Mark Alan Lovewell
World War II veteran Fred B. Morgan Jr. of Edgartown told a gathering of veterans, along with their families and friends on Tuesday that he hopes by next year’s Veterans Day, those serving in the military in Iraq will be home. Standing beneath windblown flags at the World War II veterans memorial at Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs, Mr. Morgan spoke about the significance of the day.
The Vineyard bay scallop season is underway and the news is mostly good for local consumers and commercial fishermen alike. Chilmark is having one of its best seasons in years; Edgartown is having one of its worst. Oak Bluffs and Tisbury are doing fine and on Monday another banner year is set to open in Aquinnah.
When it comes to the off-season, the Vineyard shines at a couple things. One is dancing. Another is dessert. Last Saturday at the annual Barnraisers’ Ball at the Agricultural Hall, there was plenty of both, set to the music of Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish that kept the barn bouncing.
The best fishing of October may have happened after the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby ended on Oct. 18. Steve Purcell, of Larry’s Tackle Shop, said that the 70 anglers participating in his month-long fishing contest called Octoberfish did well, though some found the fishing better after the derby was over. The awards ceremony for the contest was held at the tackle shop on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 1.
Striped bass, the Vineyard’s most valued fish, is struggling.
A new report shows the number of striped bass spawned in the Chesapeake Bay this year was the lowest seen in well over a decade — and fishermen along the Eastern seaboard, alarmed that striped bass may be overfished, are raising concerns about the future of the fishery.
When Dukes County veterans agent Jo Ann Murphy steps onto the pavement in Oak Bluffs on Tuesday morning as a participant in the annual Island Veterans Day parade, she will be thinking about Vineyarders serving in the armed forces and wondering whether she knows them all.