Warren Issues Statement on NOAA Settlement with "Codfather" Carlos Rafael
GoLocalProv News Team
Warren Issues Statement on NOAA Settlement with "Codfather" Carlos Rafael
Allegations against Rafael included counts of misreporting groundfish, underreporting stock areas, and other federal fishery violations.
The Settlement
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAs part of the settlement, Rafael has been ordered to give up all commercial fishing by December 31 and all scalloping by March 31 of 2020.
He is also ordered to pay a $3,010,633 civil monetary penalty and relinquish the seafood dealer permit issued to Carlos Seafood by September 1, 2019.
Rafael is also required to sell his fishing vessels and permits, but will be allowed to keep the proceeds.
"The U.S. Department of Commerce and the NOAA should do everything in their power to ensure that all of the fishing permits Carlos Rafael held remain in the Port of New Bedford. These permits sustain an industry that has been part of the fabric and the way of life in New Bedford for hundreds of years. Law-abiding fishing families and businesses have already suffered through no fault of their own, and don't deserve to have their livelihoods taken away because of Rafael's wrongdoing,” said Warren in a statement.
The statement comes after Warren sent a letter to the Commerce Department and NOAA last October urging them to keep the fishing permits in the hands of Massachusetts families and businesses.
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