Seth Macinko News Today

Private equity firms have grown substantially since the 1980s and now manage more than $6 trillion in assets in the United States. Their presence has affected industries from hospitals to fisheries.

Owned by a billionaire Dutch family, Blue Harvest Fisheries has emerged as a dominant force in the lucrative fishing port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Its business model: benefit from lax antitrust rules and pass costs on to local fishermen.