Saving Seafood

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

MASSACHUSETTS: Search For F/V Lily Jean Led by USCG Now Includes NOAA, NTSB, MA Environmental Police

February 26, 2026 — Thelocation of the 72-foot fishing vessel Lily Jean, which sank 22 miles off Cape Ann, MA, on the morning of January 30, 2026, is being sought by specialized vessels from NOAA Woods Hole Laboratory, US Coast Guard cutters, Massachusetts Environmental Police, and others.  

The tragic sinking, with the loss of six crew and the captain, has rocked the town of Gloucester, MA and the New England fishing community. Last week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey held a press conference to update the public on the intense search for the vessel. 

“The reality right now is we have a situation where we essentially have a grave out at sea, and that is a very, very difficult, difficult situation for all of these family members,” she said. “I know there are frustrations. There are questions with all of that, and we understand that.” 

In addition to multiple state and federal agencies working to find answers to what happened, the Massachusetts Environmental Police is using sonar technology to scan the ocean floor. Col. John Monaghan said the Environmental Police have passed some data along to other agencies for analysis and could send down an underwater vehicle if they isolate a site that seems promising.  

Lt. Cmdr. Brett Igo is the Coast Guard’s lead investigative officer in the probe. He said determining the cause of the sinking could prevent future tragedy.  

Read the full article at seafoodnews.com

MASSACHUSSETTS: Authorities are using deep-sea tech to try to find the sunken fishing boat off Massachusetts

February 19, 2026 — A coalition of authorities is deploying technology to try to locate the wreck of a fishing boat that sank last month off Massachusetts, killing all seven aboard. But winter weather and sea conditions have thus far slowed their efforts.

The 72-foot (22-meter) vessel Lily Jean was returning to port early Jan. 30 to repair fishing gear when it sank in frigid Atlantic waters off the historic fishing port of Gloucester. Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Massachusetts Environmental Police, are cooperating to try to find the wreck of the ship and potentially recover the bodies of the deceased, officials said Wednesday.

The Lily Jean sank in waters that were more than 300 feet deep and very inhospitable in winter. Environmental police have deployed side-scan sonar to try to gather data and detect anomalies on the ocean floor, officials said. They said they also hope to be able to send a remotely operated vehicle to the site to gather photos and video, but seas have thus far made that challenging.

Read the full article at The Associated Press

MASSACHUSETTS: Sunken Gloucester fishing boat: Will the Lily Jean and its crew ever be recovered?

February 19, 2026 — It’s been nearly three weeks since a Gloucester fishing boat sank off the coast of Cape Ann, killing all seven crew members. Federal and state investigators have searched for the 72-foot vessel known as the Lily Jean, but it has not yet been found.

Challenges such as harsh weather conditions have made finding the Lily Jean difficult. Officials are undecided about whether to try to recover the boat and the bodies of the six crew members who remain missing, they said during a Wednesday press conference.

The officials are hopeful but not confident they will be able to locate the Lily Jean, though they said ample resources are being used in the search. They hope that finding the boat will provide answers for the crew members’ families and help make fishing a safer profession.

“This was an experienced captain who was a good personal friend of mine and many of us,” Gloucester State Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-First Essex and Middlesex, said of Gus Sanfilippo, captain of the Lily Jean.

“He didn’t take risks. He didn’t spare expense on maintenance or technology. He was in a fishing family. He was in a solid steel-hulled vessel. Why did it happen? We need to find out.”

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