Commercial Fisherman

From the Vineyard Gazette
Friday issue, June 17, 2005

Selectman Step Out in Menemsha With Eye Toward Harbor Issues
By Ian Fein

Three Chilmark selectman gathered alongside scavenging seagulls and ambling tourists on Dutcher Dock this week
for a special meeting to discuss a number of issues related to Menemsha Harbor.
. . . . . . . . . .
Dressed in Chilmark – casual garb of shorts, sunglasses and hats, the selectman voted to appoint a subcommittee
charged with changing the town’s definition of a commercial fisherman.
Commercial fisherman in Chilmark are eligible to obtain special town slips and lots along the waterfront.

The town presently defines a commercial fisherman as someone who earns 45 per cent of his or her income from fishing,
but the decline of the fishing industry and the rising cost of living on the Vineyard have made such a prospect nearly impossible.

. . . Stay tuned