The fishing cages, nets and other gear that lie scattered around Menemsha may soon have a place of their own behind the Chilmark landfill.

In an effort to support young fishermen in town and relieve congestion in the historic fishing village, the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust has proposed designating a one-acre lot at the landfill on Middle Line Road as a storage area for fishing gear and larger equipment.

The town owns an eight-acre parcel at the landfill that selectmen say could serve the purpose, and also provide space for the town shellfish and highway departments, and training for the fire department. The shellfish and highway departments currently use a 3.5-acre homesite at Peaked Hill.

At the selectmen’s meeting on Thursday, trust president John Keene, owner of Keene Excavation in West Tisbury, formally proposed the new site, and offered to create the required access road at no charge to the town — and idea that furthered the selectmen’s support.

“That’s not going to hurt,” selectman Bill Rossi said.

Trust board member Katie Carroll pressed for the project to move forward independently of plans for the town departments. But several questions remained, including how much land each fisherman would need, and whether to include a fence around the lot.

An article on the annual town meeting warrant for April 24 includes a request for $25,000 to fund the layout and development of the town-owned lot behind the landfill, and authorize its use for general municipal purposes.

Fisherman and trust member Wes Brighton said a similar storage site in Edgartown could provide a model in terms of how much space would be needed, although he estimated that 10,000 square feet would be enough for the average fisherman in Chilmark.

He also noted that Edgartown charges a fee for using its site. “That really makes a lot of sense because it provides efficiency, and you might not be inclined to prioritize the space if it doesn’t require a little skin in the game,” he said.

He added: “The most important thing in my mind is the long view. What we have right now for fishermen in town is approximately 18 lobstermen and a handful of other miscellaneous fisheries with a substantial amount of gear.” He envisioned a space for at least 20 active fishermen.

Mr. Brighton endorsed the idea of having a fence around the site.

“We think that it’s always good to keep an honest man honest,” he said.

In addition to cages and other gear, the trust hopes to create space for some of the machinery, trucks and vats maintained by Chilmark fish markets and buyers. Alec Gale of Menemsha Fish House has expressed an interest in moving a large freezer, used for fishing bait, from Menemsha to the new site. The freezer has been a topic of concern in town due to its noise and appearance.

The selectmen showed strong support for establishing the storage site, but also a degree of caution. “Nobody would like to see it turned into a fishing junkyard,” selectman James Malkin said. Mrs. Carroll said the trust has planned to develop some basic guidelines for use.

“We also don’t want every last evidence of commercial fishing to be removed from Menemsha,” said Mr. Keene. “Part of the ambiance is having stacks of pots and gear around.” But he added that new fishermen would have no space along the harbor.

Mr. Malkin agreed. “There are people on this board, however, during our semi-annual walkarounds that believe that there is gear that doesn’t need to be there, and there is some gear that is kept better than other gear. And we do have a concern for the safety of the public, who roam around our commercial fishing area.”

“I think this is common sense,” he said of the proposal.

Trust members agreed to draw up a more detailed plan in time for the selectmen’s next meeting on April 4.