Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: GBH News to Premiere New Podcast: Catching The Codfather

January 28, 2026 — GBH News today announced the upcoming premiere of Catching The Codfather, a new podcast from the Peabody Award-winning team behind The Big Dig and Scratch & Win. Catching The Codfather traces the true-crime story of New England fishing tycoon Carlos Rafael, his controversial rise, and the federal sting operation that finally brought him down exactly 10 years ago this month. The six-part limited series, the latest season of GBH News’ The Big Dig™ podcast, is hosted by Ian Coss, produced by GBH News and brought to listeners in partnership with PRX. Episodes will drop weekly starting on Feb. 11.

He was a millionaire, a community pillar, and the “Codfather” of New England’s fishing fleet. But behind the scenes, Rafael was running one of the most brazen fishing frauds in U.S. history. The story begins in 1976, when a dispute over international waters sowed the seeds of both an environmental crisis and Rafael’s eventual fishing empire in New Bedford, Mass. But as government regulations ratcheted up, Rafael made a grim prediction: fishermen would either go bankrupt or become outlaws.

“The Codfather story presents a complicated case where food, culture, the environment, and the lives of working people all collide,” said lead producer and host Ian Coss. “At a time when the very idea of ‘government regulation’ is highly polarized, my hope is that this series will make listeners question their own assumptions. Was Carlos Rafael justified in breaking the law? Has government regulation of fishing caused more harm than good? And who is ultimately responsible for the collapse of this legendary industry?”

Read the full article at GBH

Quinn Fisheries, Blue Harvest sue Rafael trustee for blocking vessel sale, lawsuit says

April 28, 2021 — Quinn Fisheries and Blue Harvest Fisheries filed a lawsuit last week against Carlos Rafael’s trustee and three arbitrators, alleging they are blocking a multimillion-dollar transaction of vessels and permits that was scheduled to happen April 16.

The permits are for scallops and multi-species fish. The fishing seasons have already started or will soon start and because the transaction cannot be finalized, Quinn Fisheries and Blue Harvest state they will experience serious and irreparable financial harm.

According to the 19-page complaint, Quinn Fisheries planned to transfer certain vessels and permits to Blue Harvest, and then purchase vessels and permits from Blue Harvest.

The companies state the transaction will not “significantly dilute or otherwise jeopardize” the Rafael trust. The trust was established in 2019 to hold certain assets that, if not for a settlement agreement, would be held by Rafael, according to a document.

Rafael was convicted in 2017 for conspiracy and falsifying federal records, but was recently released from prison. As part of his settlement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), he was required to leave the fishing industry and sell his commercial fleet and permits.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Former BASE auction employees implicate owners in Carlos Rafael scandal

February 26, 2021 — Two former employees of the Buyers and Sellers Exchange (BASE) in New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A. have alleged that the owners – brothers Raymond and Richard Canastra – were aware of and involved in falsifying quotas performed by the “Codfather” Carlos Rafael.

Rafael pleaded guilty in 2017 to falsifying fish quotas, tax evasion, and conspiracy in the wake of allegations he was connected to a criminal fishing scheme involving the evasion of fishing quotas and the smuggling of profits to Portugal. Following the criminal case, a civil case brought by NOAA ensued, which Rafael settled in August 2019.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Fate of boats owned by Carlos Rafael heading to court

February 3, 2021 — A legal dispute over the sale of fishing boats once owned by a disgraced former fishing magnate nicknamed “The Codfather” is headed to state court in Massachusetts this month.

It’s the latest development in a waterfront saga that has dragged on for years in one of busiest fishing ports in the country. Carlos Rafael, whose fishing operations were based out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, was once the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing operations in the U.S.

Rafael was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in 2017 for dodging quotas and smuggling profits overseas. The result of the government’s case against Rafael included forced divestiture of his assets and a permanent ban from commercial fishing.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Star Tribune

Something’s fishy: Recent study discusses harmful consequences of mislabeled seafood

January 8, 2021 — In 2017, Carlos Rafael was sentenced to nearly four years in prison, fined $3 million, and prohibited from ever returning to his job, all because of one thing: fish. Specifically, 800,000 pounds of mislabeled fish.

The fishing magnate, perhaps better known as the “Codfather,” had been caught illegally overfishing American plaice and selling it as haddock in order to avoid paying for larger quotas. Estimated to have caught 10% of the entire annual catch limit, Rafael had done significant damage to the plaice population by the time he was arrested.

Illegal practices like Rafael’s that threaten to endanger or overexploit marine life aren’t entirely uncommon.

As a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) points out, mislabelling doesn’t only mean the wrong species’ name appearing on the wrapper. Information about the seafood’s geographical origin and whether or not it was farmed or wild can also be misrepresented, undermining consumers’ ability to buy from well-managed and sustainable fisheries.

Read the full story at The Daily

Carlos Rafael moved to ‘community confinement’

September 4, 2020 — Convicted New Bedford fishing scofflaw Carlos Rafael has been transferred within the federal Bureau of Prisons to “community confinement” in a move that could be the first step toward his return to society once his sentence is completed.

