May 12, 2025 — The ban is in place from Point Conception to the Mexico border.
The presence of a naturally occurring toxin in the ocean prompted state officials to ban the catch of Pacific sardines for human consumption from Point Conception to the Mexico border.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife issued the order. State Health officials say they’ve found elevated levels of domoic acid in the fish.
November 22, 2017 — BOSTON — South Coast officials and seafood industry interests were stunned by Monday’s federal decision to shut down a sector with ties to disgraced fishing magnate Carlos Rafael, a decision they say will cut into the livelihoods of fishermen during the holiday season and beyond.
“The ruling itself was unexpected,” said Andrew Saunders, a New Bedford attorney retained two months ago by Northeast Fishery Sector 9, one of 19 non-profit entities set up to manage fishing industry operations in the face of strict catch limits imposed by the federal government.
The decision stems from the fraud perpetrated by fishing magnate Carlos Rafael – dubbed the ‘Codfather’ in local media coverage – but New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell says there’s collateral damage involved for people in the New Bedford area whose jobs are tethered to the harvesting of groundfish such as cod, flounder and haddock.
“The tying up of these vessels will deprive crew members opportunities to earn a living and it will eat into the revenue of shoreside businesses that support the industry,” Mitchell told the News Service, citing impacts on fuel and ice suppliers, net menders and settlement houses.
The decision was handed down by NOAA Regional Administrator John Bullard, a former mayor of New Bedford. In his ruling Bullard zeroed in on Rafael, who was hit with a 46-month prison sentence in September after federal prosecutors convicted him of charges associated with falsifying records to evade federal fishing quotas and smuggling business proceeds to Portugal to avoid U.S. taxation.
Read the full story from the State House News Service at the Newburyport Daily News
September 27, 2015 — NEW BEDFORD — The smell of fried clams and scallops permeates the air as the crisp early autumn wind wisps the scent onward to every corner of Pier 3, as people listen to music, view creations from artisans, and witness how to shuck a scallop – which can mean only one thing.
The 12th annual Working Waterfront Festival is in full swing at New Bedford Harbor.
Since it’s inception in 2004, the two-day festival in late September brings in thousands of locals throughout SouthCoast in celebration of the vibrant fishing industry and those who make it work.
“We wanted people and locals to understand the fishing industry,” said Kirsten Bendiksen, one of the founders of the festival.
“Everyone sees the bridge go up,” says Bendiksen of the New Bedford/Fairhaven Bridge. “They know when the bridge goes up, the fishing vessels go out, but they don’t know how they get their catch.”