Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Gloucester honors Lily Jean crew at Fisherman’s Memorial

August 13, 2026 — Six months after the F/V Lily Jean sank off Cape Ann, Mass., the Gloucester fishing community gathered Saturday, Aug. 8, to remember the seven people lost aboard the vessel and other mariners who died over the past year.

The annual remembrance at Gloucester’s Fisherman’s Memorial carried particular weight this year following the Jan. 30 sinking of the 72-foot Gloucester-based groundfish trawler Lily Jean about 25 miles off Cape Ann.

All seven people aboard were lost: Capt. Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short, Sean Therrien and NOAA fisheries observer Jada Samitt.

Family members, state officials and members of the community gathered Saturday at the memorial, where generations of Gloucester fishermen lost at sea are remembered.

“It feels like every time they do something like this, you relive it, that day in January,” Tiffany Leigh, girlfriend of Short, told WCVB.

State Sen. Bruce Tarr also spoke about how deeply the loss has affected a community accustomed to the dangers of working at sea.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: Navy says it can’t help recover wreckage of Gloucester fishing boat Lily Jean

August 6, 2026  — In a letter to Gov. Maura Healey, the US Navy said it will not be able to help with the recovery of data and remains from the wreckage of the Gloucester-based fishing vessel Lily Jean, which sank off the coast of Cape Ann in January, with seven people aboard.

“We are deeply sympathetic toward the families affected by this tragedy,” read the letter dated July 27, which was received by the governor Wednesday. “However, the U.S. Navy is unable to fulfill your request for salvage and recovery.”

The response comes months after Gov. Healey wrote to the US Navy asking for assistance in investigating.

According to the Boston Globe, Healey wrote to the Navy in May that the boat had a hard drive and video recorder that the manufacturer believes might have information if recovered.

The US Navy, in its letter from Acting United States Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, said that it remains in contact with the U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation into the sinking, alongside the National Transportation Safety Board.

The letter said, “It is our understanding both the USCG and the NTSB have the requisite information to conclude the investigation.” It is unclear if the two organizations found any evidence of what caused the sinking.

Read the full article at Boston.com

Surge in endangered right whale sightings off Mass. coast gives conservationists hope

July 27, 2026 — A surge in sightings of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales off the Massachusetts coast has researchers optimistic.

Aerial surveys and acoustic monitoring in coastal state waters detected 188 individual right whales between autumn 2025 and early May 2026, according to a report from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

The Center for Coastal Studies identified 155 of those whales in Cape Cod Bay, while the rest were spotted in Massachusetts Bay and north of Cape Ann.

The regional surge aligns with a highly successful breeding season taking place in the southern U.S. over the winter, producing 23 mother-calf pairs. The New England Aquarium said this is the highest count on record for the species since 2009.

Read the full story at MassLive

MASSACHUSETTS: Lily Jean loss sparks formal investigation as fishing community rallies

March 3, 2026 — More than a month after the 72-foot groundfish vessel Lily Jean sank 25 miles off Cape Ann, state and federal investigators are still working to determine what caused the loss of the Gloucester-based vessel and all seven people aboard.

The boat sank Jan. 30 without issuing a distress or mayday call. An EPIRB signal alerted the U.S. Coast Guard at approximately 6:50 a.m., prompting a massive air and sea search effort. Crews searched roughly 1,047 square miles in punishing winter conditions- air temperatures near 6 degrees Fahrenheit, wind chills below zero and water temperatures around 40 degrees.

Responders located one unresponsive individual from the water and located a deployed but unoccupied life raft. No additional survivors were found, and the Coast Guard suspended its search the following day.

“All reasonable search efforts for the missing crewmembers had been exhausted,” said Capt. Jamie Frederick, commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston, at the time.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: Two Local Banks Step Up to Manage Lily Jean Charitable Fund

March 2, 2026 — A fund has been established to support the families of seven crew members who died when the fishing vessel Lily Jean sank Jan. 30 about 22 miles off Cape Ann.

The Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund announced the creation of the Lily Jean Fund in the days following the sinking.  According to organizers, 100% of donations will be distributed in equal amounts to the seven affected families.

Local financial institutions Cape Ann Savings Bank and BankGloucester are assisting with collection and processing of contributions.

