Inshore fisheries from Edgartown to Chilmark ground almost to a halt this winter following winter storms, with ice more than a foot thick eventually forming in some places. Some of the ponds, including Tisbury Great Pond, froze over completely.

“This is probably one of the worst, if not the worst, winter we have ever had in terms of losing days fishing,” said West Tisbury shellfish constable Raymond Gale.

One boat owner took a 16-inch chainsaw to the ice in Tisbury Great Pond and never hit water, Mr. Gale said. By this week, the ice on the pond had thinned to about four or five inches.

As a result of the harsh winter Menemsha Fish Market has seen a shortage of local shellfish.
Frozen Edgartown harbor resulted in tough days for shellfishing. — Mark Lovewell

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