When the former Massachusetts State Lobster Hatchery in Oak Bluffs was renamed the John T. Hughes Hatchery and Research Center this spring, it also got a change in purpose. The benefits of that shift are already being released in local coastal ponds.

Through the efforts of a crew from the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, the hatchery has worked as a nursery for the raising of millions of tiny baby quahaugs. Rick Karney, director of the group, said that he and his staff have been turning over the quahaugs to local shellfish constables.

Cardboard pieces, broken sticks, a busted wicker chair, a stepladder, an empty pack of cigarettes and a mop bucket lay in a pile on the floor of the Hebrew Center last Monday night.

MJ Bruder Munafo, the executive artistic director of the Vineyard Playhouse, took the stage.

“We want to thank the Hebrew Center for this wonderful space,” she said, looking down at the debris. “Which we’ve immediately trashed.”

Kevin Keady is a familiar face on the Chappaquiddick ferry, traveling back and forth between his home on Chappy to play gigs all over the Island. He and his band the Cattle Drivers play most every Saturday morning at the West Tisbury Farmers’ Market.

There will be plenty of gusto on the water this summer. The Vineyard sailing season has begun. Sailors are already racing between East and West Chops and sailors have filled their calendars with contests that were drafted over the past winter.

Whether you love to sail or just love being on the water and watching sailboats, there are plenty of opportunities to watch or, even better, get out and participate.

The signs are everywhere: just take a look at any one of the local traffic jams.There is an unmistakable abundance of cars and trucks with fishing poles sticking out.

Take a walk on Main street in Edgartown late in the afternoon and there is more evidence. Spirited fishermen, of all ages, are walking carrying fishing poles. It isn’t just those folks dressing up for a dinner and a dance on the waterfront filling the streets. There are people walking around with tackle boxes. Memorial Wharf is busy with anglers.

Capt. Verne B. Gifford Jr., commanding U.S.