Saving Seafood

Victims of sunken Gloucester fishing vessel the Lily Jean remembered at memorial service, “It’s just a hard life”

February 2, 2026 — Two days after seven crew members of the fishing boat the Lily Jean were lost at sea off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts the community came together for a memorial Mass.

It was an emotional scene Sunday at Saint Ann Church in Gloucester, and it was cathartic the way this community is coming together for one another.

“Things can change quickly. It’s just a hard life. I got out years ago so I could see my kids grow,” said retired fisherman Domenic Dimaio. He went to school with the captain of the Lily Jean.

“I just, I don’t know. I am in shock,” he added.

Al Cottone was also at the memorial. The fisherman knew the captain most of his life. Their fathers grew up together in Sicily.

Read the full article at CBS News

Tragedy off America’s oldest seaport claims 7 lives as fishing boat sinks in frigid waters

February 2, 2026 — The seven victims of a marine disaster that devastated a storied Massachusetts fishing town included a fifth-generation fisherman, a young federal fisheries observer and a father-and-son crew duo. All died when their fishing boat, the Lily Jean, sank in waters off America’s oldest seaport.

The sinking underscored the risks long inherent in Gloucester’s fishing industry, which spans more than 400 years and was famously chronicled in “The Perfect Storm.” The names of the crew will be added to a city memorial honoring thousands of fishermen lost at sea over generations.

The 72-foot (22-meter) vessel was returning to port early Friday to repair fishing gear when it sank in frigid Atlantic waters. The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday that it was launching a formal investigation into the sinking after suspending a search for survivors Saturday. It has not said what might have caused the sinking, though it said ice buildup from freezing ocean spray can cause a boat to capsize.

“You fish in federal waters, you fish in a Gloucester boat, and you lose your life, you’re forever a Gloucester fisherman,” Gloucester fisherman Al Cottone said.

Read the full article at The Associated Press

Fundraisers collect money for families of sunken Gloucester fishing boat’s crew

February 2, 2026 — As the Gloucester community mourns the loss of the seven people who were aboard a fishing boat that sank Friday off the coast of Cape Ann, fundraisers are collecting money for the families of two of vessel’s crew members.

Remembering Sean Therrien

Peabody resident Sean Therrien, 45, was identified as one of the people aboard the 72-foot vessel known as the “Lily Jean” by his partner, Rebecca Carp, and in a GoFundMe campaign. In a Friday Facebook post, Carp said she was heartbroken, and that she and Therrien had been together for 22 years.

“He was my best friend and love of my life,” she wrote.

Therrien was a Lynn native who graduated from Lynn Technical High School, according to the GoFundMe campaign. When he wasn’t working, he loved riding dirt bikes, four-wheeling, building and racing RC cars and spending time with his sons, 23-year-old Justin and 17-year-old Tyler.

“He was a hardworking family man whose life revolved around the people he loved most,” the campaign page reads. “ … Those who knew Sean will remember his great sense of humor, his generous heart, and the pride he took in providing for his family.”

In addition to his partner and sons, Therrien leaves behind his father, brother, two sisters and many other beloved family members and friends, according to the campaign. The GoFundMe campaign had raised just over $7,000 of its $9,000 goal as of Sunday afternoon.

“This fundraiser has been created to support Rebecca and Sean’s family as they face the unimaginable — helping with funeral arrangements, household needs, and the financial challenges that follow such a sudden loss,“ the campaign page reads. ”More than anything, it is meant to honor Sean’s life and surround his loved ones with the care and compassion he so freely gave to others.”

Read the full article at MassLive

NOAA observer identified among victims of missing Gloucester fishing vessel

February 2, 2026 — The close-knit community of Gloucester came together Sunday, mourning the crew of the fishing vessel Lily Jean lost at sea in a tragic accident Friday, as shaken visitors piled flowers at the city’s iconic Fisherman’s Memorial and families huddled inside a stone church.

