12/30/2023 0 Comments Record bluefishThis collection was partially processed some time in the 2000s. It also contains plaques, awards, certificates, brochures, and other materials related to the derby as well as photographs not directly related to the derby. The collection contains photographs from throughout the history of the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. Return to Table of Contents » Scope and Content Note While the population has rebounded enough for the fish to be allowed in the Derby again, the event committee keeps a close watch on striped bass numbers. The ban, which lasted until 1993, was instituted to show support for conservation of the fishing stock and to raise awareness of the serious decline in the species around Martha’s Vineyard. In 1985, tournament organizers halted striped bass fishing in the Derby. By 1981, Derby fishermen caught so few bass that the committee added weakfish, bonito, and little tunny (false albacore) to the list. These stout fish, once plentiful and important for fishermen on the east coast, suffered greatly during the mid 20th century due to overfishing. But in the first two years, until bluefish were added, the “Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass Derby” allowed only one. Today, Derby competitors fish for striped bass, bluefish, bonito, and albacore. Parents who competed when they were young bring their own children to see what they can catch. Kids’ Day has become as much a tradition as the Derby itself. Fish of any kind may be caught and measured, and derby volunteers provide bait, detangle lines and cheer on hopeful young fishermen. For one morning each year, children are allowed to fish off of the Steamship Authority pier in Oak Bluffs. Derby Committee member Cooper Gilkes, inspired by a similar event during a spring trout tournament, began the tradition of the Derby “Kids’ Day” in 1981. In recent years, the junior division has evolved to mirror the adults, giving the opportunity for young fishermen up to the age of 15 to compete in the same way. Since then, they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship money for Island high school students, and implemented the Fillet Program that distributes surplus fish to local seniors.įrom the beginning, Derby organizers wanted children to be involved and included a category that awarded a new rod and reel to the youngest boy or girl to catch a legal sized striped bass. Operating under the umbrella of the Chamber of Commerce, they recognized the need for a more formal organization and in 1986 established the Derby Association, a non-profit corporation. In the event’s early years, the Rod and Gun Club hosted a dinner and dance, complete with a Derby march and the crowning of a Derby Queen.īy the 1980s, the Derby’s popularity had grown so much that the volunteer committee members planned for and worked on the event year-round. At an awards ceremony held each year at the end of the Derby, awards and prizes are handed out to the anglers who catch the biggest of the four species, either from a boat or on shore. A chalkboard on the wall tallies daily and weekly winners, fueling friendly competition and moments of pride. Originally above Reliable Market on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs but now next to the Edgartown Yacht Club, the weigh-in station is the center of activity and excitement. Fishermen pay a fee to register for the month long event, and bring any eligible fish they catch to the official weigh-in station. Though the Derby structure has changed over the years, the tournament itself remains nearly the same as when it first began. Before the month-long tournament was over, plans were underway for the Derby to become an annual event. of its kind to be arranged for this coast.” Sports writers in New York and Boston promoted the upcoming Derby, and more than 1200 fishermen, both local and from around the country, signed up that first year in the hopes of catching “the big one.” The Island quickly got caught up the excitement, and a weekly front page Gazette column enthusiastically tracked the leaders. The Vineyard Gazette reported that the event would be the “most ambitious. Along with a group of Island businessmen and the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club, Sperber organized and spread the word about a new fishing tournament to be held in September of 1946. They hired public relations expert Nathaniel Sperber, who knew the Island was already a destination for fishermen and that every autumn large numbers of striped bass migrated through Vineyard waters. Shortly after the end of World War II, the New Bedford, Martha’s Vineyard, andNantucket Steamboat Company (forerunner of today’s Steamship Authority) was looking for a way to promote tourism into the fall and boost the Vineyard’s postwar economy. Return to Table of Contents » Biography/Historical Note
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