A long-simmering dispute over bay scallop fishing in Oak Bluffs has erupted in physical confrontation, theft, and vandalism over the past month.
A long-simmering dispute over bay scallop fishing in Oak Bluffs has erupted in physical confrontation, theft, and vandalism over the past month.
Lagoon Pond was closed to scalloping on the Vineyard Haven side, effective Wednesday morning. At a meeting Tuesday, the Tisbury selectmen voted to follow the shellfish constable’s recommendation to close the pond, but decided to keep the outer harbor open until Dec. 31.
Selectmen this week tried to broker a compromise solution in a heated dispute among town shellfishermen over the closing of Sengekontacket Pond to bay scalloping on the Oak Bluffs side.
Following the early closure of the scalloping season in Aquinnah, town officials and shellfish biologists are trying to understand the unexpected decline in the number of adult scallops this year. The season closed Nov. 15 in response to a lack of adult scallops; a black algae was also observed growing on many of the scallop shells.
Dragging for bay scallops is now prohibited in Edgartown when the air temperature falls below 30 degrees fahrenheit. The change from 28 to 30 degrees is intended to protect bay scallop seed, especially the small seed growing at Cape Pogue.
At around 6 a.m. Wednesday, Cooper Gilkes and his son Daniel were in their kitchen in Edgartown wearing orange and yellow waders, getting ready for another morning on the water. The longtime fishermen have been enjoying an especially strong start to the commercial bay scalloping season.
