July 31, 2017 — The “Codfather” quashed any hopes for high courtroom drama when he pleaded guilty in March to falsifying fish quotas, false labeling of fish species, conspiracy and tax evasion, 28 counts in all.
The real action is behind the scenes, as federal and defense attorneys wrestle over the fate of New Bedford fishing mogul Carlos Rafael’s fishing empire, said to be one of the largest groundfish fleets in the nation.
It’s something Cape fishermen, and fishermen all over New England, are debating and watching closely.
“I’ve said before, there is no place in fishing for Mr. Rafael. If that’s part of the global solution (the larger deal being worked out between NOAA and Rafael’s attorneys) every fisherman I’ve spoken to up and down the coast feels that’s a good outcome,” said John Pappalardo, chief executive officer of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance and a member and former chairman of the New England Fishery Management Council. Many fishermen want the courts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to make an example of Rafael and send a message that illegal fishing practices won’t be tolerated.
They are also interested in what happens to the money collected in fines and forfeitures and the fate of the many fishery permits and quota controlled by Rafael.