Saving Seafood

Blue Harvest finalizes acquisition of portion of Carlos Rafael fleet

February 20, 2020 — Last year in New England, U.S.A., 90 percent of the haddock quota and 92 percent of the pollock quota was left in the water.

Blue Harvest, based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is aiming to change those numbers and the company’s recent acquisition of 12 groundfish vessels and 27 fishing permits is a part of its efforts to begin utilizing the resource. The vessels, and permits, were formerly part of the fleet of Carlos Rafael – a.k.a. “The Codfather” – who pleaded guilty in 2017 to falsifying fish quotas, tax evasion, and conspiracy and then subsequently settled a civil case with NOAA that forced him to permanently stop all commercial fishing by 31 March, 2020.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Rafael Associate Raises a Stink Over Miranda Lapse

February 7, 2020 — A First Circuit judge voiced concern Thursday with an interrogation of a former sheriff’s department captain convicted of aiding the overseas profit-smuggling activities of New England’s notorious fishing magnate “the Codfather.”

As noted by Jamie Melo’s attorney Gary Pelletier, the interrogation occurred for four hours in Melo’s home without being a Miranda warning.

Though Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Quinlivan argued that Miranda warnings weren’t required because Melo wasn’t in custody and was free to leave at any time, U.S. Circuit Judge David Barron sounded skeptical.

“I mean, the officers obviously weren’t there just to chat,” he deadpanned.

Melo was accused of distributing envelopes containing large amounts of cash to associates in the men’s room of Boston’s Logan Airport before the group went through security. The group, including the Codfather, was traveling to Portugal for a charitable fundraiser called Thanksgiving in the Azores that was sponsored by the sheriff’s department. Once in the Azores, the Codfather allegedly received the envelopes back and then deposited $76,000 in cash in a bank account.

Melo claims he was innocently doing a favor for a prominent local businessman involved in the charity project and had no idea know what was in the envelopes.

Read the full story at the Courthouse News Service

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishing community celebration & health fair Saturday in New Bedford

February 6, 2020 — A non-profit organization dedicated to the health, safety and economic security of commercial fishermen is planning a free, day-long special event to celebrate, support and serve New Bedford-area fishing families.

Fishing Partnership Support Services will host a New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Kilburn Mill, 127 W. Rodney French Blvd., a press release from the organization stated.

“We will be celebrating fishermen and all that they mean to the great city of New Bedford and to the entire Southcoast in terms of heritage, culture, community spirit and economic impact,” J.J. Bartlett, president of Fishing Partnership Support Services, stated in the release.

“Commercial fishing is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry in Massachusetts, accounting overall for more than 90,000 jobs. Nowhere is fishing larger than here: New Bedford is the top value port in the country. We often hear people celebrate this economic prosperity as a statistic; we want to focus attention on the fishermen and families behind the statistics.”

The event will have programs and activities on healthy living, pediatric nutrition, enrolling in health coverage plans, massage, mindfulness, the hands-on healing art of Reiki, vaccinations, substance abuse education, Narcan training, and more.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishing community celebration and health fair set for Feb. 8 in New Bedford

January 31, 2020 — Fishing Partnership Support Services is planning a free, day-long special event to celebrate, support and serve New Bedford-area fishing families.

The nonprofit organization will host the New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Kilburn Mill, 127 W. Rodney French Blvd.

The event features programs and activities on healthy living, pediatric nutrition, enrolling in health coverage plans, massage, mindfulness, the hands-on healing art of Reiki, vaccinations, substance abuse education, Narcan training, and more, a press release said.

For children, there will be costumed characters, a reading corner, games, dancing, a photo booth, coloring and other activities.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Blue Harvest CEO Decker: PE-backed firm not the catch-share ‘boogeyman’

January 28, 2020 — Forty-two year fishing veteran Stephen Welch recalls with frustration how he and other harvesters in New England were soundly dismissed by regional policymakers.

