Center for Coastal Studies

06/08/2026

UPDATE ON RECENT SQUID ACTIVITY

The squid we've been seeing on the beaches in Wellfleet and Provincetown are shortfin squid (Illex illecebrosus), also known as summer squid.

These are different from the longfin squid (Doryteuthis/Loligo pealeii) that we think of as common in inshore waters and which are jigged in harbors by fishermen.

The phenomenon of large numbers of summer squid on beaches is not a new one, but it's one we haven't seen often in recent years (2017 was a recent exception) It was a more frequent occurrence in the 1970s and 80s.

We’re not sure why it happens, but suspect it’s related to a combination of predator/prey interactions, wind/tide, and local abundance of this oceanic squid species.

06/08/2026

CCS Scientist/Artist in Residence Mark Adams is leading efforts to educate and inform through art. Here are two upcoming arts events:

“EROSIONS,” a short film in the Provincetown Film Festival, interweaves environmental dance, interviews, and archival materials to explore erosion as both a physical and cultural force. It features appearances by Adams, as well as Director of the Shoreline & Seafloor Mapping Program Mark Borelli, and Manager of the Seal Research Program Lisa Sette. June 10, 4:30 pm at Provincetown Town Hall.

Adams will lead a panel discussion as part of Provincetown Art Association and Museum’s Fredi Schiff Levin Lecture Series. He will discuss Persistent Curiosity: Charting the Rippled Fabric of the Sea, an exhibition which marks the 50th anniversary of Provincetown’s Center for Coastal Studies. June 10, 6 pm at PAAM.
For details and links to get tickets go to the CCS Events Calendar.

https://coastalstudies.org/events/

06/04/2026

COASTAL CLIP: Shortfin squid chasing bait in Provincetown Harbor today.

05/29/2026

Please join us at the Hiebert Marine Lab this Saturday from 11 - 2 for our Open House!

05/28/2026

On Saturday, May 16, the CCS Beach Brigade joined volunteers from Buzzards Bay Coalition and Operation Clean Sweep to conduct a cleanup on Marsh Island, an uninhabited isthmus on the Acushnet River in Fairhaven, MA. All totaled, 70 volunteers contributed 242 people-hours to remove 1,700 pounds of plastic trash. This collaborative effort advances the goals of Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Acushnet-Fairhaven Land Preservation Trust to restore the natural beauty and resiliency to this place fondly referred to by the old-timers as "Tin Can Island."

05/26/2026

THIS SATURDAY!
To celebrate our 50th anniversary, the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) will host a family-friendly Open House at the Hiebert Marine Laboratory in Provincetown on Saturday, May 30th, from 11 am to 2 pm. Listen a talk about Spinnaker the humpback whale at 12:30.
This is a free event. No registration is required.
For details: https://coastalstudies.org/.../center-for-coastal.../

05/22/2026

For nearly 50 years, Vincent James carried the idea of riding across the country with him. This summer, he’s finally making that journey a reality and dedicating every mile to the Center for Coastal Studies.

Coast to Coast for Coastal Studies is a 4,054-mile ride from Portland, Oregon to Provincetown, Massachusetts in support of marine and ocean research, rescue, and education during CCS’s 50th anniversary year.

CCS is proud to partner with Vincent as he takes on this incredible journey and helps support science that matters.

Follow along and support the ride at the link below:
https://coastalstudies.org/get-involved/special-events/coast-to-coast-for-coastal-studies/

05/22/2026

05/15/2026

Yesterday, CCS Scientist/Artist in Residence Mark Adams and Director of the CCS Land-Sea Interaction Program Katie Castagno participated in “Future Ocean Bohemians” written by Adams as part of Twenty Summers Season 13 programming at the Hawthorne Barn in Provincetown.

It was a multimedia experience of music and ocean readings from science, poetry, theater and survival manuals, video projections and audio, performed within an ocean art installation.

Other participants included Opera singer Colin Levin, Painter/drummer Jo Hay, Cellist/barrista Parker Ousely, actors Karl Gregory, Katie Pentedemos, Nick Wilson, and Alston Brown, Josiah Mayo and Kat Wright.

Prior to that, on Tuesday, Adams, Castagno, and Mark Borelli, Director of the CCS Shoreline and Seafloor Mapping Program, participated in a panel discussion “Resiliency Futurism and Cape Cod Coastal Geology.”

05/11/2026

Save the date!

To celebrate our 50th anniversary, the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) will host a family-friendly Open House at the Hiebert Marine Laboratory in Provincetown on Saturday, May 30th, from 11 am to 2 pm.

This is a free event. No registration is required.

For details: https://coastalstudies.org/news/center-for-coastal-studies-to-host-open-house-celebrating-50-years-of-science-that-matters/