Fishing
In an uncommon gesture toward Island fishermen, the state Marine Fisheries Commission brought its monthly business meeting to the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven yesterday afternoon. Beneath the large Stanley Murphy mural paintings of fishing life on the Vineyard, the commission tackled topics that affect the lives of local and state commercial fishermen, such as extending the striped bass fishing season and attempts to resuscitate the ailing herring population.
Waters are swirling with juvenile winter flounder within the Wampanoag Tribe’s hatchery in Aquinnah.
Tens of thousands of tiny little fish, only a few weeks old, are the result of months of work. John Armstrong, hatchery project manager, said the babies are eating well and getting bigger.
The state advisory commission that manages saltwater fisheries in our waters, under the Massachusetts State Division of Marine Fisheries, will hold a meeting Thursday, May 10, 11 a.m. at the Katharine Cornell Theatre in the Tisbury Town Hall. It is rare for the commission to meet here — they meet nine times a year and almost always on the mainland. The director of the division, Paul Diodati, will also attend along with the commissioners and division staff.
The fish are here — in force.
Striped bass, alewives (also known as herring), black sea bass and squid have arrived for an early start to the fishing season. Striped bass have been seen and caught in hot pursuit of herring swimming into local coastal ponds.
The Vineyard’s youngest fishermen will rise early tomorrow morning. It is time for the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club annual trout tournament, at Duarte’s Pond in West Tisbury. The best fishing will be for those who get their lines in the water early. Fishing starts at first light.
Cooper A. Gilkes 3rd, chairman of the event, said he and his crew of volunteers will be up at 3 a.m. to get on site and ready for the morning contest. Last year, close to 200 youngsters, 14 years of age and younger, attended.
If you are looking for a successful measure of the bay scallop season, which ended this week, the results can be found in large piles of shells in three down-Island towns.
There was a huge pile of shells next to a fish shack at the foot of Skiff avenue in Tisbury last week, as well as similar piles at the old Edgartown dump and in Oak Bluffs at Madeiras Cove. It was a good year, though there are many who have memories of better ones.