A beach on the Lagoon Pond side of Eastville in Oak Bluffs has been reopened after it was closed due to high bacteria counts, the town health agent confirmed Wednesday.
An Oak Bluffs resident is challenging the award of an aquaculture license at Eastville Beach. Jacob H. Ludwig 3rd is asking the superior court to overturn a decision to grant Dan and Greg Martino an aquaculture license.
The 4-1 vote clears the way for brothers Greg and Dan Martino to begin a pioneering aquaculture venture. There were complaints from abutters and concerns about navigation, but the town strongly backed the project as a boost to the shellfishery.
Residents along Beach Road near Eastville Beach were informed at the end of January of a proposal by the Martino brothers to establish a for-profit commercial oyster farm in the open waters off Eastville Beach. Residents of Beach Road were given less than a month’s notice of this proposal and little time to research and provide comment at the March selectman’s meeting, a time of year when seasonal residents are not on-Island.
