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Tisbury Great Pond. — Tisbury Great Pond, or Newton 

 Pond, a large body of water situated in West Tisbury and 

 Chilmark, is separated from the ocean by a narrow sand 

 beach. At the north it receives Tisquam River and three 

 other tributary brooks, and on the west is connected with 

 Black Point Pond by an old ditch and a small stream. 



The fishery for white perch and alewives forms a source of 

 considerable profit to the private company which leases the 

 pond, the yield in alewives averaging about 1,200 barrels. 

 The pond was first leased as a private fishery to the Tisbury 

 Lessees Company, composed of owners of land around the 

 Tisbury Great Pond, by an act of the Legislature in 1869, 

 and, in spite of considerable local opposition, has been re- 

 leased at various intervals. On April 13, 191,4, the Board of 

 Commissioners on Fisheries and Game was authorized, under 

 chapter 529 of the Acts of 1910, to lease it, with the right 

 to cultivate fishes in Tisbury Great Pond, provided that the 

 public would not be denied the right of hook and line fishing, 

 and that the towns of West Tisbury and Chilmark would con- 

 trol and regulate the taking of eels, clams, quahaugs and scal- 

 lops. The lease was granted for three years at the rate of $125 

 per year, under chapter 529, Acts of 1910, in 1914, the money 

 being divided between the towns of Tisbury and Chilmark. 



Private ownership has proved the most successful means of 

 operating this fishery, but the nominal rental of $125 is a 

 small return for such a valuable public asset, and should be 

 considerably increased. 



Black Point Pond. — Black Point Pond, Chilmark, was 

 formerly connected with Tisbury Great Pond by a wide, 

 natural stream which has been narrowed to 6 feet in width 

 and 1^ feet in depth. On the west side a ditch leads into 

 Quinnances Cove, which in turn is connected with Chilmark 

 Pond by a second small ditch. The fishery was leased in 

 1898, and the pond is largely held for white perch and for 

 duck shooting, for twenty years, on the payment of $100 

 annually. Since 1899 the lessees have opened the ditch but 

 once. It was the bona fide intention of the lessees to have a 

 fishery in the pond, but the pond proved so full of vegetation 

 that seining was impossible. 



