Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishermen’s Trust hosts third annual Meet the Fleet in Menemsha

August 10, 2017 — Crowds streamed along Menemsha’s docks last Thursday for the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust’s third annual Meet the Fleet, both a celebration of the Island’s fishing community and a fundraising event for the trust that supports it. “I think it was the best one yet,” trust director Shelly Edmundson said.

The three-hour event grossed approximately $20,000 from a silent auction, sponsorships, clothing sales, donations, rawbar sales, and tips given by the band Good Night Louise, which entertained visitors off the deck of Martha Elizabeth, a fishing boat owned by trust founder Wes Brighton.

The event included crab races, and shucking and net-mending competitions. The Coast Guard, environmental police, and numerous commercial fishing vessels — most of which the public could board — were on hand, along with the refurbished 20th century wooden draggers Roann and Little Lady. According to Ms. Edmundson, the Roann made the six-hour journey from its home at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, while the Little Lady still actively plies Vineyard waters.

Aaron Williams, who won the net-mending competition, brought his trawler Tradition to Menemsha, where it docked less than 100 feet from the Roann, his father’s former vessel—one Mr. Williams crewed on as a kid.

Read the full story at the Martha’s Vineyard Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishermen’s Trust Proposal Aims to Clear the Clutter in Menemsha

March 27, 2017 — 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.

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishermen’s Trust Looks to the Future

January 7, 2016 — After a strong year, the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust is pressing ahead with its mission to support commercial fishermen on the Island. On Tuesday, eight of the nine board members attended a meeting of the Chilmark selectmen to seek further support.

“We have accomplished as much as we possibly can do in a volunteer setting,” board member and commercial fisherman Wes Brighton said, emphasizing the need for funding and other support to help attract young fishermen and sustain the industry. The Island fleet has struggled in the face of increasing costs and regulations in recent years.

Last summer the trust held its first Meet the Fleet event in Menemsha, drawing large crowds to the harbor and raising awareness of the challenges facing the industry. It also partnered with The Nature Conservancy to purchase the Island’s last federal groundfish permit, in its efforts to establish a permit bank to support Island fishermen.

But the Island’s historic fishing harbor is changing. In September, the 75-foot Unicorn dragger was sold in New Bedford, following the path of its sister ship, the Quitsa Strider II, in 2014. Both ships had once landed groundfish and other species by the ton but ended up unused and rusting in the harbor. Trust president John Keene worried that as Island lobstermen retire, a new generation may be unable to replace them.

“Pretty soon the harbor will be without the main attraction,” he said of the commercial fishing fleet. “We’re worried that if that happens, then Menemsha starts changing from what it is to more of a marina.”

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette