The legendary Menemsha fisherman and one of the last of a breed of commercial draggermen that included Louis Larsen, Eric Cottle, Robert Flanders and others, died Tuesday.
The iconic Menemsha fisherman who piloted the Unicorn dragger during the heyday of offshore commercial fishing, died April 11. He had fished the waters off the Vineyard all his life.
Born and raised Menemsha fisherman Capt. Jeff Lynch said he relied on his fishing skills gained on the Island when he caught a 700-pound bluefin tuna in Cape Cod Bay last weekend. The giant fish was shipped to Japan to be sold at a fish market.
Visitors streamed into Menemsha on Thursday evening for a rare look inside the Island’s commercial fishing industry. The first event drew a young, vibrant crowd to the harbor, where most of the Island’s commercial fleet was docked and fishermen offered demonstrations in their trade.
Commercial striped bass season opened on Sunday with mixed reviews from fishermen. Fishmongers, however, are happy to have the desirable fish in stock again for the Island’s many interested customers.
Striped bass is a highly regulated fishery, especially on the commercial side. Last year the season come to a quick end on August 9 when fishermen reached their allowable catch about a month after the season opened.
Fans of local bay scallops are in luck; commercial fishermen, not so much. An abundance of fresh scallops on the market, combined with diminished interest in the product off-Island, has dropped the price of the shellfish.
Local fishmarkets said Island bay scallops were selling for $15 a pound Friday, down from as high as $20 earlier this year.
A crowd of Vineyard residents registered their concerns with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding a proposed private energy project that aims to plant 170 windmills in 28 square miles of shallow water in Nantucket Sound. For nearly two hours last Thursday night an audience of 60 entered comments into the formal record during a scoping session held in conjunction with a Martha's Vineyard Commission meeting in the basement of the Old Whaling Church in Edgartown.
The Chilmark selectmen are exploring ways to enable fishermen to
sell their catch directly at the Menemsha dock, part of their ongoing
search for ways to support the fishing fleet and boost the village
economy in general.
One idea is to attract another market to town, in particular one
that would sell fresh fish caught by the Menemsha fleet, with the rest
shipped to the mainland by truck, the old-fashioned way.
One of Menemsha’s most respected fishermen, Jonathan Mayhew, has quit fishing the high seas.
Mr. Mayhew recently sold his federal permits, giving up his license to ply the offshore waters of Georges Bank for cod, flounder and other fish.
A Vineyard native who grew up in a family of generations of fishermen, Mr. Mayhew, 56, said a chapter has closed in his life. He said he worries now for the future of young local fishermen facing current fishing rules.
The changes that have come down are killing the fisherman and not necessarily saving fish, he said.
A renewed effort to restrict striped bass to game fish status in Massachusetts is dividing recreational and commercial fishermen.
Legislation was filed on Beacon Hill last month that would ban the commercial sale of wild striped bass in the commonwealth and also place stricter limits on the recreational fishery.
