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.
The decline of the Vineyard's fisheries has little to do with a lack of fish and more to do with lack of access, Island fishermen say. A new regulatory system tends to favor larger companies that can afford to purchase quota from other fishermen and reinvest in equipment.
Last weekend, dozens of surfcasters at Wasque Point could hardly believe their luck. The water churned with bluefish as fishermen reeled in catch after catch. “Some of the best fishing days I’ve ever had,” said Wayne Smith, an avid surfcaster.
Tim Broderick took a leap of faith when he sold his 55-foot fishing dragger Four Kids this summer, switching to oyster farming in Menemsha Pond with his father Stephen. But the Brodericks say the change is already paying off.
On that Thursday although I knew that the bonito were off Cape Pogue, the north wind in the early morning made it too rough for my boat, a 14-foot aluminum skiff. So I decided to hit the surf.
An Island-based group that includes fishermen, a documentary filmmaker and a world-renowned oceanographer are leading an unprecedented effort to create three marine protected areas in waters south of the Vineyard.
