The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust reached out to The Nature Conservancy to purchase the valuable federal groundfish permit from retiring Martha’s Vineyard fisherman Greg Mayhew nine years ago. Mayhew, who has since passed away, owned a 75-foot dragger called the Unicorn.
The Trust planned to hold title to the permit, for use by future island fishermen, as
Executive Director Shelley Edmundson explained:
"We reached out to them and collectively made this plan that they would purchase Gregory's permit with the hope that one day we would have a boat that could fish it again in our harbors," she said.
This summer, the plan came to fruition, and the permit is back in use. Edmundson said it’s taken this long to attract a local boat capable of fishing the permit.
"So, maybe two years ago, a new boat came into the harbor called the Lady M, which is owned by Matt Mayhew, which is Gregory Mayhew's nephew," Edmundson explained. "And this was exciting because it's the first time we've had a boat of that size and capability to fish Gregory's permit."
The Nature Conservancy sold the permit to the Trust for a dollar. Now, it can stay on the Island indefinitely through the Trust’s permit bank.
"I'm excited that it can unlock some more potential for a local fishing business and can potentially land more fish to our community," Edmundson said.
The Lady M currently targets squid and fluke out of Menemsha.
