January 9, 2020 — Richard and Raymond Canastra say the reason they withdrew their $19.3 million offer to buy 15 of Carlos Rafael’s groundfish vessels, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is because the lawsuit filed by Blue Harvest Fisheries scared off their backers.
Undercurrent News broke the news Wednesday morning that the Canastras, the founders and owners of the Buyers and Sellers Exchange (BASE), New Bedford’s largest seafood auction, were ending the fight which has served to divide the New England fishing community.
The two brothers did not immediately respond to requests by Undercurrent for an explanation. On Thursday, however, they answered with a press release sent by Cassie Canastra, BASE’s director of operations, and the daughter of Raymond Canastra.
“It was not BASE’s intention to acquire and own these permits and vessels for BASE’s long-term ownership,” the statement reads. “In fact, it was quite the opposite.”