Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Gloucester remembers the crew of the Andrea Gail, 35 years after they were lost during ‘Perfect Storm’

October 29, 2026 — This week marks 35 years since a Gloucester-based fishing vessel bound for home was lost at sea in a massive tempest that was later dubbed “The Perfect Storm.”

Six fishermen were lost aboard the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing vessel, which had been out on the waters off of Canada, when a massive storm hit New England.

On board at the time were Captain Frank “Billy” Tyne, Robert “Bobby” Shatford, David “Sully” Sullivan, Michael “Bugsy” Moran, Dale “Murph” Murphy, and Alfred Pierre.

David Sullivan’s sister, Catherine Sullivan Mustone, still lives in Gloucester, and told NewsCenter 5 that the loss of her brother is a wound that will never be fully healed.

Read the full article at WCVB

Research vessel goes adrift while monitoring Gulf of Maine algal bloom

October 28, 2026 –Researchers say a research vessel that went adrift while monitoring a harmful algal bloom in the Gulf of Maine has been recovered, with more details expected soon.

The bright-yellow SeaTrac autonomous vessel lost communications with its operators on Oct. 12 while holding position about 30 nautical miles southeast of Frenchman Bay, Maine. Researchers later offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to its recovery.

Researchers with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and NERACOOS re-established communication with the SeaTrac on Oct. 23, when it was roughly 90 miles off Gloucester, Massachusetts. The vessel has since been recovered.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

How Harvard scientists built genomics outpost on Gloucester harbor

September 28, 2026 — The year was 2012, and Massachusetts state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante had an idea that might help fishermen in her hometown of Gloucester.

The Atlantic cod population had been in decline for decades, partly due to overfishing. Regulation to try to bring about a rebound was in everyone’s best interest, but there were problems — and some distrust of regulators by fishermen.

The cod in two offshore regions, the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, were managed as separate populations, but there were gaps in what was known about the groups’ geographic boundaries and genetic relationships. Ferrante wondered whether genomic sequencing could help track the stock more accurately and approached David Walt, then a professor at Tufts, to ask.

“I said, ‘Yeah, I think that’s a pretty viable idea,’” said Walt, now the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Bioinspired Engineering at Harvard Medical School. So Ferrante secured state funding, and Walt ran tests and found genetically distinct spawning groups within both regions, information that has helped fisheries managers get a better read on the health of the groups.

Read the full article at The Harvard Gazette

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

High cost of diesel fuel taking toll on commercial fishing, boating in Gloucester

July 24, 2026 — With the conflict in the Middle East escalating, global oil prices again topped more than $100 a barrel Thursday, and the high cost for diesel continues taking a toll in Gloucester, where commercial fishing and boating remain central to the local economy.

At Rose’s Marine, a longtime marine supply store serving in the city, employee Archie MacLeod Jr., a former commercial fisherman, said fuel costs have become one of the biggest concerns among the local fishermen supplying seafood across New England.

“2026 has been a tough year”

“They’re ridiculous. You know, the fuel prices, especially for diesel, which is one of the main fuels that runs the country, whether it’s trucking or fishing or any industry, really, they’re really high, and it’s really hard for guys to go out and make a living,” MacLeod said.

“You’re traveling 200 miles sometimes from shore, and all that fuel needs to be paid for. And a lot of times, you don’t make a paycheck until you pay for the fuel, you know, and the other expenses you have, so it’s a big thing that you have to deal with,” MacLeod added. “2026 has been a tough year.”

According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of diesel is more than $5.20, up more than $2.65 from a year ago.

“Unfortunately for the fishermen, it’s just another obstacle that they have to face,” said Captain Jim Douglass, who owns Gloucester-based Cape Ann Whale Watch. “Fishing’s tough. Maintaining the boat’s tough, and now to have the extra price of fuel on top of that? Yeah, it’s making it hard for them.”

Read the full article at CBS News

MASSACHUSETTS: After A Hard Winter, Blessing Of The Fleet A Welcome Event

May 27, 2026 — It was a tough winter for the New England commercial fishing industry.

The Lily Jean out of Gloucester and the New Bedford-based Yankee Rose both sank with all hands. The impact was felt far behind the vessels’ home ports.

The local nonprofit Women of Fishing Families (WOFF) sent grocery and gas cards as well as care packages to the families of the fishermen who lost their lives.

“They had a lot of people depending on them,” said WOFF founding president Karen Murdoch. “We were lucky to be able to help these families because it affected fishing communities up and down the coast.”

WOFF will bring the town’s commercial fishing fleet together Sunday, May 31 for the annual Blessing of the Fleet to both acknowledge the winter’s difficulties and set the stage for a safe and successful fishing season.

Read the full article at The Cape Cod Chronicle 

MASSACHUSETTS: Healey asks Navy’s help in recovering video that could show sunken fishing ship’s last moments

May 14, 2026 — Massachusetts officials are asking for the U.S. Navy’s help in recovering a piece of equipment from the fishing vessel that sunk off the coast of Gloucester earlier this year, believing the video it contains could shed light on what caused the ship to go down.

Seven people, including the ship’s captain and crew and a fisheries observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, died when the Lily Jean sank on Jan. 30 without sending any distress or mayday call beforehand.

Gov. Maura Healey and state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, wrote Monday to U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao, requesting help “to uncover all facts related to this incident and bring closure to the families of the F/V Lily Jean while improving safety for those who chose to carry on this beloved tradition in the future.”

“Massachusetts has a long, proud history of seafaring thanks to generations of men and women who risk their lives fishing off our coast and in the North Atlantic,” Healey and Tarr said in their letter.

Healey and Tarr said officials in the Massachusetts State Police received information suggesting that a video recorder and hard drive on the ship remain intact, and that the company that installed the equipment believes the video is retrievable.

Read the full article at WGBH

MASSACHUSETTS: Gloucester benefit concert planned to support families of Lily Jean crew

March 12, 2026 — The Gloucester, Mass., waterfront will come together this spring to honor the crew of the F/V Lily Jean and raise support for the families affected by the vessel’s loss earlier this year.

A full-day benefit concert titled “A Day of Music and Stories” is scheduled for May 17, from noon to 9 p.m. at The Cut in Gloucester. The event will feature live music, storytelling, and community remembrance centered around the city’s commercial fishing community.

Organizers say the goal is simple: bring people together and turn grief into tangible support for the families left behind. According to the event organizers, 100 percent of funds raised through ticket sales, sponsorship, a silent auction, and raffle donations will go directly to the Lily Jean Fund, administered by the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, a registered nonprofit.

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