Federal regulators Thursday approved a temporary plan for groundfihsing in New Bedford after fishing mogul Carlos Rafael, better known as “The Codfather,” misreported his catch and caused an eight-month fishing ban for some boats in the city.
Last year, Rafael pleaded guilty to lying to fishery regulators from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about how much and what type of fish his boats were catching between 2012 and 2015. He’s currently serving a four-year prison sentence.
The federal fishing group his boats dominated, called Sector IX, was shut down, and the sector’s board was required to come up with a new management plan for area fishermen.
The board requested to operate as lease-only, meaning fishermen still can’t fish but can make money by leasing their allotted quota to other fishermen.
NOAA approved the plan, which goes into effect Friday.
The public has a month to comment on the plan before it becomes permanent for the next year.
