BOSTON — 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 on her first job at sea and a father-and-son crew duo who all died when their fishing boat, the Lily Jean, sank off America's oldest seaport of Gloucester.
The sinking is only the latest maritime tragedy to befall Gloucester and its close-knit fishing community. The perils of the industry that inspired the book and movie “The Perfect Storm” is tied to 400 years of history and, at times, tragedy.
A veteran Gloucester fishman, Al Cottone, noted at a Monday news briefing that everyone involved in the industry is well aware of the dangers — and of the lives lost down through 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 somberly.
“This is the worst nightmare come true. It’s happened before and happened before. It’s not unique to this community. It’s a tragedy that is still fresh and this community will need a long time to heal,” he said.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said Monday they have identified all seven victims who died when a commercial fishing boat sank without a mayday call in frigid Atlantic waters.
Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo was the vessel's captain, and the crew consisted of Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien, the Coast Guard said in identifying the victims on Monday. Also aboard 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. 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, fishing 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 at sea on one trip for haddock, lobster and flounder.
“We loved each other,” Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, said about his relationship with Sanfilippo. “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.”
Tragedy befalls fishing town
Paul Lundberg, Gloucester’s mayor, said the names of those on the Lily Jean would be added to a city memorial honoring thousands of fishermen who have been lost at sea over the years.
Everett Sawyer, 55, a childhood friend of Sanfilippo’s, said he has known 25 people who were lost at sea. Cold winter conditions can complicate operations even for experienced sailors, Sawyer said.
“Things happen very quickly when you’re out on the ocean,” he said.
NOAA said in a statement that Samitt was a fishery observer assigned to collect data from the vessel's catch. Information gathered by fishery observers is used in crafting government regulations.
Samitt’s family said in a statement that the 22-year-old observer was originally from Virginia and had a deep love of Gloucester’s fishing community. They also said this was her first job at sea as an observer.
“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 proved herself to be so on every trip, and conveyed to us how critical it was to protect the seas and fisheries,” the statement said.
NOAA Fisheries said observer deployments would be suspended until after midnight Wednesday due to the sinking and weather in the Northeast.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Jada’s family, the families of the six fishermen, the NOAA observer community, and everyone affected,” NOAA said in its statement.
Search for survivors yielded no results
The Coast Guard on Saturday suspended its search for those aboard the Lily Jean. Authorities had launched the search-and-rescue mission early Friday after receiving 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 mayday call from the Lily Jean as it navigated Atlantic waters en route home to Gloucester. The Coast Guard was notified by a beacon from the boat that alerts 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 has said. Crews covered about 1,000 square miles (2,590 square kilometers) using aircraft, cutters and small boats over a 24-hour period.
But after consultation between mission coordinators and on-scene commanders, the Coast Guard announced Saturday that it had determined that all reasonable search efforts for the missing crew members had been exhausted.
An investigation will hopefully yield more, the Coast Guard said Monday, adding in a statement that an investigating officer "will receive evidence and testimony using formal rules and procedures regarding a recent marine accident.”
Fishing is a dangerous business
Deep-sea fishing in New England can always be hazardous, but especially so in winter because of high waves, frigid temperatures and unpredictable weather. Commercial fishing is often cited as one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
The Coast Guard's Sector Boston commander, Jamie Frederick, has said icy temperatures and stormy conditions made finding survivors at night difficult, a task made more daunting by a nor'easter approaching the East Coast over the weekend. Searchers dealt with 7- to 10-foot (2- to 3-meter) seas and freezing ocean spray, Frederick said.
Giacalone explained at a news conference Monday that crews still go out even in winter to press their livelihood.
“I’ve heard people say why do they go fishing in that weather? Why does the electric company folks go out in the middle of the a blizzard to turn the lights back on?" he said.
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Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.
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