Patrick Whittle

Associated Press

More from Patrick Whittle

In this Oct. 14, 201, file photo, Carlos Rafael talks on the phone at Homer's Wharf near his herring boat F/V Voyager in New Bedford, MA. A Massachusetts company is slated to acquire in 2020 what's left of the boats once owned by Rafael, who was forced out of the industry after an elaborate fraud. The fishing magnate, known as the Codfather, was sentenced in 2017 to nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty to evading fishing quotas and smuggling money to Portugal. (

The Codfather's Boats Are Sold

Fishing and processing company Blue Harvest will buy a dozen of Carlos Rafael's boats and permits.

In this Sept. 11, 2018 file photo, a live lobster is packed into a cooler for shipment to China at The Lobster Company in Arundel, ME.

China Deal Might Not Bail Out Lobster Industry

The market for China might come back, but it's not coming back swiftly, or all at once.

In this Aug. 24, 2019 file photo, a dealer at Cape Porpoise holds a 3 1/2 pound lobster in Kennebunkport, ME.

Lobster Industry Hopes Deal Renews Trade

China is one of the biggest export destinations for lobster, which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

In this Sept. 5, 2018 file photo, a lobster walks over the top of a lobster trap off the coast of Biddeford, ME.

Lobster Catch Headed For Decline, not Crash, Scientists Say

New studies show a fishery in which warming waters off Maine have changed the dynamics of the lobster population.

Food Waste in Schools

Other rules that exist to prevent the spread of diseases such as salmonella poisoning, will remain in effect.

Tuna Recovery Leads to Fight

The giant sushi fish are at historically low population levels but have recently shown positive signs.

Lobster Exports Ap

Lobster Exports Tank

Meanwhile, business is booming in Canada.

'Codfather' Can Never Fish Again

He was owner of the one of the largest commercial fishing operations in the country before the scandal broke.

Lobster Boat Ap

Lobster Season Off to Slow Start

The harvest of the valuable bottom dwellers in America's biggest lobstering state is usually in full swing by July.

Scallops Catch is Up

The scallop industry is thriving as a result of years of conservative management that has allowed the valuable shellfish to grow.