News Summary July 27, 2017
Today's Main Story: Huge Bristol Bay Run Meant $ Millions in Lost Revenue Due to Congress’ Disastrous Labor Policies
Topping today's headlines is a look at how while celebrating the fantastic run of salmon into Bristol Bay, which saw sockeye harvests exceed forecasts by 35%, there is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction. SeafoodNews' John Sackton and Peggy Parker write that bad governmental policy decisions crippled the Alaska processing labor force, and meant that some packers in Bristol Bay were operating with 15-20% fewer workers than they had originally planned. In the Bay, where over a thousand permit holders vie for their share of 37 million sockeye salmon, mostly within a one-week time period, a 15-20% shortage in plant workers is big news, an it had a ripple effect throughout the area and the industry.
In other news, there appears to be a significant fall-out from Carlos Rafael’s case of massive fisheries corruption. One thread seems to be a concerted effort by the Dept. of Justice to look at tax evasion in the seafood industry in both New Bedford and Gloucester. New tax evasion charges were added to the Rafael case in March, 2017. The charges were that Rafael failed to pay taxes in the sum of $108,929. The U.S. attorney also alleges Rafael omitted $267,061 in reportable cash income in 2014. Since then there have been a flurry of tax evasion charges against seafood executives in both New Bedford and Gloucester.
In Virginia, the blue crab pot season is officially shorter than last year after the Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted unanimously to reduce bushel limits and end the season 16...
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