Sand mining, the need for community support and a permitting system that some Island fishermen say is flawed and broken were key topics at a recent meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust.

Thirty bushels of bay scallops were given to local shuckers with a stipulation: they could keep half the load if they shuck the other half for seniors. Packages of bay scallops have been delivered for distribution to the Edgartown Council on Aging.

New regulations aimed at increasing the coastwide population of striped bass have been approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The rules will reduce recreational catch limits by half and commercial quotas by 25 per cent.

An uncommon visitor turned up in Edgartown harbor this weekend: a juvenile African pompano, an iridescent tropical fish that likely drifted north from waters off the southern United States.

The fish was caught by a squid that was caught by a fisherman.

After a period of dormancy, the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust has resurfaced with a renewed mission to support commercial fishermen.

Bluefish carried the day this year at the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, with two men taking home the grand prizes for bluefish caught from the shore and from a boat. The derby saw a record 3,282 registrants.