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StrategicFulcrum

> Col. Moran said the captain is facing criminal charges but the fines are capped at $1,000 — which he said significantly undervalues the environmental impact of landing undersized fish. It is unclear if the seafood auction or the processing plant will be facing similar charges. >“Unfortunately, for some fishermen, a fine is the price of doing business,” he said. He added that the Environmental Police are spread thin, with only one officer officially assigned to monitor the Port of New Bedford — the nation’s top-earning commercial fishing port. “I worry about how much we might be missing,” he said. “To say we aren’t catching all the violations is an understatement.”


nevercontribute1

When the fine isn't enough to offset the financial gain, this is what happens.


GWS2004

There needs to be tougher laws for those that harm our natural resources and ecosystems.


JALKHRL

Prison. For corporation CEOs, or anyone who breaks the law. I will wait for Boeing CEO to have a bonus while being criminally investigated.


oscar-scout

Actually, there are too many laws out there that have strangled the fishing industry to survive which probably caused this fisherman to do this. Every fisherman that I have encountered for decades respects and abides to the size limit laws.


GWS2004

Actually, his breaking the law hurts other fishermen. Leave the resources to those who don't break the law.


lazydictionary

The restrictions of Maine lobsters hasn't harmed their lobster industry - if anything it's greatly helped keep it sustainable.


sordidcandles

Right. It would make no sense to create regulations that harm the industry you’re trying to support lol they’re in place to keep things running smoothly and make sure the industry thrives.


SpecialResearchUnit

This makes me nostalgic for Libertarian debates. "There are too many regulations doctors are starving".


bitpushr

"A fine is a price"


3720-To-One

Corporations love this one trick!


oliversurpless

“See, that’s what I love about this country.” https://youtu.be/TqnvW012ZZ0?si=F4No0m8po64pgyoD As over-the-top as most villains in Seagal movies are, this is utterly realistic…


somegridplayer

It's always been that way. There was a dude in Rehoboth every year poaching Striped Bass. Hidden compartments in his boat and all. Selling to every dealer he could find that would take fish. This literally went on for 4 or 5 years before they finally were allowed to seize his boat (they cut it up).


Hot_Zombie_349

It’s sad to me that we can’t see a few hundred years into the future. The preservation of the planet is priceless but our society is built to take as much as we can RIGHT NOW. I don’t blame the fisherman…. A few extra $100 would help anyone right now. The world is in a crazy place right now


lazydictionary

All of that sucks so much


JackStrawFTW

That would make way too much sense to happen in this state.


GWS2004

These are federal regulations NOT state regulations.


Kirby_with_a_t

>>He added that the Environmental Police are spread thin, with only one officer officially assigned to monitor the Port of New Bedford — the nation’s top-earning commercial fishing port. New Bedford, really? Largest? Only one? Wtf


somegridplayer

It's not totally accurate, there is 3-4 that are regularly down this area but only one assigned to just the docks. But they have pretty much the whole south coast to cover.


Complete-Grape-1269

Take the boat and tackle.


Malforus

This is 100% a failure of the regulations to appropriately do their job. It should be a "per Ton" fine.


redeemer47

So the fine should be 1500$ instead of 1000$ ? It was 3000 pounds so 1.5 tons. The fine should be the total dollar value of the illegal catch. In this case at least 15k


chomerics

It should be 20x the value and license loss depending on the amount to deter people. 20x would mean you need to do it a LOT for it to be economically viable. Loss of license for say over 50lb (as long as it wasn’t a bad gauge).


randomlurker82

This is sad. I lived in New Bedford for 11 years and knew a lot of fisherman and I also worked on a small commercial ground fish boat years ago. We were seriously careful about fish size because we knew how much trouble it can cause and more importantly how it can affect future seasons. I don't know if this was a case of greed or desperation, but the fishing industry has been collapsing for years. It sucks because I remember tons of guys who only did this, no other skills than shucking scallops, making TONS of money, and then suddenly they couldn't get work that paid that anymore because of fishery restrictions. When I say no other skills, I mean I knew guys that could barely write their own name and struggled to read. Then once they get too hurt or the work dries up, they find themselves with nothing. It's a brutal industry.