An anonymous donor has pledged to match the first $40,000 raised, dollar for dollar. Donations of any size will qualify toward the match until the threshold is reached.

Read the full article at The Cricket

MASSACHUSETTS: Search continues for sunken fishing vessel off Gloucester coast

February 18, 2026 — State and federal agencies are still searching for details to explain what caused a commercial fishing vessel to sink off the coast of Gloucester last month, killing all seven people who were on board.

The 72-foot commercial fishing vessel, named Lily Jean, sank on Jan. 30 without sending any distress or mayday call.

Coast Guard crews spent days searching for survivors on dangerously high seas before calling off the search and rescue mission.

At a Wednesday press conference, officials stressed the need for patience as they work toward uncovering meaningful information. They said state and federal partners are collaborating on this phase of the investigation, which includes searching for the sunken ship. That effort is focused on an area about 20 minutes off shore, with waters up to 400 feet deep. Crews are hoping the search helps them understand what happened to the ship.

Read the full article at WGBH

MASSACHUSETTS: North Shore mourns father and son killed on sunken Gloucester fishing boat

February 17, 2025 — A father and son who were killed when a fishing boat sank off the coast of Gloucester late last month are being remembered for their love of the ocean.

Gloucester residents Paul Beal Sr., 70, and Paul Beal Jr., 34, were among the seven crew members of the Lily Jean who died when it sank while returning from a fishing trip on Jan. 30.

Remembering Paul Beal Sr.

Paul Austin Beal Sr. was born in Rockport to the late Lloyd and Marilyn Beal on Oct. 11, 1955, according to his obituary. He grew up in Rockport with his two brothers and graduated from Rockport High School in 1974.

“After graduation, Paul followed his heart to the Ocean. It was a way of life for the Beal Family, dating back to ancestors in Beals Island, Maine,” his obituary reads.

Remembering Paul Beal Jr.

Paul Austin “PJ” Beal Jr., was born in Gloucester on June 22, 1991, to his mother, Denee, and father, Paul Austin Beal Sr., according to his obituary. He was raised in Gloucester and attended Gloucester Public Schools.

“As a child growing up, PJ instantly took a love to the ocean,” his obituary reads.

Read the full article at MassLive

MASSACHUSETTS: Lily Jean crew member lost at sea was loyal, hard-working friend

February 17, 2026 — Loved ones of a 33-year-old crew member aboard The Lily Jean, a Gloucester fishing vessel that sunk at the end of January, remember him as a loving and hard-working man who would “give the shirt off his back” to anyone who needed it.

John Paul Rousanidis, 33, of Peabody, died on Jan. 30. He was one of seven people aboard the fishing boat when it went down off the coast of Cape Ann. The Coast Guard searched into the night for the missing crew members, discovering just one body, a debris field and the boat’s empty life raft.

Read the full article at Mass Live

MASSACHUSSETTS: Hundreds line up to attend wake of beloved Lily Jean captain

February 10, 2026 — Hundreds of mourners will fill St. Ann’s Catholic Church on Tuesday morning for the funeral of Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, the captain of the Lily Jean, a fishing vessel that sank off the coast of Cape Ann on Jan. 30.

The entire crew, including Sanfilippo, was killed. Only Sanfilippo’s body has been recovered from the boat.

Loved ones began lining up late Monday afternoon, bundled up against the raw and windy sea air in Gloucester, to attend Sanfilippo’s wake.

“The sadness in there is just unbelievable — he’s got a young son, a young daughter, they are crushed,” said friend Vito Giacalone.

Read the full article at WCVB

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishing council mourns loss of seven people in Gloucester fishing boat tragedy

February 6, 2026 — The council that oversees New England’s fishing industry on Friday recognized the loss of seven people who were aboard a fishing vessel when it sank off the coast of Cape Ann on Jan. 30.

“The New England Fishery Management Council extends our sincere condolences to the families, loved ones, and fishing communities affected by the tragic sinking of the F/V Lily Jean” the council said in a statement.

Seven people perished in the tragedy — the captain, Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short, Sean Therrien, and Jada Samitt, a NOAA fisheries observer who was aboard the vessel.

Read the full article at the The Boston Globe