It was roughly 10 years ago and they were trying to ring alarm bells about new catch-share rules for groundfish, warning that the changes would lead to consolidation within the fishery and the commodification of the various species.

Now that Blue Harvest Fisheries, a large US scallop and groundfish supplier, partly backed by the New York City-based private equity firm Bregal Partners, is on the verge of completing its $19.3 million acquisition of 15 of former fishing mogul Carlos Rafael’s groundfish vessels and their related permits in the Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Welch believes that his worst fears are being realized.

The deal, which Undercurrent News first revealed in late August and needs only the approval of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), promises to give Blue Harvest millions of pounds of quota for Atlantic cod, haddock, plaice, redfish, hake, flounder and pollock. This on top of the quota the company already owns in relation to the five groundfish vessels and 15 scallopers it secured earlier in next door Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and Newport News, Virginia.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Coast Guard investigating fisherman overboard from New Jersey boat, found dead when brought to New Bedford

January 24, 2020 — Details are few about the loss of a commercial fisherman who reportedly went overboard off the coast of Nantucket and wasn’t recovered until some 40-50 minutes later. The name of the fisherman hasn’t been released yet and it is not known if he was local.

The fisherman was reported by the U.S. Coast Guard to have gone overboard from the Lady Brittany, a clammer, some 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket on Jan. 21 before sunrise.

Lt. Jordan Ortiz, the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Detachment Supervisor for New Bedford, said a call was received on Jan. 21 at 5 a.m. for a person in the water. He said the crew was able to recover the fisherman and the Lady Brittany then traveled to Sea Watch International in New Bedford where the fisherman was found to be dead. He would not confirm whether the fisherman had died prior to being recovered and would only say that the incident is being actively investigated.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Blue Harvest still waiting for NOAA approval to acquire Rafael vessels

January 23, 2020 — The US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has yet to give New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Blue Harvest Fisheries the approval it needs to acquire 15 groundfish vessels and their related skiffs and permits from Carlos Rafael, CEO Keith Decker told Undercurrent News on Wednesday.

“At this point we do not have NOAA’s approval,” he said, adding that he believes it is the last thing needed before announcing completion of the deal.

Undercurrent asked Decker for a status report on the agreement when it caught up with him here on the sidelines of the National Fisheries Institute’s Global Seafood Market Conference where he is one of more than 400 attendees. Look for many more details from our exclusive interview soon.

As first reported by Undercurrent, Blue Harvest, a US scallop and groundfish supplier backed by Bregal Partners, a New York City-based private investment firm, struck a deal in November that would have it pay $19.3 million to obtain a substantial part of former fishing mogul Rafael’s fleet in New Bedford. The agreement promises to give Blue Harvest millions of pounds of quota of Atlantic cod, haddock, plaice, redfish, hake, flounder and pollock.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair Set for Feb. 8 in New Bedford

January 21, 2020 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair:

A non-profit organization dedicated to the health, safety and economic security of commercial fishermen is planning a free, day-long special event to celebrate, support and serve New Bedford-area fishing families.

Fishing Partnership Support Services will host a New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair on Saturday, Feb. 8, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Kilburn Mill, 127 W. Rodney French Blvd. 

Said J.J. Bartlett, president of Fishing Partnership Support Services, “We will be celebrating fishermen and all that they mean to the great city of New Bedford and to the entire Southcoast in terms of heritage, culture, community spirit and economic impact.   

“Commercial fishing is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry in Massachusetts, accounting overall for more than 90,000 jobs.  Nowhere is fishing larger than here: New Bedford is the top value port in the country.  We often hear people celebrate this economic prosperity as a statistic; we want to focus attention on the fishermen and families behind the statistics.”

The Feb. 8 event will have programs and activities on healthy living, pediatric nutrition, enrolling in health coverage plans, massage, mindfulness, the hands-on healing art of Reiki, vaccinations, substance abuse education, Narcan training, and more. 

For children, there will be costumed characters, a reading corner, games, dancing, a photo booth, coloring and other activities. 

