NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — December 14, 2012 — Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank today ordered the repayment of $543,500 to 14 individuals or businesses that were wrongly prosecuted for fishing violations by NOAA law enforcemenent.
Most of the cases are in the Northeast, said Commerce in its announcement.
Further, $151,266.66 in debt for two other cases will be forgiven.
One of the repayments went to Carlos Rafael, owner of dozens of boats out of New Bedford. He will get back $17,500 of a $25,000 penalty for using a too-small “twine top,” which limits bycatch.
Since there was only $29.50 worth of bycatch and because it was the boat’s first time using the equipment, the penalty was deemed excessive.
The announcement by Blank is the end product of the second part of a two-part investigative report by a special master, retired Judge Charles B. Swartwood III. His report has been kept under wraps since last winter, fueling speculation about what might be in it. The 500-page report itself has yet to be released.
The new repayments are in addition to $649,527 ordered returned to 11 complainants in May, 2011.
In the 63 total cases reviewed in the second rounds, the special master recommended no action in 45 of them.
Read the full story in the New Bedford Standard Times