High seas and gusting winds over the weekend prevented the safe removal of a 71-foot fishing boat that washed onto Norton Point Beach Saturday morning.

To protect a large group of coastal birds nesting on Norton Point Beach, The Trustees of Reservations have closed the stretch of barrier beach betw

Shellfish Beds Closed After Deluge

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

The state temporarily shut down shellfish beds on the Vineyard and across Cape Cod Wednesday as a severe northeaster swept across the region, bringing torrential rains and wind gusts of more than 45 miles per hour.

Fall Study of Cod Affirms Troubled State of Fishery

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

A survey of fish stocks completed last fall and released this month by the National Marine Fisheries Service continues to identify Atlantic cod as a depleted resource in need of help.

The cod was once the fish of choice in fish markets across New England.

But despite severe cuts in fishing efforts and the closing of large areas of Georges Bank and waters southeast of Martha's Vineyard, signs of recovery are lacking.

Fishermen, Regulators Brace for Spring Herring Moratorium

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

Alewives, one of the great harbingers of spring, have returned to Vineyard waters.

But there is a crucial difference this year: the state of Massachusetts has barred people from catching or possessing these anadramous fish, which return from the ocean to spawn in freshwater ponds.

Purple Squirts Cap Off Season with Win Over Vineyard Rivals

By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL

It was 5:55 p.m. Tuesday, and the atmosphere on the ice was highly charged. The championship battle was about to begin. More than 80 people were on their feet at the Martha's Vineyard arena, shouting encouragement to two teams who had swept across the Cape and Nantucket since October to get here.

This was a salute to the Squirts.