For Rick Karney, director of the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, 2008 is becoming the Year of the Blue Mussel.

In recent weeks, Mr. Karney’s group has received positive news about the prospects of raising blue mussels in local waters.

While the Island group already raises juvenile bay scallops, quahaugs and oysters for participating towns on a regular basis, the organization also is participating in a blue-mussel experiment that could expand aquaculture to the open water.

Shellfish Group Struggles with Shortfall

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

The Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group is in the midst of a financial crisis. Director Rick Karney is troubled; it means greater hardship in an already difficult business of raising juvenile shellfish.

The Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group will be offering treats from Island waters at the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust's Taste of the Vineyar

Following the die off of juvenile shellfish at the Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group in recent weeks, there will be a summit of the minds next Wednesday at the Tisbury Town Hall. Shellfish constables, biologists, members of the Lagoon Pond Association and the Tisbury Waterways Inc. will meet at noon to talk about the next step in protecting the water quality in the pond.

The director of the Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group said yesterday that nearly four million healthy juvenile shellfish under culture at his Lagoo

Shellfish May Survive Edgartown Oil Spill; Emergency Seen as Serious Wake-up Call

By JULIA WELLS

The director of the Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group said there may be good news for a crop of about a million baby oysters that were threatened by an oil spill in the Edgartown harbor early this week.

"I don't want to say that we are out of the woods entirely, but the oysters may survive," said shellfish group director Rick Karney on Wednesday this week.