The December 2019 MVSA Newsletter is out and packed with updates and news. Check out the latest upcoming events planned for 2020 as well as some of the best fishing and gear tips from our members from 2019. Also check out the biggest fish of the year from our members in 2019 and the final results of the MVSA Inhouse Derby...awesome!

Click on the link below to read the newsletter.

2019 December MVSA Newsletter.pdf

The November 2019 Newsletter is now out! There are some great accomplishments in here and some great photos too! Relive the past season and end of year fishing successes of the MVSA Inhouse derby as well as the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby.

Hope everyone has a great upcoming Christmas and New Years and hope to see everyone at the annual MVSA banquet in January!

Click on the link below to read the entire newsletter.

November 2019 MVSA Newsletter.pdf

Here are the 2019 Final Angler of the Year Standings for the MVSA club members. Everyone had another great year of fishing the Vineyard and 2020 is just around the corner. Congratulations to everyone in the Final Standings.

2019 Final Angler of the Year Standings:

1. Cosmo - 33 points

2. Cody Creanga - 13 points

3. Ron Domurat - 12 points

4. Dave Nash - 10 points

5. Ralph Peckham - 8 points

6. Tony Rezendes - 6 points

7. Steph Pond, Bob Bottary, Don Scarpone, Lisa Belcastro, Paula Sullivan - 5 points

8. Jim Wareing, Steve Tirrell -4 points                

9. Brenda Gerosa Beal, Eric Brown, Jonathan Herman - 3 points

10.Zack Magid - 1 point 

Thanks to the recent dedicated work of Sam Hart and Chris Kennedy of TTOR and Don Scarpone and Ron Domurat of the Martha's Vineyard Surfcaster's Association, good news from the Prez and the Trustees can be provided as in the notes below. Please follow all rules and guidelines, and report those who don't. 

"September 9, 2019

Dear Martha’s Vineyard Surfcaster’s Association Member and Derby Entrant, 

Below please find the notice from The Trustees of Reservations (TTOR) regarding permitted OSV travel along the bayside trail to and from Chappaquiddick during the upcoming Derby.

As many of you are aware, the trail along the ocean side on Norton Point is badly eroded beginning at a point approximately two miles beyond the guard shack. Travel along the front beach is not possible. This agreement was the result of a recent meeting between MVSA members and the Trustees’ Island office and reflects our continuing efforts to balance safe access with beach integrity and regulatory compliance under the MA Endangered Species Act which we must follow.

All OSV operators should be aware that the trail along Katama Bay is subject to flooding during periods of high tide. Travel along the trail should not be attempted in the four hour period starting two hours before until two hours after high tide in Edgartown. OSV operators who attempt to travel during that window run the risk of driving through water and should a problem arise help will not be available from the Trustees.     

As Derby anglers please respect the Trustees wishes regarding fencing and roped off areas as any abuse of that trust could result in the loss of whatever limited travel privileges are available to us. Ropes are not to be cut and stakes are not to be moved.  

Thank you, 

Don Scarpone, President"

"September 9, 2019

Access for Over Sand Vehicles (OSV) to Chappaquiddick to and from Norton Point will be allowed on Friday, September 13^th - Sunday, October 19^thfor the duration of the MV Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. Access will be limited to the Katama Bay side of Norton Point at or near low tide only. Please note that use of the bayside trail on Norton Point will be limited during high tides due to portions of the trail being flooded so do pay close attention to the tides. 

The Trustees greatly value their relationship and partnership with our local fishing and hunting communities and we look to you for help in ensuring that derby participants adhere to all beach regulations and, in particular, confine OSV travel to the fenced-off travel corridors provided. Failure to stay within the approved corridors may impact the health and resilience of the beach system itself and is likely to cause destruction of state-listed endangered species and plants, which would constitute a prosecutable offense under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. The MV Surfcasters Association and The Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby Committee have agreed to encourage responsible beach use among their membership. The Trustees reserve the right to close any or all sections of the beach if regulations are not observed.

Our Mission is to “preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts." The coastal properties we own or manage on Martha’s Vineyard are stunning examples of places where public enjoyment, natural beauty, and ecological values coincide.

We wish tight lines to Derby participants – but please, fish responsibly. Observe all rules, posted and un-posted, for beach use. Confine your travel to designated corridors and encourage others to do likewise.The Vineyard’s beaches are a resource for everyone – and that means all are responsible for keeping them healthy."

Please direct any comments or suggestions to Don Scarpone: 

We recently received this e-mail from the owner of the Windmill house on Chappy. (08/27/19)

“Yesterday, I was delivering supplies to the house, Dave one of my guys was an hour ahead. He ran into one of the Sport Casters (Surfcaster) members who saw a white jeep cut the fence down in a few spots, he told Dave he confronted them...they were not too friendly..and said "we don't care"

I want to thank who ever it was, I appreciate your guys making an effort to keep things friendly between the fishing community and my efforts to keep the area accessible to fishing. There is always one bad apple.

 I think it may be time to adjust the fence line, everyday the access changes due to tides. I will work on it this week. I also will be adding small pieces of reflective tape on the fence posts, I think it will help the fisherman navigate at night.

