Daily Archives: February 26, 2016
Court taking another look at higher commercial fishing fees for nonresidents
The state will get another chance to defend its former practice of charging nonresidents two to three times as much as Californians for commercial fishing licenses. A panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled 2-1 in September that the California laws discriminated unconstitutionally against nonresidents by making it harder for them to pursue their occupation. But on Friday, the court said a majority of its judges had granted the state’s request to refer the case to an 11-judge panel for a new hearing. Read the rest here 20:42
“F… me – that would be some bad luck!” — Carlos Rafael : Excerpts from “The Case”
Following are excerpts from the affadavit of IRS Special Agent Ronald Mullett submitted in the 
of Carlos Rafael. “He [Michael] buys a lot of fish. You can become a laundromat. You’ll never find a better laundromat than this mother….” — Carlos Rafael. = = = “I could have to regret this to you [sic], because I don’t know you. You could be the IRS in here. This could be a cluster-f…. So I’m trusting you. The only thing is, I open myself because both of you is Russians and I don’t think they would have two Russians [posing as agents]. F… me – that would be some bad luck!” — Carlos Rafael,,, “Rafael said a lot! Read the rest here 18:51
Rafael arrested, feds posed as organized crime figures looking to buy him out
The owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses in the northeastern United States and his bookkeeper were arrested Friday on charges of conspiracy and submitting falsified records to the federal government to evade federal fishing quotas. The charges arose out of an undercover investigation in which federal agents posed as organized crime figures interested in buying the fishing business. Carlos Rafael, 64, and Debra Messier, 60, both of Dartmouth, were charged in a criminal complaint with submitting falsified records to the federal government and conspiracy. They are scheduled to appear in US District Court in Boston at 3:30 p.m. Read the rest here 14:04
Federal agents raid Carlos Seafood on New Bedford waterfront
Federal agents raided one of the best-known seafood wholesalers on the waterfront Friday morning, searching the business and removing documents. A reporter on site at Carlos Seafood Inc. on South Front Street said federal agents, including from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Coast Guard, were conducting a search inside the building. Agents also searched a pickup truck parked in front of the building, removing a box full of papers, as well as a briefcase, according to a reporter. Read the rest here 12:31
Crew of damaged Arctic fishing vessel F/V Saputi arrive in Iqaluit
Crew members from the F/V Saputi shared a moment in prayer as they arrived in Iqaluit after a harrowing ordeal at sea that ended when their vessel limped ashore in Nuuk, Greenland, Tuesday. The F/V Saputi was fishing for turbot in the Davis Strait when it ran into ice Sunday night and began taking on water. “We’re still shaking,” said Duane Taylor, who was on board the Saputi, in the Iqaluit Airport Friday. Other crew members, including Todd Rumbole and Darren Hawkes, were at a loss for words. Read the rest, five photo’s here 11:05
Ecuadorian fishermen transporting cocaine for Mexican cartel operations
Ecuadorian fishermen are playing an important role in Mexican cartel operations by transporting cocaine via boat to Central America so the drug can then be transported to Mexico, and finally the U.S. At least 300 Ecuadorian fishermen have been arrested in Colombia, the United States and Guatemala over the past three years for their roles in for Mexican cartels, Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio reported Tuesday. Gangsters have been intimidating and luring impoverished fishermen and their families into accepting risky business propositions in exchange for hefty sums of cash. Read the rest here 10:43
A UMaine grad student’s picture of a colorful tiny larval lobster wins National Science Foundation award
This photo made in summer 2015 and provided by Jesica Waller shows a three-week-old baby lobster at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, Maine. Her photograph won a National Science Foundation visual media award and also appears in the March/April 2016 edition of Popular Science. Waller, who’s in her second year of a master’s program in marine biology at the University of Maine, is studying the effect of climate change scenarios on larval lobsters. Read the rest here 10:07
Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance fights NOAA over aqua farms
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) decision to approve industrial offshore fish farming last month in federally protected waters in the Gulf of Mexico is a strong concern in a “delicate and restricted estuarine system,” according to a leading non-profit fisherman’s organization. Eric Brazer, deputy director at the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, told the Louisiana Record that there are strong concerns with constructing an aquaculture facility of unprecedented size. The suit alleges that in a bid to push offshore fish farming forward without a new law permitting it, and get around Congress, NOAA created a permitting scheme through the Gulf Council by exceeding its authority to regulate fishing under the MSA. Read the rest here 09:44
Another bump in “Ocean City Inlet” road – Commercial fishing operators say inlet’s all but closed to them as shoaling worsens
The January nor’easter, which wreaked havoc along the coast, also caused an increase in sediment into the already choking Ocean City Inlet, especially in the areas near buoys 10, 11 and 12. Two weeks ago the Capt. Frank ran aground and was stuck for six and a half hours, according to fisherman Joe Letts, and the Betty C, one of Letts’ clamming vessels, also ran aground but was able to free herself after an hour and a half. “I’m spending too much on the bottoms of my boats,” Letts said. “I don’t see why they can’t dig the S.O.B. to 20 feet and leave it alone. I’m over it. I’m in New Jersey now and am making money. Everybody’s leaving. Some of the biggest names in fishing are there and they’re tucking tail and running.” Read the rest here 09:15
FFAW, offshore shrimp fleet at odds, as LIFO raises its ugly head
With word of a severe drop in shrimp stock in the prime fishing grounds off southern Labrador, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union (FFAW-Unifor) is asking for an immediate halt on shrimping in the area. But the FFAW represents inshore fleet and island processors, rather than the factory-freezer operations of the offshore fleet. And the Canadian Association of Prawn Producers, speaking for the larger-vessel operations, said Thursday the FFAW’s cries are an inappropriate reaction, while their reasoning is misleading. Read the rest here 08:40
Responses to fishing crises differ, Bob Borck, FV Belle J II
For some coastal residents, commercial fishing is in our blood. It’s how we support our families — producing healthful local food. Fishing is part of our economy and heritage. Today, California’s fishing communities face two crises. The first is the unprecedented closure of the crab fishery. We may or may not be able to fish for crab this season, depending on when our crab pass state tests. In the meantime, fishing families are suffering. The second crisis is the state of our salmon fisheries. The drought and the Bureau of Reclamation’s mismanagement of the Sacramento River, the backbone of California’s , have been disastrous for spawning salmon. Read the op-ed here 07:59
