Seven Martha's Vineyard boating operations have won 2020 Boater's Choice Awards from Cambridge-based marinas.com.
Without any federal or state permits, the Unicorn is likely nearing the end of her long residency in Menemsha harbor. Capt. Greg Mayhew recently sold his groundfish permit — the last on the Vineyard — to The Nature Conservancy.
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.
A major project to rebuild the jetties at Menemsha Creek has been delayed about three weeks and will likely extend into the nesting season of the federally protected piping plover. The Army Corps of Engineers had expected to complete repairs to the west jetty in Aquinnah by Tuesday of this week.
A project to rebuild the two jetties at Menemsha harbor is expected to begin in the next two weeks, while a more controversial project to dredge the channel to Menemsha Pond has been delayed until next fall.
The new Coast Guard boathouse in Menemsha harbor is on track to be finished early next year. The three-story concrete structure is fire-resistant and can withstand earthquakes and 100-year storms.
The Quitsa Strider II, an iconic fishing dragger that has long been synonymous with the working waterfront in Menemsha, has been sold to a New Bedford dealer. Matthew Mayhew and his father, Jonathan Mayhew, made their final run on the 72-foot dragger to New Bedford last Friday.
