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Current conventional wisdom argues that human-induced excesses in nutrient loadings to estuaries often stimulate ‘excess’ algal production leading to hypoxia, via bacterial pathways, and subsequent reduced recruitment/survival of finfish and shellfish. Why wouldn’t such elevated production stimulate more animal production, rather than less? In a three-year study of Long Island Sound, U.S.A., a multitude of variables were quantified along a west to east gradient, to address the above question via the hypothesis that different successes among planktonic species experiencing eutrophication alter planktonic food web structure away from traditional pathways to microbial loop dominated ones. Variables studied included: nutrient concentrations and ratios (i.e. NO₂, NO₃, NH₄, DON, PON, PO₄, Silicate, N/P and N/Si), phytoplankton, protozooplanktonic ciliate, zooplankton, heterotrophic nanoplankton (HNAN …