Three-hundred and twenty five years ago the town of Chilmark established itself as the first to separate from the two original Martha’s Vineyard towns of Tisbury and Edgartown.

The first fish to cross the scale was a 7.73-pound false albacore Sunday morning as the 74th Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby got under way. The derby is the Vineyard’s fall fishing classic.

The curtain rises at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 15 for the 74th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. The first weigh-in begins at 8 a.m.

In the last week of August, the final fledgling of the piping plover nesting season departed from the shore of Quansoo Beach on its first migration south. The departure marks the end of the nesting season for plovers on Martha’s Vineyard.

Alan Wilson took first place in this year's Moffett Race aboard his 28-foot Stuart Knockabout, Altius. It was his third win, captaining three different boats.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has drafted new rules for both the recreational and commercial fisheries to preserve the dwindling stocks.