The first 25 persons through the door will receive a $25 Visa gift card, with a one-per-family limit.  A free raffle will be conducted every 30 minutes from 11:00 o’clock on. 

The buffet lunch will feature foods from multiple, various cultures, reflecting the diversity of the New Bedford community.  Coffee, tea, water and soft drinks will be available all day.

Twelve local non-profits that collaborate with Fishing Partnership Support Services will have representatives on hand to present information and answer questions on their objectives and services. See list of participating organizations at end.

Also providing support for the event is the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, an organization of commercial fishermen’s associations from all gear and geographic sectors of the Massachusetts fishing industry.

The New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair, Bartlett emphasized, is “for fishermen and their families – the partners, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of fishermen.”

He said, “We’re providing a reason for fishing families to come together on a Saturday in winter and have fun, share stories and experiences, and partake of some delicious food in a relaxed setting. Togetherness, we believe, can be a powerful antidote to the stresses and strains that every fishing family is subjected to.”

Workplace injury and mortality studies consistently show that commercial fishing is among the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. and the world.  The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, recently reported that, in 2018, fishermen suffered on-the-job fatal injuries at a rate exceeded only by loggers.

The history of New Bedford well illustrates this tragic reality.  Hundreds of New Bedford fishermen have perished at sea through the years, with the latest fatalities occurring on Nov. 24 when three men died in the sinking of the “Leonardo” off Martha’s Vineyard. 

“As independent workers and small business owners, fishermen don’t have a human resources department,” Bartlett said, “which is why Fishing Partnership Support Services has developed into the fishing community’s human resources provider.  We help fishermen take care of things like health care coverage, safety training, immunizations and financial planning so that they can get back to doing what they do best, fishing.”

Fishing Partnership Support Services moved its longtime local office in 2019 to the historic heart of New Bedford.  “We’re now on Bethel Street in the same building as the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and just down the street from the Seaman’s Bethel,” Bartlett noted. “Everyone should feel free to drop by and talk with one of our community health navigators anytime they’re in that area.”

More information on the New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair and Fishing Partnership Support Services may be found at: fishingpartnership.org

New Bedford scallop boat launches in Alabama with a “positive energy bow”

January 17, 2020 — Lars Vinjerud II can’t stop growing his fisheries and seafood business.

“I’m lucky,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of good people working for me.”

Vinjerud’s company, Fleet Fisheries in New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A., has 14 boats in the scallop, lobster, and longline fisheries, and branches in seafood marketing, a machine shop, and more boats scheduled for construction.

Read the full story from National Fisherman at Seafood Source

Blue Harvest CEO expects 15 Rafael vessel deal to close within weeks

January 14, 2020 — Now that their only competitor has dropped out of the bidding, Keith Decker, the CEO of Blue Harvest Fisheries, expects to close his company’s deal for 15 of Carlos Rafael’s groundfish vessels in the US port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, within the next few weeks, The Standard-Times, the community’s local newspaper, reported Friday.

“At this time, no, I don’t see any further impediments to closing the transaction,” he reportedly told the newspaper, adding that Blue Harvest plans to keep the vessels in New Bedford.

Undercurrent News broke the news on Jan. 8 that Richard and Raymond Canastra, the founders and owners of the Buyers and Sellers Exchange, New Bedford’s main seafood auction, have withdrawn their offer to acquire the vessels and their related permits.

The Canastras, back on Dec. 20, attempted to use a “right of first refusal” rule in New England’s Sector VII, which gives members of the greater  Northeast Sector Service Network — including BASE — 30 days to match any offer for vessels by companies or persons from outside the network, jumping ahead of Blue Harvest and its $19.3 million bid made on Nov. 21. The Canastras said they planned to sell the boats and their permits to individual harvesters in New Bedford. However, the two brothers said they lost their financial backers when Blue Harvest filed a lawsuit, on Dec. 23, in a Massachusetts state court.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News