientists, educators, nonprofits, schools, businesses, and Town partners contributed knowledge, resources, and collaboration.
Board directors, advisors, staff, volunteers, speakers, photographers, boat captains, event contributors, and countless others gave their time and talents to move the work forward.
This two year impact report for 2024 to 2026 reflects what we built together.
We are deeply grateful to every person and organization who played a role in making it possible.