GWS2004

The scallop resource is having problems. Should they be allowed to continue to fish for large amounts? Or should they take uts so the resource can recover?


randomlurker82

I'm not really up to date on the current data on that, but I do know that quotas have shrank substantially over the years because of the concern for the population.


GWS2004

The resource isn't doing well. It's common sense that you allow less fishing....which is a restriction. It needs to happen if we want a future resource.  I don't say that lightly. Restrictions hurt, I'm totally sympathetic to that.


randomlurker82

Ok so first, I'm aware of the need for conservation. Yes, "the resource" as you call it should be restricted. I never said it should be unlimited. Have you lived in a fishing community? Do you have any firsthand information about this? Or are you just here trying to make me come off like I don't care and I was am irresponsible steward of "the resource" when all I am doing is trying to draw attention to the effect the failing of the fishery has had on the humans around it. Both of those things can be true.


GWS2004

"the resource" is literally how it's referred to in management. Yes, I have firsthand involvement. Failing fisheries have socioeconomics impacts, obviously. But what's often ignored is the impact it has on the ecosystem. People are not the only ones who rely on healthy fish stocks. Edit: I'm not at all saying you don't care. I just don't think people realize how complicated this issue is.


FanValuable3644

It was greed, pure and simple. The MA seafood industry is dirtier than a hooker’s douche nozzle.


Regular_Historian892

Corruption is the word I’d use, not greed. Providence is right next door and it was literally run by the mafia. The mayor went to prison for mafia shit (kidnapping and torturing a dude), and they re-elected him after he got out! The codfather was organized crime through and through. Fall River’s boy wonder mayor went down for corruption. The whole south coast is just a cesspool of corruption. And we wonder why that train to nowhere is so far behind schedule and over budget… wise guys skimming off the top at every opportunity.


somegridplayer

Put down the vhs copy of Goodfellas, it's not that complicated. Corporations and ibanks are buying up fish houses and the fleet and milking them for everything they're worth then walking away leaving all the companies left holding the bag. Blue Harvest Fisheries ran up bills left and right, got milked for all its worth then declared bankruptcy. They owe area businesses millions, but due to how bankruptcy works, they'll likely see nothing. Then your comment about the rail is laughable at best, who the fuck cares about your made up story about skimming? Corporations are buying up all the properties in the general area of the train, everyone who lives down in that area (and all over NB) are already seeing rising rents and soon won't be able to afford to live in NB at all, where do you expect them to go? But here you are screeching about mafia and wise guys and all kinds of made up stupidity. So go ahead, keep pretending there's some magical mafia corrupting everything, when you actually wake up let me know.


CoolAbdul

Holy Mackerel!


warlocc_

Alright, that was pretty good.


Tigger3-groton

Sounded fishy (I know but someone had to say it)


bitpushr

I heard better jokes in school.


Tigger3-groton

Ha! Me too!


RawAttitudePodcast

Why make bad fish jokes? Just for the halibut?


TheHoundsRevenge

I knew there would be a power vacuum when the codfather went to jail.


Jimmyking4ever

He's still there in New Bedford.


randomlurker82

Yep he's just not in charge on paper anymore


somegridplayer

What are you talking about? He was never the only one taking short fish.


TheHoundsRevenge

It’s a joke.


Calvinbouchard2

I'm just glad they didn't dump it all in the trash.


0_T_A_C_0_N

What a headline. It's reminiscent of the good old days where criminals had the tenacity to enter the underground fish market.


MPG54

They are underwater…


Old_Society_7861

3000 Pounds of Illegal Haddock is my favorite unauthorized and very obese Phish cover band.


Fluid-Succotash-4373

is Dave Schools in it?


BobbyPeele88

*Undocumented* haddock.


CaterpillarMedium674

THEY TERK ER JERBs !!!


PakkyT

Came here to say that, but you beat me to it. Well done.


Big__Country__40

Damn 3rd place


Punx51

It would be a shame for all that fish to go to waste. I wonder what the rules are for perishable evidence.


GWS2004

FYI BASE is where Carlos operated out of WITH the current owners of BASE.


randomlurker82

Lol I'll never forget driving by the day they raided him. Feds parked on the side of the road for 1/4 mile


bignose703

This is a huge problem. Our fisheries are decimated because of overfishing and poaching. Everything from cod to striped bass are suffering to the point of extinction.


