Martha's Vineyard Museum

Table of Contents

Summary Information

Biography/Historical Note

Scope and Content Note

Administrative Information

Controlled Access Headings

Collection Inventory

Descriptive Summary

Repository	Martha's Vineyard Museum Gale Huntington Research Library 59 School Street P.O. Box 1310 Edgartown, MA 02539 (508) 627-4441
Call Number	RU 504
Title	Fisheries of Martha's Vineyard collection
Date	1823-1998
Extent	2 boxes and 1 oversize folder (1.056 cubic feet)
Language	The materials are in English.
Abstract	This collection consists of original documents and newspaper and magazine articles about inland and commercial fisheries around Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use and Reproduction Restrictions

Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to the library's staff. Reproduction fees may apply.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mrs. Weston Howland in 1967 (Accession no. 1967.011). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Weston Howland in 1967 (Accession no. 1967.022). Gift of John W. Whiting in 1994 (Accession no. 1994.081). Gift of S. Bailey Norton in 1996 (Accession no. 1996.006). Anonymous gift in 2000 (Accession no. 2000.030). Individual folders are labeled with accession numbers when known. The immediate source of acquisition and date of accession for the rest of the material is unknown.

Publication Information

Martha's Vineyard Museum

Gale Huntington Research Library
59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-4441

Revision Description

 Addition to the Collection; Addition of Box 2, Folder 8, Fishing and Game Law posters [CJ], August 2015

Processing Information

Finding aid prepared by Joyce Cooper in December 2014 with assistance from Lara J. Ullman. Finding aid machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick in January 2015.

 Creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Biography/Historical Note

Fishing and whaling are an important part of Martha’s Vineyard's history. Inland fishing was very active in the mid-19th century. Commercial herring fishing and eeling also took place around the island. Landowners around the great ponds leased out fishing rights to individuals. Around the turn of the century concern arose for the ocean fish populations and the effect of dwindling populations on commercial fisheries. Conservation efforts began around that time to place more limits on fishing.

Scope and Content Note

The collection covers more than 100 years of fishing on and near Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The earliest documents concern inland fishing rights, leases, and sales. Later documents and articles discuss commercial fishing and sport fishing. There was controversy with unions and the sale of fish at large markets in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York in 1920. The reports in the 20th century show concern for controls and conservation.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.