On Thursday the largest striped bass caught so far in this year’s 67th Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby was weighed in. Peter (Pete) J. Spengler, 75, of Cuttyhunk and Westport, Conn., caught his fish at 9:05 a.m. aboard Capt. Duane Lynch’s boat.

Dozens of kids and parents arose before dawn Sunday morning to take part in the annual Kids Derby, a featured event of the 67th Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. The contest is open to youngsters 4 to 14, and takes place at the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority docks. 

Three men were rescued from the waters off Aquinnah on Monday afternoon after the boat they were in sank in heavy seas. The rescuers were three derby fishermen. Caleb D. Nicholson, 37, of Oak Bluffs was out fishing with two friends when they spotted three men clinging to a cooler in chilly, rough seas. The dramatic rescue took place at about 3:30 p.m., three miles northwest of the Gay Head cliffs. Mr. Nicholson and his fishing colleagues transported the three men, all suffering from exposure, to the Menemsha dock where they were met by police, EMTs and the Coast Guard. Mr. Nicholson said he believes the three were from New Bedford. Only one spoke English.

The commercial Northeast groundfish fishery Thursday was formally declared a disaster for the coming year by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, paving the way for financial assistance for fishermen who are facing depleted stocks and drastic cuts to catch shares.

The disaster declaration comes less than a month after Gov. Deval Patrick and other elected officials wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce asking for federal disaster relief, citing a preliminary report predicting extreme cuts in catch limits for the 2013 fishing season, which begins in May 2013.

Over 2,600 pounds of fish have crossed the scales in the first five days of the 67th Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, and they’re coming from all sectors of Vineyard waters.

“It’s been stellar, absolutely stellar,” Amy Coffey, who has volunteered at the weigh-in station for over 20 years, said on Thursday afternoon. “We had all four species weighed in from both boat and shore [in the all-tackle divisions], which is unusual for the first week.” Ms. Coffey estimated that it has been five years since the phenomenon last occurred.

They came together at the end of the day Wednesday to catch fish. Backed by the glitter of fast-moving water, more than 20 anglers, most of them participants in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, stood at the far end of the Menemsha jetty casting their lures in close quarters. The sun was brilliant above the horizon. The Menemsha buoy, a ringing bell, filled the air with sound. Ian Thurber, 31, a landscaper from West Tisbury, arrived at 5 p.m. after a full day of work. “This is one of many of my favorite places,” he said. “When there are no fish, it is relaxing.