An investigation into the incident “is expected to take several months to complete,” according to the Coast Guard

Flowers rest at the Gloucester Fisherman’s Memorial on Jan. 31 after the US Coast Guard called off a search for the Lily Jean, a Gloucester fishing vessel which had 7 crew members aboard.Credit : Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty

The seven individuals who were onboard the Lily Jean when it sank off the coast of Gloucester, Mass., have been officially identified.

The Coast Guard said in a news release that crews responded after an emergency position-indicating radio beacon was activated on the fishing boat about 25 miles off the coast of Cape Ann just before 7 a.m. local time on Friday, Jan. 30.

One person was found unresponsive in the water, according to a previous news release from the Coast Guard. An empty life raft associated with the 72-foot boat was also found.

The search for the remaining victims was suspended on Saturday, Jan. 31, after all “reasonable” efforts were exhausted, the Coast Guard said in its latest update. All are presumed dead.

The seven people who were on board the Lily Jean have been identified by the Coast Guard as captain Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, NOAA fisheries observer Jada Samitt and crew members Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien.

Captain Sebastian Noto, a friend of the captain, previously told NBC affiliate WBTS that he last spoke with Sanfilippo around 3 a.m. that morning and heard him say, “I quit. It’s too cold.”

“He was calm,” Noto explained. “He just couldn’t do the cold because the air holes was freezing.”

Noto said he and Sanfilippo would “work together all the time,” noting that they were “like glue” and would “give a lot of information back and forth.”

Rousanidis, 33, was described by his sister as a very generous and happy person, according to FOX affiliate WFXT. He had been working on the Lily Jean for about a year and a half.

“He would help you if you had a foot in the hole,” Rousanidis’ sister said. She also shared that her brother was a big fan of the sea and fishing, as well as boxing.

The University of Vermont said Samitt had recently graduated from the institution, according to ABC affiliate WCVB.

Heather Michaels told WFXT that her 22-year-old niece moved from Virginia to study environmental biology and had a passion for both animals and the ocean.

“This was her dream,” Michaels said. “This is something she loved and put her heart and soul into.”

A memorial service for the seven individuals was held on Sunday, Feb. 1, at Saint Ann Church in Gloucester, according to CBS affiliate WBZ.

At the service, Christian Rodolosi said he fished with Paul Sr., whom he knew for 35 years. “This is tough to take,” Rodolosi said. “We will all go on with our lives in the next week remembering these guys, but this is something that will affect them for all the rest of their lives.”

Domenic Dimaio, a retired fisherman who went to school with Sanfilippo, said he was still “in shock” over the tragedy. “Things can change quickly,” he said, according to WBZ. “It’s just a hard life.”

An investigation into the fatal incident is ongoing and “is expected to take several months to complete,” according to the Coast Guard. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will assist, they added.