October 20, 2017 — Federal authorities physically seized Carlos Rafael’s four fishing vessels on Wednesday, one of the final steps in the criminal proceedings against the New Bedford fishing mogul before he reports to jail on Nov. 5.
While Rafael readies himself to begin serving his 46-month sentence in federal prison, the focus of the rest of the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery and environmentalists remains on what civil penalties NOAA Fisheries may impose on Rafael and his fishing sector, and how it will dispose of the forfeited vessels and ultimately distribute their fishing permits.
The New England Fishery Management Council, in a vote at its September meeting in Gloucester, urged NOAA Fisheries to take disciplinary action against Northeast Fishing Sector IX for allowing years of rampant misreportings of Rafael’s landings that was at the heart of his scam.
But the council refrained from voting on any specific measures on permit redistribution, saying it was waiting for the conclusion of the criminal case and a sense from NOAA Fisheries as to what comes next.
The council, according to Chairman John Quinn, remains in limbo.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times