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NEWS_BDP_Catching_the_Codfather-Keyart_2000x2000_FINAL_CR14017.jpg

A fishing tycoon is arrested in an elaborate sting operation, but claims he’s the real hero fighting back against an overbearing state. So who is Carlos “The Codfather” Rafael really – a folk hero, a crook, a righteous rebel, a selfish conman?

In Season 3 of The Big Dig™ podcast, “Catching The Codfather,” we go down to the docks. It’s a place  where food, work, nature, money and politics all meet – where dreams are born, fortunes ruined, and where the watchful eye of the government is always present. The series traces the rise of Carlos Rafael and his escalating conflict with the government, because to judge the crimes of the Codfather, you also have to judge the whole system that he chose to break.

This six-episode series is produced by GBH News and distributed by PRX. 

Major sponsorship for "Catching The Codfather" is provided by Roger’s Fish Co.

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Latest Episodes

  • NEWS_BDP_Catching_the_Codfather_1920x1080_FINAL_CR1407 (1).jpg

    Introducing Season Three: Catching The Codfather

    A fishing tycoon is arrested in an elaborate sting operation, but claims he’s the real hero fighting back against an overbearing state. So who is Carlos “The Codfather” Rafael really – a folk hero, a crook, a righteous rebel, a selfish conman?
    Catching The Codfather
  • NEWS_BDP_Catching_the_Codfather-Keyart_2000x2000_FINAL_CR14017.jpg

    Part 1: Red Lobster

    Carlos “The Codfather” Rafael dominates the most valuable fishing port in the United States, and no one is quite sure how he did it. But in 2015, when undercover federal agents offer to buy his business, Carlos opens his books.
    Catching The Codfather
  • NEWS_BDP_Catching_the_Codfather_1920x1080_FINAL_CR1407 (1).jpg

    Part 2: I Hope Those People Sink

    1980s, when a bitter strike divides the city of New Bedford and its famed fishing fleet. But Carlos manages to turn the strike to his advantage.
    Catching The Codfather
  • NEWS_BDP_Catching_the_Codfather-Keyart_2000x2000_FINAL_CR14017.jpg

    Part 3: Punch in the Kisser

    The west has cowboys, the east has fishermen – it's a job defined by freedom and self-reliance. But in 1991 a contentious lawsuit forces the government to step in, setting Carlos Rafael and the regulators on a collision course. Major sponsorship for Catching The Codfather is provided by Roger’s Fish Co.
    Catching The Codfather
  • NEWS_BDP_Catching_the_Codfather-Keyart_2000x2000_FINAL_CR14017.jpg

    Part 4: Mosquitos on the Balls of an Elephant

    A new regulatory system is meant to end overfishing, but Carlos Rafael exploits it to accumulate even more boats and power – drawing resentment from other fishermen, and attention from the feds. Major sponsorship for "Catching The Codfather" is provided by Roger’s Fish Co.
    Catching The Codfather
  • NEWS_BDP_Catching_the_Codfather-Keyart_2000x2000_FINAL_CR14017.jpg

    Part 5: Painting Fish

    When federal agents first meet with Carlos Rafael, the fishing mogul offers up a tantalizing clue: a special system for ‘painting fish.’ It’s the key to understanding the entire fraud, and why Carlos is the only one who could pull it off. Major sponsorship for "Catching The Codfather" is provided by Roger’s Fish Co.
    Catching The Codfather

  • NEWS_BigDig_Podcast.jpg

    More from The Big Dig

    Each season of “The Big Dig” uncovers a different facet of society in Boston – infrastructure, gambling, food, healthcare – together the pieces connect to tell the story of modern America.