The Bureau of Prisons confirmed on Wednesday that the 68-year-old Rafael, known far and wide as “The Codfather” when he ruled the New Bedford docks with his seafood empire, was transferred on June 24 to community confinement overseen by the bureau’s Residential Reentry Management Office in Philadelphia. He is about 33 months into his 46-month sentence for massive cheating within the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery,

The bureau said community confinement means Rafael either is in home confinement or at a residential reentry center — or halfway house — managed by the Residential Reentry Management Office in Philadelphia. It declined to state specifically where Rafael is.

“Carlos A. Rafael is still serving his sentence,” Emory Nelson, a bureau spokesman, stated in an email response to to the Gloucester Daily Times. “His projected date of release from the custody of the BOP is March 4, 2021.  For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not release information on an individual inmate’s conditions of confinement.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Blue Harvest brings second former Carlos Rafael vessel online

August 31, 2020 — Blue Harvest Fisheries, based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, announced the launch of the Carrabassett, a vessel purchased in February from the family of Carlos Rafael, a.k.a the “Codfather.”

The Carrabassett is a 78-foot trawler that was previously known as the Cowboy, according to a release by Blue Harvest. It joins the Allagash – formerly the Southern Crusader II – which was launched in July. Blue Harvest added that it plans to launch the third vessel, the Schelvis – formerly known as the Glaucus – later this fall.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MASSACHUSETTS: Former Rafael Groundfish Trawler Gets Blue Harvest Makeover

August 28, 2020 — One by one, fishing vessels once owned by Carlos Rafael — the New Bedford “Codfather” who did prison time for fisheries fraud — are being relaunched under new colors.

Blue Harvest Fisheries this week launched the Carrabassett, the second of three refitted groundfish vessels the company is putting into service this year. The 78-foot trawler was once painted “Carlos Rafael green” and emblazoned with the “CR” logo. Now it’s refurbished, repaired, upgraded, painted deep blue, and decorated with Blue Harvest’s distinctive scallop logo.

The Schelvis, an 85-foot trawler once known as the Glaucus, is scheduled to launch this fall. The Allagash, an 83-foot trawler formerly known as the Southern Crusader II, entered Blue Harvest’s fleet in July after getting some serious work done. Earlier this year, the vessel could be plainly seen from the Union Street Wharf at the Fairhaven Shipyard.

In addition to being renamed and repainted in Blue Harvest colors, all three vessels are outfitted with new fishing gear and updated electronics. The Allagash and Carrabassett have had their decks reconfigured so catch can be quickly sorted, cleaned and stored. The Schelvis is undergoing greater changes that will allow catch to be stored in superchilled water tanks, Blue Harvest said in a media release.

Read the full story at WBSM

Blue Harvest Makes Good on Commitment to New Bedford Fishing Community with Launch of Refitted Groundfish Vessels

August 28, 2020 — The following was released by Blue Harvest Fisheries:

This week, Blue Harvest Fisheries launched the Carrabassett, the second of three refitted groundfish vessels the company is launching this year. Our investment in these vessels, which were purchased in February from the family of Carlos Rafael, demonstrates Blue Harvest’s continued commitment to New Bedford’s rich fishing culture, and our investment in the city’s waterfront community.

The Allagash, an 83-foot trawler previously known as the Southern Crusader II, was the first to enter Blue Harvest’s growing fleet with its launch in July. The Carrabassett is a 78-foot trawler previously known as the Cowboy. The Schelvis, an 85-foot trawler previously known as the Glaucus, is scheduled to launch later this fall.

“We promised when we acquired these vessels that we would be keeping them in New Bedford, and that we would be investing in this city’s historic fishing industry. Those weren’t just words to us,” said Keith Decker, President and CEO of Blue Harvest. “We’re proud of the improvements we’ve made to these vessels, which will provide good jobs here in New Bedford, and high-quality seafood around the country.”

In addition to being renamed and repainted in Blue Harvest colors, all three vessels are being completely reoutfitted with new fishing gear and updated electronics. The Allagash and Carrabassett have also had their decks reconfigured so catch can be more quickly sorted, cleaned and stored.

The Schelvis is undergoing far greater changes that will allow catch to be stored in superchilled tanks of water that will help keep the fish fresher, longer.

Read the full release here

Carlos Rafael gets early release from prison amid COVID-19 concerns

June 30, 2020 — While many of advanced age across the United States have taken to largely sheltering in their homes and avoiding human interaction under self-imposed quarantines due to the coronavirus pandemic, there’s a strong chance that Carlos Rafael is now or soon will be living a similar existence.

The so-called “Codfather” of New Bedford, Massachusetts, who was earlier convicted of overseeing a massive, organized fish fraud operation in New England in which more than 782,000 pounds of fish were mislabeled over a four-year period (2012-2015), has been moved from the Federal Medical Center, a prison in Devens, Massachusetts, to the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Residential Reentry Management Office, confirms Scott Taylor, a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) spokesperson.

That means Rafael is either in home confinement or a residential reentry center, also known as a “halfway house”, Taylor said.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News