Coast Guard searching for Massachusetts fishing vessel featured on History Channel show

BOSTON — The U.S. Coast Guard on Friday found debris and a body after launching a search for a commercial fishing vessel off Massachusetts that was featured in a History Channel show detailing the dangerous conditions the crew endured.

The search began after the Coast Guard said it received an emergency alert from the 72-foot fishing vessel Lily Jean early Friday located about 25 miles off Cape Ann. It is unclear how many people were on the vessel, a ground fishboat that fished for cod, haddock and pollock.

The boat, its captain, Gus Sanfilippo and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show ''Nor'Easter Men.'' Sanfilippo is described as a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, fishing out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, 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 fishing for haddock, lobster and flounder.

Vito Giacalone, head of the Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund, said he knew Sanfilippo from the captain's early days in commercial fishing and knew him as a hard worker from a fishing family. He said he and the fishing industry in Gloucester, a community where commercial fishing is a longstanding way of life, are distraught.

''He did well for himself. I was proud of him,'' Giacalone said. ''And now the dock we own, he ties his boat at the dock so we see him every day. He's been to all my kids' weddings. That's how close we were. I feel a sense of loss. A lot of us do.''

Deep-sea fishing in New England can always be hazardous, but it can be especially dangerous in the 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.

''Commercial fishing is a really tough living to begin with, and it's as safe as the elements and all of the things allow it to be,'' Giacalone said. ''Gus was a very seasoned experienced fisherman.''

They found a debris field and recovered one person from the water who was unresponsive. They also found an empty life raft.

At the time of the emergency alert, the National Weather Service said wind speeds out at sea were around 27 mph (24 knots) with waves around four feet high. It was 12 degrees (-11 Celsius) with water temperatures about 39 degrees (4 degrees Celsius.)

Gloucester Council President Tony Gross, a retired fisherman who had joined other elected officials at the harbor in the city, called it a ''huge tragedy for this community.''

''The families are just devastated at this point,'' Gross said. ''They are half full of hope and half full of dread, I would imagine.''