The Big Dig Presents: Catching The Codfather

Episode 3: "Punch in the Kisser"

GBH News | February 25, 2026
Host: Ian Coss

Brief Overview

In this gripping episode, Ian Coss explores the roots of Carlos “The Codfather” Rafael’s rebellious streak and the broader, high-stakes conflict between New England fishermen and an increasingly interventionist government. The episode dives into the historic alliance and subsequent rift between fishermen and environmentalists, the economic collapse that led to draconian fishing regulations, and Rafael’s first big legal battle—a federal price-fixing trial. At its core, the episode asks: Is Carlos Rafael a folk hero fighting for his community or a selfish outlaw? And can the line between the two even be drawn when the whole system is at stake?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origin Story: Carlos Rafael and the Allure of the Waterfront (00:00–04:31)

• Immigration & First Job: Carlos's first job in the US was at Berkshire Hathaway’s textile mill in New Bedford—not fishing. He lies about his age to get hired, calling it a "clean lie" born out of survival instinct.
  • Carlos Rafael (02:28): “A lie will almost catch up with you sooner or later. But that was a clean lie… I was just trying to get a job and get ahead in life.”
• Getting Fired & Turning to the Docks: When the mill discovers his real age, he’s fired. He gravitates to the docks, where rules are looser and misfits thrive.
  • Carlos Rafael (04:00): “Like that was like the cowboys and Indians. Ain’t nobody look at shit like that.”
• Waterfront Culture: The waterfront attracts risk-takers and those who resist societal grip.
  • Carlos Rafael (04:24): “Rules. No regulations, no nothing. That’s why I fit right in there. Like hell.”

2. Fishermen & Environmentalists: From Allies to Adversaries (06:38–13:19)

• The Oil Drilling Threat: In the 1970s, fishermen and the nascent Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) ally to battle oil companies threatening prized fishing grounds like Georges Bank.
• Fishermen’s Wives Mobilize: Angela Sanfilippo of Gloucester organizes against drilling, leading an emotional grassroots campaign.
  • Angela Sanfilippo (08:27): “My phone never stopped ringing… like when somebody dies in a family.”
• CLF’s Legal Triumphs: CLF wins landmark suits, preserving Georges Bank from oil drilling.
  • Doug Foy (10:06): “If you’re going to pick a case for CLF to be born around, that’s the one. All the biggest players… and this little tiny organization… saying, ‘Wait a minute, what about the fish?’”
  • Sanfilippo’s famous testimony (11:29): “We are fishing people. We supposed to take care of the ocean that feeds us every day.”
• Bitterness Emerges: After their alliance, CLF’s next lawsuit targets overfishing on Georges Bank—now pitting them against their former fishing allies.
  • Angela Sanfilippo (13:19): “When they filed the lawsuit, they forgot all about us.”

3. The System Breaks Down: Overfishing, Collapse, and Government Action (13:32–20:05)

• Signs of Crisis: Scientific surveys and firsthand reports show fisheries in sudden decline.
  • Angela Sanfilippo & Linda Deprey (14:01–14:21): “We would tow the net and nothing would come up. Nothing… everything had been fished out.”
• CLF Sues the Feds: Instead of suing fishermen, CLF sues the government for failing to prevent overfishing (citing the Magnuson Act).
  • Andy Rosenberg (18:02): “We haven’t prevented overfishing.”
• Regulatory Response: Federal regulators “roll over,” agreeing with CLF, which triggers urgent, court-enforced management changes.

4. Amendment 5: Regulations Bring Upheaval and Resentment (20:51–27:56)

• Political Crossfire: John Bullard becomes the federal “point person,” working as a mediator and regulator.
  • Bullard’s reality check (23:15): “A point person means at the end of all this, all the arrow points are in your back, not the secretary’s.”
• Amendment 5: Limits fishing days and methods; upheaval in the fishing community.
  • Angela Sanfilippo (25:45): “Every time I went to a council meeting when there was a tough issue, I would come home and I would have pain in my teeth.”
• Sanfilippo’s frustration: The process gets out of control; “we’re just the tip of the iceberg” (27:20).

5. Shock to the System: Protests, Closures, Economic Collapse (32:02–35:45)

• March 1994: Regulations go into effect amid confusion and chaos; “Fishermen say the government is sinking them.”
  • Carlos Rafael (32:47): “If they don't want us to fish, just tell us to tie up. Stop playing games. Amendment 5 is a punch in the kisser for the industry.”
• Georges Bank Closures: Swift and severe; areas the community fought to save now closed to all.
  • Rodney Avila (33:29): “They announced that they were going to have to close George’s bank because there was no codfish there.”

