Longtime Chilmark harbor master Dennis Jason will step down before the start of next summer, he told the Chilmark selectmen Tuesday.

Reading aloud from a letter at the regular board meeting, Mr. Jason requested that he be reappointed through fiscal year 2019.

“I . . . offer this letter as my resignation and retirement as harbor master effective June 30, 2019,” he said in part.

“I appreciate the opportunity that I have had to manage the harbor over the past 19 years and feel that I have run an effective and safe harbor for our town in the spirit of our Menemsha fishing village.”

Selectmen offered their appreciation in return.

“I appreciate the 19 years you’ve spent on behalf of the harbor,” selectman James Malkin said. ““I know it hasn’t been easy. Let’s make it a great year.”

Mr. Jason’s tenure has not been without controversy. In 2015 the selectmen reappointed him amid high marks for his skills as a waterman and maritime knowledge, but low marks for public relations in the iconic harbor that is a busy summer hub for commercial fishermen, boaters and tourists.

“I’m 70 now,” he told the Gazette after the meeting.

“There’s a lot of detail that people don’t see,” he said about the position of harbor master. “I think we’ve managed to run a safe harbor.”