Tisbury’s scallop season is set to begin in mid-October.

Town selectmen approved dates for the upcoming bay scallop season at their meeting Tuesday. As recommended by shellfish constable Danielle Ewart and the shellfish committee, family scalloping will begin Saturday, Oct. 15, outside of the Lagoon and Tashmoo. Commercial scalloping outside will open Oct. 17.

The Lagoon will open for family scalloping on Oct. 29 and commercial on Oct. 31. Tashmoo will open last, on Dec. 3, for recreational scalloping and Dec. 5 for commercial.

The area directly behind Wind’s Up is designated for family dip netting only, Ms. Ewart said. She also asked selectmen to consider prohibiting dragging in Tashmoo this season.

“It is pretty mucky. I let people go out and try dragging last year and they were just coming up with dregs,” she said. She added that in the past dragging has been prohibited in the area, with only dip netting, snorkeling or diving allowed.

Selectmen plan to discuss prohibiting dragging in Tashmoo at a public meeting on Oct. 18 before voting on the idea.

Ms. Ewart said there is a lot of seed in the ponds, and asked scallopers to be wary.

“If you’re dragging in an area and pulling up a lot of seed, maybe stop and try dragging somewhere else,” she said after the meeting.

The town will also start to look at aquaculture regulations. Ms. Ewart said she has been approached by someone interested in beginning an operation in town waters.

“We want to have very comprehensive and thought-out regulations beforehand, applying to anyone who would want to apply across the board,” said shellfish committee chairman James Tilton. “I could see that would save a lot of trouble to do it beforehand.”

Ms. Ewart agreed.

“Aquaculture is definitely not a fly-by-night endeavour,” she said. “It takes a lot of work.”

In other business, the selectmen and planning board sent a letter to the state, outlining their desires for the Beach Road update project.

Comments covered the right of way, utility poles, curb cuts, traffic control, storm water management, water quality and lighting.

Most notably, the planning board and selectmen wrote that they agreed unanimously that the right of way between Five Corners and Tisbury Marketplace should be expanded to allow for a minimum of 6.5-foot sidewalks.

“The proposed sidewalk width does not accommodate two-way pedestrian traffic,” the letter reads. “Beach Road is traversed by heavy truck traffic and the existing and proposed sidewalk widths do not provide a hospitable environment for pedestrians.”

They asked that the crosswalk at Tisbury Marketplace remain, a concern that was repeatedly voiced at a hearing in mid-September.

“The crosswalk issue is worth going to the mat for,” selectman Tristan Israel said.

Another repeated concern centers on speed limits on Beach Road. Though classified as an arterial street, the town, property owners along the road and frequent users have all voiced concern about the multiple speed zones over the short roadway and asked that the speed limit be reduced.

“The posted speeds are too high for how the roadway is used and needs to be reduced to mitigate traffic conflicts,” the letter reads.

The letter asks that curb cuts be reduced in both number and size and that traffic control signs be simplified and clear. High quality, durable materials and a lighting plan including overhead and ground lighting were also requested.

The selectmen agreed to create a subcommittee made up of the town administrator and representatives from the selectmen, department of public works, planning board, and the water department to continue working with MassDOT on the Beach Road project.