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A study overseen by several local organizations over the summer shows salt marsh land in the Westport River has been disappearing for 80 years and will continue to degrade unless restoration efforts are made.

The same study also found "no clear overall driver" for the decline, according to a news release.

The Westport Fishermen’s Association, Buzzards Bay Coalition, Marine Biological Laboratory Ecosystems Center and the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program partnered on a project earlier this year to quantify salt marsh loss and identify possible factors influencing the loss in the West Branch of the Westport River. The water quality of both branches of the river suffers from nutrient over-enrichment from various sources including septic systems, agricultural runoff, storm water and lawn fertilizer.