February 26, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD — Frustration and sadness moved across the waterfront Friday as news spread that Carlos Rafael and his bookkeeper had been arrested by the Justice Department and charged with making false filings to the government as a means of skirting fisheries laws.
One waterfront business manager who did not wish to be identified said that Friday was a “sad day” for the fishing industry, one that is going to hurt in a lot of ways.
“If his boats (there are 40) lay idle in the city there’s going to be a domino effect. It’s not just the fishermen, it’s the fuel contractors, the trailers carrying thousands of gallons of fuel a day, the ice house, the fish auction and all the people employed at processing plants and the fish auction, groceries from ship supply companies and all the people employed there,” he said.
Last winter was harsh and costly for the fishing industry, he said, but thankfully this year is milder, and boats can fish and most will survive with some loss of jobs. “If this happened last year forget it,” he said.
Seafood consultant James Kendall said he is worried about the effect Rafael’s arrest is going to have on the reputation of the city and its important fishing industry.
“The first effect is that unfortunately it’s going to cast a pall over the fishing industry at a time when we’re trying defend ourselves against what a lot of us feel is unwarranted monitoring and oversight,” he said. “They will point to this and say “this is why we need it’,” he said.