Entrepreneur Carlos Rafael, known as 'The Codfather.' (Photo: Stock File)

NOAA shuts down Codfather’s fishing group

UNITED STATES
Tuesday, November 21, 2017, 22:00 (GMT + 9)

The federal government, through The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has decided to withdraw approval of the 2017-2018 commercial fishing operations managed by Carlos Rafael, known as “The Codfather”, for the rest of the season.

The fishing mogul, who was the key figure behind the fishing group Northeast Fishery Sector IX, pleaded guilty to smuggling money to Portugal and evading fishing quotas and in September, he was sentenced to nearly four years in prison.

The decision means vessels in the group that are now at sea must return to port immediately and the closure of the sector groundfish fleet for the remainder of this fishing season and possibly beyond, informed Associated Press.

NOAA Fisheries said in a statement the sector was derelict in its compliance of the previously approved plans and that noncompliance helped Rafael misreport the scope and nature of his catch in a scam that led to his federal conviction.

In addition, the entity said its review showed that Sector IX failed to uphold section plan requirements to the extent that it undermined "foundational principles" necessary for successful sector operations.

NOAA Regional Fisheries Administrator John K. Bullard explained the sector must now develop and submit to NOAA by May 1 — the beginning of the 2018 fishing year — an operating plan detailing a strategy to correct its mistakes and adhere to its responsibilities.

"The most basic responsibility of a sector is to count fish and make sure its members are under their quotas. Sector IX hasn't figured out how to count fish or how to keep its members under their quotas," Bullard stated.

The administrator pointed out that it is conceivable the sector's noncompliance and misreporting could result in it being "over by a year's worth of quota" for cod, yellowtail flounder, witch flounder and American plaice, Gloucester Daily Times informed.

"That means they might have to buy quota in 2018 for those species from another sector or sit out 2018, as well as the rest of this year. They owe a great debt to the fishery and to the rest of the industry. They don't get to go fishing again until they figure out how to pay that debt," Bullard added.

While the sector has made changes in the composition of its board of directors, NOAA Fisheries characterized those actions as "insufficient."

Bullard was particularly incredulous at learning recently that the sector's enforcement committee has yet to meet on the specific compliance issues that led to Rafael's downfall and ultimately to Monday's management actions by NOAA Fisheries.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Rafael’s wife, Connie, a part-owner of some of the boats, said she hoped there might be a way to overturn the federal order.

“We are hopeful that the legal system will provide this community with a meaningful opportunity to review this unexpected and unilateral decision by NOAA, so that hard-working families are not needlessly harmed during this holiday season,” she said.

Related articles:

- Codfather to forfeit USD 2.59 million and surrender 34 groundfish permits
- ‘Codfather’ negotiates his fishing fleet sale
- 'Codfather' Rafael receives 46-month sentence
- Sheriff’s office captain accused of helping ‘Codfather’ smuggle money

 
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