March 6, 2018 — With no proposed changes in conch fishing regulations on the agenda, the annual Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) winter public hearing on proposed regulations was a relatively collegial gathering. A baker’s dozen of Island fishermen and stakeholders gathered at the Katharine Cornell Theater on Monday morning to weigh in on the potential changes the DMF is looking to implement in 2018.

The main topic of conversation was changes to regulations for the commercial black sea bass fishery. According to DMF Deputy Director Dan Mackiernan, stocks of the tasty fish have increased sharply in Vineyard waters.
“Black sea bass is poster child for climate change,” he said, referring to the increasing average temperature of Vineyard waters. “We’ve never seen sea bass like we have now. They’re more abundant than they’ve ever been.”

Warren Doty, Chilmark selectman and founding president of the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust, said black sea bass are the fish of the future for Island fishermen.

“The seabass fishery has become increasingly important here,” he said. “It’s eco-friendly because it’s a pot and hand line fishery. As the water temperature changes, it’s become much more common than it was 20, 30 years ago. It’s a good prospect for the Vineyard fishery.” Doty explained that Vineyard fishermen tend to use smaller boats and need to target higher priced fish like black sea bass, as opposed to scup, which is not productive at 50 cents a pound.

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