Scalloper Charles Quinn and his son, Michael, are purchasing seven of Carlos “Codfather” Rafael’s 11 vessels, which are up for sale as a condition of his settlement with NOAA Fisheries, the Associated Press reported.
Based out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the Quinns paid approximately USD 46 million (EUR 42 million) for the boats – one of which they plan to sell – in an effort to get them back on the water and prevent jobs from leaving the community rocked by Rafael’s crimes.
“We saw this as a good opportunity to grow our own business, but also keep jobs in New Bedford and help the local economy,” Michael Quinn told the AP. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, it really is.”
With the sale, New Bedford “can be assured that a major piece of Rafael’s fishing business will remain here, as we have advocated all along,” the city’s mayor Jon Mitchell said, according to the AP.
As part of his settlement with NOAA Fisheries, Rafael, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to falsifying fish quotas, tax evasion, and conspiracy, has until 31 December, 2020, to sell his fleet of vessels and their permits or else a NOAA-established trust will seize control of the assets and broker a forced sale.
John Markey, Rafael’s attorney, said that while it’s “difficult for Carlos to accept the fact that he’s leaving the industry,” the selling of the assets is the proper way forward, the AP reported. Even though Rafael’s “highly valued scallop permits were not used” in any violations, NOAA mandated that the disgraced fishing magnate must cease commercial scalloping by 31 March, 2020.
Given Rafael’s past transgressions and the quickly-approaching deadline, concerns have been floated about the quality of potential buyers for his vessels this week. Charles Green, the acting chief of enforcement for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, assured the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) on 23 September that the agency has enacted a vetting process to keep those fears from manifesting into more trouble for the Gloucester/New Bedford, Massachusetts area.
"Part of that is reviewing the purchasers of the assets to ensure that all of the asset transfers are arms-length transactions," Green told NEFMC, the Gloucester Daily Times reported.
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