February 9, 2018 โ The Port of New Bedford is often touted as the most lucrative in North America. Thatโs thanks mainly to the popularity, and apparent abundance, of scallops. But the success of scallops may be masking hard times for other parts of the fishing industry.
Pat Kavanagh owns three fishing boats in New Bedford. Two for catching groundfish like cod, haddock and flounder. The other is a scallop boat. Right now, thatโs his moneymaker.
โAs far as groundfishing, groundfishingโs been tough for the last twenty years,โ said Kavanagh.
Heโs tight lipped about how much he actually makes from the three boats each year.
โBut I can say itโs a damn good thing weโve got a scalloper,โ said Kavanagh.
Like many fishermen, Kavanagh got into this business through family, working on his fatherโs boat. But since the 1980s regulations have tamped down on fisheries, and itโs become harder to get a start in the business. Groundfish prices have fallen, and Kavanagh says buyers are looking elsewhere for product.
โThe world has gotten smaller with airplanes and flying fish around,โ said Kavanagh. โSo weโre competing with the world and thereโs some pretty cheap fish out there and thereโs actually some pretty good fish.โ
The fleet has dwindled, and in the last year, New Bedford suffered another major blow. Carlos Rafael, the owner of a local groundfishing fleer pleaded guilty to falsifying his catch. Heโs now serving a four-year prison sentence. His fleet sits impounded at the docks. Federal regulators have suspended his boats from fishing.
Whether you worked with Rafael or not, the shrinking fleet has put strain on other businesses, including Levin Marine across the harbor in Fairhaven, which makes netting for groundfishing.
Read the full story at Rhode Island Public Radio