6. CLF: Effective Blunt Instrument or Self-Serving Adversary? (35:45–36:52)

• Business of Advocacy: CLF lawyers acknowledge using “the law as a blunt instrument… like using an ax to kill a fly.”
• Carlos and Rodney’s Critique: See CLF as taking advantage of crises for their own funding and status; Avila’s anecdote about a CLF lawyer eating haddock (a depleted fish) typifies the perceived hypocrisy.

7. Carlos Rafael’s First Legal War: Price Fixing Case (37:12–42:34)

• 1994 Price Fixing Saga: Carlos accused of colluding to set fish prices—a charge he never admits to.
  • Carlos Rafael (38:19): “I was banging him from all angles that I could to put him out of his miseries.”
• Carlos’ Defense: Puts on a strategically sympathetic display in court.
  • Carlos Rafael (41:08): “Look… My English is not that good… so please be patient.”
• Not Guilty Verdict: Carlos wins, outsmarts the prosecution, celebrates with a $500 cognac.

8. Consequences, Bitterness, and the End of the Wild West (43:51–47:41)

• Industry in Crisis: Layoffs, despair, and an existential threat for multi-generational fishing families.
  • Angela Sanfilippo (44:32): “We saw the dream of our children wiped out, that they cannot keep the heritage after seven and eight generations in their family.”
• Rafael’s Resentment: Feels rules changed when it was his turn to succeed, while old elites made fortunes unregulated.
  • Carlos Rafael (46:10): “They could kill all the whales… but we cannot catch a codfish because they already made their millions. … Dream, the American dream. He didn’t want anybody else to have it but their family, that scumbag son of a bitch.”
• The Making of an Outlaw: Rafael predicts new rules will make survivors or outlaws out of fishermen.
  • Carlos Rafael (47:41): “That’s exactly what they did.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Angela Sanfilippo (11:53):
  “And Senator, you need to remember that George’s bank is sacred ground. It’s the burial place of 500 Gloucester fishermen.”
• Doug Foy (16:21):
  “The council was not able to make the hard decisions.”
• Carlos Rafael (19:19):
  “The best person to be a conservative is the fisherman. … But they never give them credit for that because the ideas, they’re just a dumb fisherman. What do they know?”
• Rodney Avila (28:05):
  “Every time I went out… it was like a sense of freedom. … I’m my own destiny.”
• Andy Rosenberg (34:04):
  “The closed areas were kind of a shock to the system. … But it was a system that needed a shock.”
• Carlos Rafael (36:52):
  “You ain’t taking a shit tonight. You’re dreaming. You think these son of a bitches are stupid? … They might look stupid, but they’re not stupid.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Carlos Rafael’s immigration and early years: 00:00–04:31
• Origins of CLF and legal victories together with fishermen: 06:38–13:19
• Collapse of alliance and birth of heavy regulation: 13:32–20:05
• Federal management, Amendment 5, and the New Bedford response: 20:51–27:56
• Amendment 5’s immediate impact and protest: 32:02–35:45
• Price fixing case and Rafael’s trial: 37:12–42:34
• Industry bitterness and the end of the “Wild West”: 43:51–47:41

Episode Tone & Language

The tone is deeply personal, raw, and sometimes darkly humorous—mixing hard-nosed, firsthand testimony from old-school fishermen with the analytic, empathetic perspective of the host. The episode powerfully captures the bitterness, pride, and despair of a local tradition facing extinction, alongside the rebellious energy of Carlos Rafael: “the rogue and the regulator… on a collision course.”

Summary Takeaway

“Punch in the Kisser” traces the painful transformation of New England’s fishing culture from a ruleless, proud profession to a tightly controlled, deeply divided industry. The episode illuminates how noble intentions—conservation and stewardship—turned friends into enemies, and how the regulatory “axes” that saved the fish also crushed generations of livelihoods. Carlos Rafael, straddling the line between outlaw and survivor, emerges as both a symbol of loss and a harbinger of the conflicts that will define the industry for decades.

Next Episode: The collision course between rogue (Rafael) and regulator (Bullard) accelerates—diving deeper into the legal and personal battles at the heart of the Codfather legend.