Woods Hole-New Bedford Service Resumes

New England Fast Ferry service linking New Bedford and Woods Hole resumed yesterday after being interrupted for about one week due to a mechanical error with one of the ferries.

The New Bedford to Woods Hole ferry service is a pilot program running through Nov. 10 that will test the market for commuters and tourists.

New England Fast Ferry also operates year-round service between the Vineyard and New Bedford under license from the Steamship Authority.

“During the first two weeks of operation, 2,000 riders took the ferry trip, demonstrating a real interest in this transportation service,” said Kristen Decas, director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission.

“We encourage more people from both communities to try this excursion and supply their feedback through the onboard survey,” Ms. Decas said. “Through ridership and community input we can determine whether a permanent water link between New Bedford and Woods Hole makes sense for the future.”

More information about the service is available by calling 508- 979-1414 or by visiting nbwhferry.com.

Scientist Will Discuss Flounder Program

Dr. Elizabeth A. Fairchild, stock enhancement project director at the University of New Hampshire’s Atlantic Marine Aquaculture Center, will discuss the potential for a winter flounder stock enhancement program in Vineyard waters at the Chilmark Public Library on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 5 p.m.

New England winter flounder population has declined 91 percent in the past 17 years, according to the university’s Coastal Marine Laboratory.

Ms. Fairchild has been studying winter flounder for more than a decade, looking at reasons for the decline and possible programs for restoration.

Her recent research has considered methods for enhancing wild winter flounder stock with hatchery-raised juvenile fish. Ms. Fairchild’s experiments have been aimed at determining the ideal size for releasing juveniles into the wild, when and where the releases should occur, and how to condition the hatchery-raised juveniles to avoid predators and forage for food after release into the wild.

Ms. Fairchild’s research has been funded by the Science Consortium for Ocean Replenishment, a consortium of university fisheries research departments that is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The free lecture is sponsored by the Menemsha Fisheries Development Fund and the Friends of the Chilmark Public Library. Admission is free. More information is available by calling 508-645-3360.

Class Scheduled on Landscaping Accounting

Do you have trouble collecting from your landscaping clients? Pete Costas from Vineyard Gardens is offering a class at the Polly Hill Arboretum titled, Landscaper Accounting: Collecting for 2007.

In this class/forum he will present a couple of collection strategies of his own, and brainstorm with the class on better ways to bill clients, or even get pre-paid in 2008.

The class will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 25 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Far Barn at the arboretum. The cost of the class is $10 with all proceeds to benefit the arboretum. More information and registration is available by calling Karin Stanley at Polly Hill at 508-693-9426.