By the late afternoon, hundreds attended a memorial mass for those aboard the Lily Jean at St. Ann’s Church. At the beginning of the mass, the families of the vessel’s seven crew members lit candles in front of framed pictures of their lost loved ones.

“When we hurt, when we grieve, when we are in pain, we come together,” Rev. James Achadinha said during the somber service.

The full identities of the Lily Jean’s crew have not been shared officially. Coast Guard officials said over the weekend they estimated releasing the information Monday following family notifications.

But one of the crew has been identified by her family as 22-year-old federal fisheries observer Jada Samitt.

Samitt was on the Lily Jean about 25 miles off the coast of Cape Ann when the ship sank on Friday. The Coast Guard found debris and one body in the water. The Coast Guard looked for survivors for 24-hours before calling off the search Saturday during frigid winter conditions with seven-to-ten foot waves and 30-knot-winds.

Samitt had been on board as an observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries.

Read the full article at The Boston Herald

MASSACHUSETTS: Coast Guard identifies all 7 crew members of fishing boat that sank of Gloucester coast

February 2, 2026 — The Coast Guard has officially identified all seven crew members who were aboard a fishing boat when it sank off the coast of Gloucester on Friday.

The seven crew members were:

  • Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, captain
  • Paul Beal Sr., crew
  • Paul Beal Jr., crew
  • John Rousanidis, crew
  • Freeman Short, crew
  • Sean Therrien, crew
  • Jada Samitt, NOAA fisheries observer and crew
As of Sunday afternoon, family and friends of nearly all of the crew members had come forward to identify them.

MASSACHUSETTS: ‘Help us understand this loss’: As the victims of the Lily Jean begin to be identified, Gloucester grieves together

February 2, 2026 — Every pew and standing space at Saint Ann Church in this coastal city was filled Sunday with parishioners and members of the tight-knit fishing community. They came, church leaders said, to honor “the families and all of those who have died at sea,” after the Lily Jean, a 72-foot fishing vessel with seven people on board, sank offshore early Friday morning.

“In the Lord of sea and sky . . . help us understand this loss,” said the Rev. James Achadinha, his words echoing through the crowded sanctuary.

In a city long shaped by the sea, about 1,000 people gathered to mourn the seven people presumed dead. Two victims have been identified: Sean Therrien, 44, a Lynn native who had recently taken a winter job on the Lily Jean after being laid off from construction work, and Jada Samitt, a 22-year-old federal fisheries observer from Virginia. The Coast Guard and church leaders did not confirm the names of the other victims.

The vessel’s emergency beacon activated at 6:50 a.m. Friday, and a Coast Guard helicopter found debris within 40 minutes about 25 miles out, Captain Jamie Frederick said at a Saturday news conference. The search was called off the following day, renewing a familiar grief in a community where thousands have been lost to the water over four centuries.

Read the full article at The Boston Globe

MASSACHUSETTS: Tarr Statement on the Sinking of the Gloucester F/V Lily Jean

February 2, 2026 — Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) released the following statement today regarding the sinking of the Gloucester F/V Lily Jean:

 “Every day, men and women leave ports like Gloucester to harvest the bounty of the ocean for the people of our state and our nation, carrying with them the very real risk of not returning home. The sinking of the F/V Lily Jean makes the consequences of that risk painfully real. 
 
Tonight, we are deeply appreciative of the ongoing and courageous efforts of the United States Coast Guard, whose personnel continue to search through the night, in dangerous conditions, for the crew of the F/V Lily Jean. Thank you also to the Gloucester Police Department, Gloucester’s Harbor Masters, elected officials and all of the those who are supporting the community during this difficult time. We are praying for those aboard the vessel and their families who are enduring the anguish of not knowing the fate of their loved ones.
 
Most of all, we stand together with those families, sustained by the enduring strength, unity, compassion, and faith that have long defined the Gloucester community since its earliest days.”