‘Beloved’ fisherman, a NOAA fisheries observer, and a father-son duo among 7 dead in fishing boat tragedy

BOSTON (AP) — The seven victims of a marine tragedy that has devastated a storied Massachusetts fishing town included a fifth-generation fisherman, a young federal fisheries observer and a father-and-son crew duo who all died when their fishing boat, the Lily Jean, sank off America’s oldest seaport.

This image provided by Robert Serbagi shows commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean in Gloucester Harbor on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Gloucester, Mass.(Robert Serbagi via AP)

The sinking is only the latest tragedy to befall the close-knit fishing community of Gloucester. The industry perils that inspired the book and movie “The Perfect Storm” is tied to 400 years of history and, at times, tragedy. 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 that are typical in New England for this time of year. The U.S. Coast announced Monday that it was launching 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 Friday that ice build up from freezing ocean spray can cause a boat to capsize.

Christine Porper of Gloucester, Mass. pauses at the fisherman’s memorial near the homeport of a fishing boat that went missing with seven onboard, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Gloucester, Mass.(Charles Krupa | AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

After the sinking, ‘a long time to heal’

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

“This is the worst nightmare come true,” he said, adding, “this community will need a long time to heal.”

Coast Guard officials on Monday identified the victims as boat captain Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo and crewmembers Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien. Also aboard was Jada Samitt, a fisheries observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On Monday, the community was quick to push back against speculation about a possible cause, arguing that Sanfilippo was someone who cared about his crew and didn’t take risks.

Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, said such sinkings are unfortunately not out of the ordinary.

“We’ve had multiple sinkings. All hands lost. No radio communication at the very last minute. Nobody alive to say, oh, no, it wasn’t that,” he said. ”So, it’s just unfair to everyone involved with the folks that were lost feeling like someone did something wrong.”

Former Lily Jean crew member Gryphon Orfanos said the crew understood the risks.

“All those guys on that boat were seasoned fishermen,” said Orfanos, on break from boat repair work at the same dock where the Lily Jean used to berth. “They knew how dangerous it was.”

On Monday, Orfanos and friend Nate Dennen fastened a stainless steel memorial cross with the name “Lily Jean” to a wooden beam at the dock.

Dennen, a longtime friend of the boat’s captain Gus, had known him for years. Orfanos said Gus was a mentor who looked out for his crew.

“It taught me everything I know,” he said of his working a year on the boat early in his career. “Out on the ocean, it teaches you everything. But as far as I want the word to spread, Gus was the best guy ever.”

Cottone said any vessel leaving port needs a Coast Guard inspection decal, which among other things requires up-to-date safety equipment — and the fishery observer conducts a safety check before each trip.

“If the observer deems the boat not to be safe or have any piece of safety equipment that’s not up to date, If something is expired by one day, that observer will shut the trip down,” he said.

A larger-than-life fisherman

Sanfilippo was well known in Gloucester. The Lily Jean, Sanfilippo, and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’Easter Men.” The captain is described as a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, out of Gloucester, in the Georges Bank. The crew is shown working in dangerous weather conditions for hours on end, spending as many as 10 days offshore catching haddock, lobster and flounder.

“We loved each other,” Giacalone said. “He treated me like a big brother and I treated him like my younger brother. To know the tragedy of this and to know the kind of character that Gus had, he’d be mortified to know that these lives were all lost.”

Giacalone said the Sanfillipo and Beal names were synonymous with local fishing going back decades. He said Sanfillipo “followed in the footsteps of his dad” while the Beal family has built boats and a brother is also a fisherman.

“Those two families are absolutely etched in centuries of these multiple generations of fishermen,” Giacalone said.

Crew made of veterans and newcomers

Just as Sanfillipo had years of experience, Samitt was undertaking her first job at sea as an observer. The 22-year-old was tasked with collecting data from the catch, used for crafting government regulations and other purposes.

Samitt’s family added she was originally from Virginia and had a deep love of Gloucester’s fishing community. Their statement said she “conveyed to us how critical it was to protect the seas and fisheries.”

NOAA, meanwhile, offered its condolences.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Jada’s family, the families of the six fishermen, the NOAA observer community, and everyone affected,” its statement said.

Therrien, 44, was working his first season on a commercial fishing vessel, joining the Lily Jean after his close friend Rousanidis said the boat needed another crew member, his partner Becky Carp said. He had been on about half-dozen trips so far, she said, and appeared to be settling into the job – though he complained about the cold.

Therrien, she said, was “always up for an adventure” but that he took this job mostly to ensure he could provide for his family. The lifelong Massachusetts resident was the family’s breadwinner and understood he needed to find something to supplement his construction work, which was scarce in the winter.

“He wanted to make sure his family was safe and taken care which is why he was busting his butt so he could make as much money as he could so we would be comfortable and wouldn’t struggle,” Carp said.

Carp last talked to Therrien on Tuesday before he headed out to sea. She had wanted him to take the week off to spend time with him but he felt he needed to make money. She only learned about the boat’s sinking when alerts started popping up Friday.

“You always want to hold out hope that they are found. Come Saturday morning, I kind of knew at that point that they wouldn’t find any survivors,” Carp said. “I feel like it’s a nightmare that I am going to wake up from. It’s just a bad dream and everything will be OK. But unfortunately, it’s not.