NMFS Shuts Down Carlos Rafael’s Sector IX, Orders Vessels at Sea to Return to Port Immediately
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton - November 20, 2017
John Bullard, Regional Administrator for the Greater Atlantic Fisheries office of NMFS, has withdrawn the operating authority for Sector IX. Sector IX was dominated by Carlos Rafael, and has currently 22 Active Vessels, of which approximately 20 are owned by Carlos Rafael in some fashion. It is one of the sectors set up under the New England groundfish management plan. Vessels must be in a sector to use their individual quota allocations, otherwise they simply fish in the common pool.
The order means that any of these vessels at sea must cease fishing immediately, and that they cannot use or transfer any of their remaining groundfish quotas. It is not clear how many of the 22 vessels are now at sea.
The sector IX board held several meetings with NMFS to try and retain its operations. But Bullard says in his letter, “To date, there appears to be persistent non-compliance...
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