BOSTON (AP) — Among the seven victims of a marine tragedy that devastated a Massachusetts fishing town are a fifth-generation fisherman, a young federal fisheries observer on her first job at sea and a father-and-son crew duo who all died when their fishing boat, the Lily Jean, sank in America’s oldest seaport, Gloucester.
The sinking is just the latest tragedy to befall Gloucester’s close-knit fishing community. The perils of the industry that inspired the book and movie “The Perfect Storm” are steeped in 400 years of history and, at times, tragedy.
Gloucester fishing veteran Al Cottone noted at a press briefing Monday that everyone involved in the industry is well aware of the dangers — and the lives lost over generations of fishing families.
“You fish in federal waters, you fish in a Gloucester boat and you lose your life, you’re forever a Gloucester fisherman,” Cottone added grimly.
“This is the worst nightmare come true. It’s happened before and it’s happened before. It’s not unique to this community. It’s a tragedy that’s still fresh and this community is going to take a long time to heal,” he said.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said Monday they have identified all seven victims who died when the commercial fishing boat sank without a call in the frigid waters of the Atlantic.
Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo was the captain of the vessel, and the crew consisted of Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien, the Coast Guard said Monday in identifying the victims. Also on board was Jada Samitt, a fisheries observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Coast Guard and NOAA said. No one survived.
Sanfilippo was well known in the community. Lily Jean, Sanfilippo and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel’s “Nor’Easter Men.” The captain is described as a fifth generation commercial fisherman fishing from Gloucester in Georges Bank. The crew are shown working in dangerous weather conditions for hours, spending up to 10 days at sea on a single trip for haddock, lobster and snapper.
“We loved each other,” Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, said of his relationship with Sanfilippo. “He treated me like a big brother and I treated him like my little brother. To know this tragedy and to know the kind of character that Gus had, he would be mortified to know that all these lives were lost.”
Giacalone said the Sanfillipo and Beal names were synonymous with local fishing decades ago. He said Sanfillipo “followed in his father’s footsteps” while the Beal family built boats and includes a brother who is a fisherman.
“Those two families are absolutely etched in centuries of these multiple generations of fishermen,” Giacalone said.
Tragedy meets a fishing town
Gloucester Mayor Paul Lundberg said the names of those on the Lily Jean would be added to a city memorial honoring the thousands of fishermen lost at sea over the years.
Everett Sawyer, 55, a childhood friend of Sanfilippo’s, said he knew 25 people who lost their lives. Cold winter conditions can complicate operations even for experienced sailors, Sawyer said.
“Things happen very quickly when you’re on the ocean,” he said.
Meanwhile, NOAA issued a statement of condolences to the families of the victims.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to Jade’s family, the families of the six fishermen, the NOAA observing community and all those affected,” NOAA said.
Samitt’s family said the 22-year-old observer was doing his first job at sea as a fisheries observer, a job where he collected data from the vessel’s catch that is used for purposes including drafting government regulations.
Samitt’s family added that she was a native of Virginia and had a deep love for the Gloucester fishing community.
“Jada was on the Lily Jean that day because of her strong belief in her work, not only as an observer, but as someone who knew her important role as a crew member. She … conveyed to us how important it is to protect the seas and fisheries,” the statement said.
The search for survivors was unsuccessful
The Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing on Saturday. The search and rescue mission was launched early Friday after the Coast Guard received an alert from the 72-foot (22-meter) vessel about 25 miles (40 kilometers) off the historic Cape Ann Peninsula.
Officials said there was no call from Lily Jean as she headed home to Gloucester. Rather, the Coast Guard was notified by a beacon on the boat that warns when it hits the water.
Searchers found a debris field near where the alert originated, along with a body in the water and an empty life raft, the Coast Guard said. Crews covered about 1,000 square miles (2,590 square kilometers) using planes, cutters and small boats more than 24 hours before the Coast Guard announced Saturday that all reasonable search efforts had been exhausted.
An investigation will hopefully turn up more, the Coast Guard said Monday, adding in a statement that an investigating officer was beginning to collect “evidence and testimony using formal rules and procedures regarding a recent maritime accident.”
Fishing is a dangerous business
Deep sea fishing in New England can always be dangerous, but especially so in the winter due to high tides, cold temperatures and unpredictable weather. Commercial fishing is often cited as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
Coast Guard Boston Area Commander Jamie Frederick said freezing temperatures and stormy conditions made it difficult to find survivors at night, a task made even more daunting by a nor’easter approaching the East Coast over the weekend. Searchers were dealing with 7- to 10-foot (2- to 3-meter) seas and icy ocean spray, Frederick said.
At Monday’s news briefing, Giacalone explained that crews are still going out even in the winter to press for a living.
“I’ve heard people say why do they go fishing in that weather? Why do the electric people come out in the middle of a blizzard to turn the lights back on?” he said.
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Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.