November 10, 2014 — Between endless phone calls and Winston cigarettes, Carlos Rafael fumed as he recounted the call early in October: The fisheries disaster relief headed his way would be just half the amount he was originally told was his.
For the don of the North Atlantic groundfishing industry, it was the second time in six years he said he was cheated out of federal funds. But where he let it slide the first time, this time Rafael said he’s out for justice.
“I don’t care if I spend $1 million to get the $617,000,” he said. “I’ll still be out $300,000, but I will prove a point. (The Division of Marine Fisheries) will never do this again to nobody.”
In May it was announced that Massachusetts would receive $14.5 million in relief to be distributed as the state saw fit. The first of three aid “buckets” went out on the basis of permits: anyone whose permit caught at least 5,000 pounds of fish during the qualifying years would get $32,500 per permit, with no limit on how much any individual could receive.
The Northeast Seafood Coalition cast its weight against imposing a cap on the aid money. Jim Kendall of New Bedford Seafood Consulting said he raised the question of whether there would be caps, but he never called for them outright.
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