John T. Hughes, the former longtime director of the Massachusetts State Lobster Hatchery on the Vineyard, will be honored by the state Division of Marine Fisheries next month, which will present him with the Belding Award.

Created in 1989 to honor individuals who in the opinion of the state Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission have done the most to promote the conservation and sustainable use of the commonwealth’s marine resources, the award is named for Dr. David L. Belding, a distinguished doctor and marine biologist who died in 1972.

The award will be presented to Mr. Hughes on March 23 at 1:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Commission office in Oak Bluffs. It is also the day Mr. Hughes, who is a resident of Vineyard Haven, turns 90.

Mr. Hughes ran the state lobster hatchery on Lagoon Pond in Oak Bluffs for 36 years, from 1948 until 1984. He was a well-known and respected authority on lobsters, and the hatchery was nationally known for its research on lobsters.

The lobster hatchery has been closed for many years; last year Cape and Islands legislators announced plans to revive it as a shellfish hatchery with the help of the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group.