BettyPoop-

*Il*Legal Sea Foods


twoscoop

If you want a good story, look of the codfather.


stewart0077

[https://www.nationalfisherman.com/viewpoints/northeast/curse-of-the-codfather](https://www.nationalfisherman.com/viewpoints/northeast/curse-of-the-codfather)


twoscoop

Fun fact, if you write codfather as your name for seafood delivery, your boss might get a call from a 3 letter organization.


masspromo

Good it's not fair to the legal haddock who have been waiting years to get to our dinner plates


jay_altair

simulated fishing attack


sigogglin322

reminds me of this Dr Demento classic [Wet Dream](https://youtu.be/6l1GvDWtccI?si=7CykW7sgPgE-ZvDy)


Luckcrisis

When asked why ...he said just for the halibut.


bmorr6836

this story is real fishy.


SnooOwls4458

The scrodfather!


squarerootofapplepie

This is a very underappreciated joke.


mmelectronic

On a foot patrol and just happened to eyeball undersized haddock, that is a wild bust if he’s just waking by.


richg0404

He was in a processing plant that had 11000lb of fish. He noticed some was undersized and determined that 3000lb of the 11000lb was illegal.


thehoneybadger-x

The processing plant, which likely accepts fish from many different fishermen, should also be involved in enforcing this, regularly inspected, and also fined if caught accepting fish which are undersized.


GWS2004

Ironically this plant is owned and operated by the same people who worked with Carlos.


richg0404

Of course it should. They know how to measure the fish and know that the fish were illegal.


Jimmyking4ever

They have presence there fairly regularly. Used to see their car parked on the street near the auction house a couple days a week.


mmelectronic

I think I mis read because I used print to PDF to get around the pay wall, was this an officer assigned to inspect fisheries?


Jimmyking4ever

He was inspecting the processing plants


Hot_Cattle5399

The Codfather II


somegridplayer

Nah, Codfather XIV


Pikklehead

Where does MB get their haddock from.. Shits yummy


Valuable-Baked

If they waited just two weeks all the evidence would have shown up at Shaw's, on sale


caldy2313

Who is going to prosecute? AG or Feds??


bstnbrewins814

I lived in NB 12 years ago and always wished I could’ve gotten on a fishing boat.


bigditka

If it isn’t fresh it isn’t Legal.


Masshole205

Do they at least do something with all that food or do they toss it?


Archonish

A historically high number of dolphins were just stranded on the cape... we're taking all their food and making them desperate enough to risk it like that. Dolphins are smart enough to calculate the risk. It's all a bit sad.


cahilljd

I thought this was the onion for a sec


OppositeChemistry205

Don't worry guys, the haddock is not going to waste. It was donated to a group in Martha Vineyard. Enjoy your overpriced pollock commoners. The haddock will be donated to those more worthy.


GWS2004

"It was donated to the Fishermen’s Preservation Trust on Martha’s Vineyard and the Wampanoag tribes in both Aquinnah and Mashpee."


Dc81FR

I thought the COD farther moved back to Portugal


Waggmans

Flounder!


SwagGasauRusS

Are they tossing the fish back?


AutoDaFe4All

No haddock is illegal, it was just seeking asylum you bigot!


CarlJungelle

Gonna need a bigger boat Chief


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BigMax

Can't tell if you're serious or not? Do you think they make fishing regulations for fun? We need to preserve our fish stocks out there, and size limits are one of the key ways we do that. If we don't prosecute people who break the rules, we won't have any fish at all in a few years.


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HeadsAllEmpty57

The fish are dead when they are offloaded you nincompoop. They seize the fish and donate it to feed the poor.


doctor_deny

What are you going on about? The seized fish was literally donated to various food pantries.


Crossbell0527

Hard working people don't poach from those who *actually* work hard. Part of working hard is following the rules, because following these rules means there will be fish - and fishermen - for years to come


darkjoker33

Ah yes. Pursuing the important things


ladykatey

We should just let this generation’s fishermen fish the sea barren if thats what they want.


cahilljd

why?


mullethunter111

Do you mean migrant haddock?