The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust announced that Martha’s Vineyard Seafood Collaborative, an extension of the trust, has closed its “Community Supported Seafood Pilot Program.” This was a public sales program, according to the trust’s executive director Shelley Edmundson. The collaborative opened its doors in June to support local fishermen, acting as a wholesale market to connect Island fishermen to buyers during the off-season.
The pilot program was deemed “a successful test run, and helped to support our local fishermen as fish markets across the Island took a much-needed break from a long, hard-working year.” As the Island’s fish markets start to reopen, the collaborative suspended “public sales operations” so that it would not be a competitor with the local markets.
“Please support our fishermen, and our mission, by shopping at our local fish markets and asking for fresh, local catches,” the email read.
The email said local fishermen and aquaculture farmers are currently catching and raising several types of shellfish, such as various types of quahogs and oysters raised at Signature Oyster Farm of Katama Bay.