Local lobsters

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The lobstermen of Martha’s Vineyard have great concerns about new lobster management proposals to be presented at your meeting on March 21.

A seasonal closure during the months of June, July, August and September would devastate our businesses. That closure would essentially end our lobster fishing businesses and would push all of us off the water and have us join the ranks of the unemployed. The summer season is our season. The tourists fill the restaurants and fish markets of our Island during those months. Our lobsters bring a premium price midsummer, as our patrons love the Living Local movement and want to eat locally produced food. Our Island residents would be eating imported lobster, product brought in from Maine. This is very bad for our Island economy.

Our lobstermen could support other conservation measures to reduce fishing effort in our area. A size limit of 3 1/2 inches for small lobsters and a size limit of 5 1/4 inches for large would be acceptable. We could also consider a winter closure for the months of January, February and March.

Your committee is considering new rules for the very large area designated as “Southern New England.” This area extends from Virginia to Cape Cod. It is too large an area for one-size-fits-all. Our lobster stock south of Martha’s Vineyard in water 80-feet to 150-feet deep is very different from the stock off New Jersey or Delaware, and we need to recognize this and create conservation measures adjusted for area differences.

In our waters we see an increase in small lobsters. Our pots have had more “shorts” in them for the past few years, and we see our lobster stock increasing at this time. The Vineyard lobstermen, as a whole, fish in a lot of different places. We fish Vineyard Sound, Gay Head, in the mud southwest of Gay Head, Noman’s Land and Cox’s Ledge. Many lobstermen that fish area 2 have told us that last summer they saw an increase in shorts. Even our shellfish constable told us he was catching shorts in his crab traps in Menemsha Pond.

Martha’s Vineyard fishermen have been following strict conservation measures for the past 10 years. Our fishery is on the upswing. Draconian measures may be needed in other states, but not here.

We have been working on Martha’s Vineyard for the past 10 years to find creative ways to support independent, owner-operated, commercial fishing vessels as an essential part of our fishing fleet and our economy. Encouraging lobster boats is a big part of that effort. Don’t hit us with a summer closure that destroys all of our efforts to keep our commercial fishery alive.

Warren M. Doty

Chilmark

The author is president of the Martha’s Vineyard/Dukes County Fishermen’s Association. This is a copy of a letter sent to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Lobster Management Board.

U.S.A. and Libya

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

Four serious questions:

1. Why have I heard no discussion of the President with Congress, certainly no public Congressional debate, about our going to war with Libya?

2. When we deliberately bomb their capital, Tripoli, and destroy Muammar el-Qaddafi’s tanks, these acts of war go beyond establishing the “no fly” area over Libya of which our President spoke. Why?

3. The U.S.A. said we would be in Libya to support the British and French armed forces. Yet now our military forces “acknowledge that they were leading this operation” against Qaddafi. U.S. forces, we are told, “pledged to hand off responsibility as soon as possible.” But is not “soon” subject to lengthy interpretation — remember Vietnam, Iraq, Afhganistan?

4. Our Senator John Kerry is quoted as saying, “I believe very, very deeply that America’s strategic interests and our values require us to support peoples’ aspirations.” What “strategic interests?” Do I sense the aroma of oil? Besides we have indicated we are doing this for Libya, not America.

Alden Besse

Vineyard Haven

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internet Now

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

This is a copy of a letter sent to the Edgartown selectmen:

We strongly urge you to do everything within your power to pressure Comcast into providing high-speed Internet service on Chappaquiddidick. You represent all tax-paying members of the Edgartown community in matters of general public interest. We pay the same taxes as Edgartown residents on the other side of the harbor and deserve the same level of services they receive. The current replacement of power cables by NStar represents a golden opportunity for Comcast to correct an inequity of services that has existed for far too long. Please fulfill your responsibility as the representatives of all Edgartown taxpayers and do the right thing for all of your constituents.

Thank you.

Jonathan and Suzzanne Cobb

Edgartown

•Let there be light

Editors, Vineyard Gazette

Way back in the Dark Ages (the dictionary defines it as an era of ignorance, superstition, social chaos and repression), people didn’t build wind turbines out of fear of offending the powerful Wind God. They refused solar power arrays because who could predict the Sun God’s reaction. It could be fiery.

