We are working with a local oyster farm and the Florida Sea Grant extension office to investigate the composition of phytoplankton standing stocks and water quality associated with an existing oyster farming operation in the Pensacola (FL) Bay System.  Oyster spawning consists of male oysters releasing sperm and females release eggs into the water; it is successful when an egg is fertilized by sperm. Oyster reproduction is complex and  any changes in salinity, temperature, or phytoplankton population in the spring may trigger them to start the reproduction cycle. Pensacola Oyster Company operates an oyster hatchery that is trying to successfully spawn oysters using techniques used successfully in the Mid-Atlantic (USA) region; however, the methods from there are not working in the Gulf of Mexico or Pensacola Bay. Florida Sea Grant is working with the hatchery to investigate environmental conditions to determine what is needed to create the perfect environment to spawn oysters successfully in this environment. The University of West Florida was engaged to survey the phytoplankton that are in the water during spawning season, and in contrast what is not in the water during non spawning season. We used the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (NOAA PMN). After the sample is collected it is taken back to the lab and put under a microscope at 40x magnification to identify the plankton in the Pensacola Bay. The temperature, salinity, and water temperature are all recorded as well. The goal is to identify the plankton that are in the water and recreate what the water is like during spawning season to trigger spawning during non spawning season. We will report to both FL Sea Grant and the oyster farm the full survey of phytoplankton species identified during fortnightly-to-monthly sampling to inform their ongoing and future hatchery operations.