This kind of behavior by a member of the fishing community on Martha’s Vineyard is unacceptable.

As Matt said, “there is always one bad apple”.  Although one bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch it  does give all of us a bad name and is a black eye for the angling community in general.

Matt is an angler himself and a good guy. He takes a lot of pride in his property and is dedicated to preserving it’s natural beauty. He has worked with us to keep high tide access to the Gut available and he has also agreed to open an area just south of his house for parking during the Derby. He does not have to do this. Please be appreciative by showing respect for him and his property and please, if you see something, say something before we lose total access to the entire area.                 

Arlington, VA - The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board (Board) approved Draft Addendum VI for public comment. The Addendum was initiated in response to the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment which indicates the resource is overfished and experiencing overfishing. The Draft Addendum explores a range of management alternatives designed to end overfishing and reduce fishing mortality to the target level in 2020.  

"The Draft Addendum is a critical first step to stem overfishing as quickly as possible and begin efforts to rebuild the biomass," said Board Chair Dr. Michael Armstrong with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. "Following approval of the Addendum, the Board will likely initiate a new amendment to consider a longer term strategy to fully rebuild the resource." 

The Draft Addendum proposes management options for both commercial and recreational sectors in the ocean and in Chesapeake Bay in order to reduce total fishery removals by 18% relative to 2017 levels. The proposed measures include reduced quotas for commercial fisheries, and changes in bag limits, minimum sizes, and slot size limits for the recreational sector. Since catch and release practices represent a significant component of overall fishing mortality, the Draft Addendum also explores the mandatory use of circle hooks when fishing with bait to reduce release mortality in recreational striped bass fisheries. 

If you care about rebuilding our striped bass stocks to provide the great fishing we enjoyed in the early 2000s, please copy this letter, add your own info in place of mine if you wish, and send it to your state ASMFC representatives from the list down below. Please do this immediately. The ASMFC is meeting on these issues on Thursday August 8. Even if you only send to one of the reps, it will be helpful but we need EVERYONE to participate in order to ensure we are successful. NUMBERS COUNT!! Let’s not let them squander our fishery any further. 

"Dear 

Science has indicated that Striped Bass are overfished and overfishing is occurring.  

Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass requires the ASMFC to reduce fishing mortality to a level at or below the target within one year, and to rebuild those stocks within 10 years. We hope that you will act accordingly and in good faith by fulfilling your  responsibilities. I am angry that the ASMFC has failed to act before we found ourselves in our current position and I am frustrated by the ASMFC’s lack of accountability and failure to act in accordance with their mission and legal responsibilities. 

I ask that you move to initiate or support an addendum to the Atlantic Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan to address these issues. We need to end overfishing and rebuild the stocks within ten years and we need to protect the strong Young of Year classes as they grown to sexual maturity and beyond. 

I am strongly against lowering the target and numbers through a proposed addendum process to allow a smaller population of striped bass in our waters. We had sufficient numbers and wonderful fishing after striped bass stocks were declared rebuilt in the early 90’s and there is no biological reason why we can’t enjoy the high numbers of the early 2000’s again. A restored recreational fishery would greatly benefit the economy through increased tackle sales, guided fishing and head boat trips, as well as the hospitality and tourism industry and a myriad of other businesses including the hundreds of small lure and tackle manufacturers. Lowering the bar on our striper stocks would obviously have an inverse affect on the economy.

Finally, I find it impossible to accept a plan as proposed that has only a 50% chance of success. That is another way of saying it has a 50% chance of failure. Not sure about you but I would not cross a bridge if I knew in advance I only had a 50 % chance of making it to the other side.   

The ASMFC’s lack of effective action over the last several years has led us to our current sad state of affairs and I personally am appalled by proposals to lower the target and threshold numbers that were set to trigger action and rebuild our fishery. I ask you to think deeply about this and act in accordance with the law, the mission of the ASMFC and your duty to the recreational and commercial fishermen in the state of Massachusetts and the entire Striper coast. 

Respectfully,

Name

Physical address

Email address" 

DR. MIKE ARMSTRONG ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYST 

EMAIL: MICHAEL.ARMSTRONG@STATE.MA.US

PHONE: (617)727-3336 x109

FAX: (617)727-3337

POSITION: CHAIR

REP. SARAH K. PEAKE 

EMAIL: SARAHKPEAKE@GMAIL.COM

PHONE: (617)722-2210

FAX: (617)722-2239

POSITION: COMMISSIONER LEGISLATIVE

DAN MCKIERNAN DEPUTY DIRECTOR 

MA DMF 

BOSTON MA 02114-2119

EMAIL: DAN.MCKIERNAN@STATE.MA.US

PHONE: (617)626-1536

FAX: (617)626-1509

POSITION: PROXY, ADMINISTRATIV

RAYMOND KANE OUTREACH COORDINATOR 

EMAIL: RAY@CAPECODFISHERMEN.ORG

PHONE: (508)367-1693

FAX: 

POSITION: COMMISSIONER GOV. APPOINT