On most summer days, even when there are no fishermen casting at the water’s edge, fishing rods stick up out of the sand on the back shore like so many […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Smaller Bass, Bigger Blues
It’s still quiet on the big tuna front
Water temperatures have moderated from the unusually high numbers we were seeing the week before last. The harbor cooled down from readings as high as 78 degrees to a more […]
HOUSING WORKSHOP
On Provincetown’s Agenda: Short-Term Rentals and Zoning Reform
A ‘working group’ that can engage the public is in the works
PROVINCETOWN — At the four-committee housing workshop held on June 20, the town’s leaders expressed support for moving toward three large-scale policy goals: new regulations on short-term rentals, new rules […]
SMALL BOATS: PART TWO
The Cape’s Scallopers Ride Out a Perfect Storm
Local fishermen make fewer forays and try new ways to stay afloat
PROVINCETOWN — This summer, a perfect storm — combining sky-high fuel costs, a scarcity of experienced crew members, low wholesale prices, sharp declines in what scallop fishermen are allowed to […]
ON THE FLATS
Where Farm to Table Meets Dogs and Drains
Protecting Provincetown’s oyster flats from dangers ‘real and perceived’
PROVINCETOWN — If you set off from the West End boat ramp at low tide and walk out towards the breakwater, it doesn’t take long to reach the low-slung oyster […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
One Fine Week for Bluefish, Bass, and Tuna Fishing
Two fine messes we’re in: warm water and too many seals
Fishing this week was solidly good for bluefish, striped bass, and tuna. Water temperatures are rising to extremely warm levels for this part of the world, however. I recorded temperatures […]
HABITATS
After 9 Years, 4 Habitat Houses Reach Final Wellfleet Review
And at Lawrence Hill, completion date is pushed back to 2026
WELLFLEET — Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod will ask the zoning board of appeals at its July 13 meeting to take the final step in its review of a […]
DEVELOPMENT
Two Inclusionary Bylaw Projects Meet Different Fates
Both are now for sale, but only one received permits from planning board
PROVINCETOWN — A hotly-contested inclusionary housing project at 22 and 22R Nelson Ave. in Provincetown is currently for sale. After securing permits to build 12 townhouse-style condominiums on two adjacent […]
ON THE BEACH
Night Fishing Is an Angler’s Alternate Universe
Some of the best adventures with bass and seals are had under a new Moon
Catching a fish at night off the beach is as easy as turning off a light. Only in striper fishing, that light is actually the Moon. I’m surprised how few […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Tuna Chase Bluefish While the Bass Nap
Warmer water slows bass fishing, but the blues have arrived
What an exciting week this has been, though things were deceptively slow at the start. Fishing was pretty good for striped bass even though water temperatures have been skyrocketing lately. […]
HOUSING AND HEALTH CARE
State Health Officials Get an Earful on Cape’s Needs
Unsurprisingly, housing is the number one issue
PROVINCETOWN — The regional housing crisis is also a health-care crisis. At a June 30 roundtable with top state health officials, social service providers from the Outer, Lower, and Mid-Cape […]
HOUSING
Eastham Board OKs Closer Look at Tiny Houses
Changes in state rules may help towns take up small-scale solutions
EASTHAM — Tiny houses — often defined as dwellings smaller than 400 or 500 square feet — may be coming to Eastham if regulatory departments and the local zoning task […]
A TIME TO SOW
In Wellfleet, Hats Are a Summer Tradition
Oyster farmers set out cement-coated contraptions to catch the season’s larvae
WELLFLEET — When those perfectly shucked oysters show up at your table, and you lift the shell, tilt your head back, and let that sweet, briny bivalve slide between your […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Cooler Water Turns the Bass On, Big Time
Bluefish and tuna have arrived; the fin whales didn’t stay
Striped bass fishing remains uncharacteristically hot as we head into July. Typically, what happens is that July comes with higher water temperatures, which slow down the bass’s metabolism. As the […]
SMALL BOATS: PART ONE
A Day on the F/V Roen Keil
Dragging, hoisting, picking, shucking, and shoveling for the scalloper’s rewards
PROVINCETOWN — There is no doubt that scalloping brings in dollars — sand dollars, at least. Falling from the dredge like poker chips in a casino advertisement, they clink against […]
