December 19, 2017 — Longtime Gloucester fisherman Gus Sanfilippo has resigned from the state’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission, leaving Arthur “Sooky” Sawyer as the only Gloucester resident on the commission.

Sanfilippo, appointed to the commission in May 2016 as part of Gov. Charlie Baker’s wholesale purge of existing commission members, said he resigned so he could spend more time fishing.

“I just didn’t have the time now that I’m back fishing again,” said Sanfilippo, who has been working on the fishing vessel Miss Trish. “I found it really interesting, but it was really just a matter of not having the time.”

Sanfilippo said his time on the commission gave him a greater appreciation for the complexities of the state’s varied fisheries and the overall performance of the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries.

“It’s something I’d definitely do again if I have the time,” he said.

Sanfilippo hails from an established Gloucester fishing family and skippered the 80-foot F/V Lily Jean on the History Channel’s 2012 fishing mini-series, “Nor’easter Men,’ a three-hour documentary that focused on draggers from several New England ports.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times