Although Thales, a sixth century BC philosopher/experimenter, had discovered static electricity, not much happened for a long time to advance the science. We give Ben Franklin a lot of credit, but others like Galvani, Volta and Sir Humphrey David added to the understanding.

The Dark Ages date back to the Fall of Rome. But later the Age of Enlightenment spread to cover the world. That’s not quite true. On a sandy peninsula on the coast of Massachusetts 25 per cent of the natives are still in the Dark Ages.

Sadly, they seem to prefer black coal to the more logical use of wind and sun. Nearly all the officials with the power to determine our power sources belong in that 25 per cent.

The 75 per cent of the people who are enlightened have worked very hard in a long-lasting effort to bring Cape Backward into a brighter present and future. Is there something you could be doing to improve those percentages?

Perhaps the new HyLine/Cape Wind cooperation will inspire more opponents to see the economic benefits of becoming supporters. Eco-tourism will bring jobs and stretch our short tourist season into a year-round source of prosperity. It has worked that way near European offshore wind farms. Maybe those slower politicians will begin to feel some heat from our business community to stop being obstacles to lighting up the area without emissions, explosions or meltdowns.

Let there be light!

Richard C. Bartlett

Cotuit

MORE APPLAUSE

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

The 11th annual Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival was by far our best festival to date. Yes, our attendance was higher than ever with many sold-out films, but that isn’t the only thing that made it our finest festival. It was the spirit of the festival, of the audience, the staff and the filmmakers. People were happy, they seemed grateful and there was electricity in the air!

Scott Hershowitz brought his years of experience at Mocha Motts into our coffee bar. Jan Buhrman and Robert Lionette created magic in the kitchen. Rob Myers organized a slate of incredible Island musicians. Lindsey Scott and Molly Purves coordinated our beloved production staff and volunteers. Anthony Esposito and Katrina Nevin happily shuttled the filmmakers around the Island. There are more names to mention — our patrons, the advertisers, board members and those who lent helping hands when we needed them most — you know who you are, and we could not have done it without you.

This year we also decided to announce our dream of building a home for the festival on Martha’s Vineyard. Audrey van der Krogt designed an interactive art installation that asked for feedback and we received lots of great ideas. We were moved by the number of people that have already jumped in by helping to look around the Island for land, offering their design services and providing ideas for moving forward. We are now engaged in an Islandwide brainstorming session and hope that more of our community will want to get involved. Please contact us with your ideas.

We want our community to know how much we love working here, how lucky we feel to be doing this work and how much more we want to do!

Thomas Bena

Chilmark

Brian Ditchfield

Edgartown

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LIPSKY’S LIFE

I heard of Jon Lipsky’s passing at about 4 p.m., Saturday the 19th of March. My wife Roberta and I thought that we should go by to pay our respects to Kanta, Adam and Jonah. We walked into the house and what happened next literally changed my life. The very sacred Jewish ceremony of preparing Jon’s body for burial was about to begin. The process was being orchestrated by Rabbi Brian Walt. Although Jon was born Jewish, he was also a man of many beliefs. He had a brilliant mind and was able to express those beliefs through teaching, writing, being a man of the theatre,and just being a mensch.

I never realized the stark and jolting beauty surrounding certain Jewish and Hindu ceremonies. Jon’s wife, Kanta, is a practicing Hindu. The Jewish tradition of bathing the body after death left me with a sense of awe. Here I was washing my very close friend’s lifeless body. Washing his arms, his back, his legs, his head. I say all this with the deepest respect for Jon and his family. I felt privileged and honored and humbled to be able to serve Jon and his family in this way. An intimacy was established that was imprinted in my mind and soul, it was an experience that I will carry with me forever.

So, Jonny, rest in peace and for those of us who knew you thanks for sharing and enriching all of us with your brilliant life.

Nicky Azzollini

West Tisbury

The Vineyard Gazette welcomes letters to the editor on any subject concerning Martha’s Vineyard. The newspaper strives to publish all letters as space allows, although the editor reserves the right to reject letters that in her judgment are inappropriate. Letters must be signed, and should include a place of residence and contact telephone number. The Gazette does not publish anonymous letters.