February 6, 2026 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
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 on Friday, January 30, 2026.
February 5, 2026 — The Gloucester community launched a fund to help provide for the families of seven crew members who died last week when their fishing vessel sank.
The Lily Jean Fund, named after the vessel, was started after an outpouring of support from Gloucester residents. The crew members are presumed to have perished after their ship sank Jan. 30 approximately 22 miles from Cape Ann.
“In the wake of this tragedy, there have been overwhelming expressions of support for the families of those who were lost, along with requests for a clear and trusted way to provide direct financial assistance,” the fund’s website reads. “The Lily Jean Fund has been created for this purpose.”
Read the full article at Boston.com
February 4, 2026 — Gloucester, Massachusetts, is deeply mourning the 7 crew members of the Lily Jean, who were killed after the fishing vessel sank off the coast of Massachusetts.
The community is also creating a safety net to support the families left behind.
“Fishing is the most dangerous occupation in the country, and our New England waters are the deadliest,” said President and CEO of Fishing Partnership Support Solutions, J.J. Bartlett.
A new fund has been created specifically for and will be split equally between the families of Captain “Gus” Sanfilipo, Paul Beal, Sr. and his son Paul Beal Jr., John Paul Rousanidis, Freeman Short, Sean Therrien and federal fisheries observer Jada Samitt.
February 4, 2026 — The following was released by Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr:
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) joined state, local, and community leaders today to announce verified and secure ways for the public to support the families and fishing community affected by the tragic loss of the Gloucester fishing vessel F/V Lily Jean.
On Friday, January 30, 2026, the Lily Jean sank approximately 22 miles off Cape Ann, resulting in the tragic loss of seven crew members. In the wake of this tragedy, there have been overwhelming expressions of support for the families of those who have been lost, and requests for a means for donors to provide direct financial assistance to those families.
“In the wake of this tragedy, there has been an extraordinary outpouring of compassion,” Tarr said. “People want to help, and it is critically important that they have clear, trusted, and transparent ways to do so—both to support the families directly and to ensure that essential services are available to the community.”
F/V Lily Jean Fund Established to Support Families
The F/V Lily Jean Fund has been established to provide direct financial assistance to the families of the seven crew members who perished. The fund accepts tax-deductible contributions, and 100 percent of all donations will be distributed in equal amounts directly to the families.
The fund is a project of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund (GFCPF) and is hosted by Cape Ann Savings Bank. This effort reflects a long-standing tradition within the Gloucester fishing community of standing together in times of profound loss.
GFCPF, also known locally as the Gloucester Permit Bank, was formed in 2007 to support fishermen, protect the working waterfront, and preserve Gloucester’s fishing heritage as the nation’s oldest seaport. Through its stewardship of fishing permits and quota, GFCPF has helped sustain a diverse, locally based fishing fleet and contributed more than $100 million to the local working waterfront economy.
Immediate and Ongoing Support Through Fishing Partnership Support Services
Tarr also expressed deep gratitude to Fishing Partnership Support Services (FPSS) for its immediate response following the loss of the F/V Lily Jean and its continued commitment to supporting families and community members affected by this tragedy.
FPSS, created by and for the fishing community, is providing critical assistance to the families, including trauma and grief counseling, emergency financial assistance for food and housing, access to health care, and long-term recovery services.
“Fishing Partnership Support Services has been there from the very beginning, offering compassionate, practical support when it is needed most,” Tarr said. “Their work is essential to helping fishing families navigate both the immediate aftermath of loss and the long road ahead.”
Those wishing to support essential services provided by FPSS may donate at: https://fishingpartnership.org/donate
A Shared Loss Across Fishing Communities
While Gloucester mourns, Tarr noted that fishing communities across the region have also experienced loss. Martha’s Vineyard and Stonington, Connecticut lost fishermen this January, and communities in Maine endured devastating tragedies last year.
“These losses remind us of the risks fishermen face every time they leave port and of our responsibility to support the men and women who provide for our families, our economy, and our country,” Tarr said.
How to Help — Verified and Secure Ways to Donate
F/V Lily Jean Fund
Mail to: Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund | c/o Cape Ann Savings Bank
109 Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
Fishing Partnership Support Services
February 3, 2026 — This city of hardy fishermen knows grief all too well. Inscribed on the seawall along the harbor are the names of thousands who set out from the country’s oldest fishing port over the centuries and never returned. On Friday, seven more were lost in the frigid waters of the Atlantic.
Since then, the people of Gloucester have been coming to their Fisherman’s Memorial — a bronze statue of a skipper clutching the wheel of his boat as he faces the open ocean — to leave flowers and mourn these fresh losses. The scene is a somber reminder of how dangerous commercial fishing can be.
“It’s just really hard — really hard for everybody,” said Brek Beard, who stopped by the memorial Monday as the sun was setting. He was a longtime friend of the captain of the Lily Jean, Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, a seasoned and respected skipper from Gloucester.
“He was a good man. I remember him when he was just a kid,” said Beard, recalling Sanfilippo not only as an experienced captain but also as a good carpenter and a “hard worker.”
The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a formal investigation into the sinking of the 72-foot fishing vessel, which went down this past Friday, 25 miles off the coast of Cape Ann. All seven crew members were lost and are presumed dead; one body was recovered — Sanfilippo’s.
February 3, 2026 — As the North Shore and New England fishing communities mourn the loss of the seven crew members of a Gloucester fishing boat that sank off the coast of Cape Ann on Friday, fundraisers are collecting money for the families of the crew.
The U.S. Coast Guard began searching for a 72-foot fishing vessel known as the “Lily Jean” Friday morning after receiving a signal from an emergency position-indicating beacon, the Coast Guard said previously. By Friday evening, searchers had discovered a debris field near the signal’s reported location and recovered one of the crew members’ bodies.
After searching nearly 1,050 square miles over the course of a day, the Coast Guard suspended its search Saturday morning. The Lily Jean was returning to Gloucester after a fishing trip when it sank.
It is unclear what caused the sinking of the Lily Jean, but on Monday, the Coast Guard announced it would be conducting “a district-level formal investigation” into the incident. The Coast Guard also officially identified the fishing vessel’s crew members.
The crew members have been identified as:
Those looking to offer support to the families of all the crew members should donate to a local non-profit called Fishing Partnership Support Services, Gloucester State Sen. Bruce Tarr, a Republican, recommended Monday.
February 3, 2026 –The seven people who died when Gloucester fishing vessel Lily Jean sank last week have been identified. State and local officials held a press conference on Monday.
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.
February 2, 2026 — For decades, environmental advocates and fishermen have found themselves in a bind.
Private property rights over fishing gear made it impossible for communities to clean up rope, lines, and equipment that had been abandoned in the open ocean — even as the gear piled up, snaring endangered wildlife and forming floating islands of synthetic fibers.
Starting Jan. 30, however, new state regulations from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) allow local communities to clean up marine fishing gear debris freely, the first step to eliminating what advocates call the “ghost gear” floating in New England’s waters.
Prior to the new rule, fishermen retained ownership rights of all fishing gear still in the water, regardless of its condition or how long it had been left to sea. Any attempt to interfere with or remove that gear by someone outside of DMF or the state environmental police constituted a rights violation. Volunteers and municipalities, meanwhile, could only remove debris that had washed ashore with state agencies’ permission — debris that still piles up by the tons on Massachusetts’ coastlines.
It’s a small change with a whale-sized impact, advocates say, and not a moment too soon. On Jan. 27, researchers found the first recorded North Atlantic right whale death of the year, a four-year-old male that had been fatally injured after getting entangled in fishing gear.
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.