Many Chip In To Help Missing Fisherman's Family

BAYVILLE, NJ - The gofundme.com account set up for the family of commercial fisherman Paul Matos - who is presumed lost at sea - has raised almost two-thirds of the $30,000 goal set up by a family friend.

As of Tuesday afternoon, roughly $19,875 of the goal had been reached, with contributions from 255 people in 10 days, according to the account total on gofundme.

Paul Alexandre Matos was only 30 when his 46-foot boat the Queen Anne's Revenge's went down in the early morning hours of Feb. 6.

He and his crew member, Dennis Smalling, sent an emergency alert out at 1:20 a.m. That was the last time anyone had contact with either of them.

Coast Guard first responders searched 4,441 square-miles by sea and air for the two men over the past two day, but found no trace of either man. The boat's emergency signal first indicated the boat was about 40 miles off the coast of Barnegat.

Weather conditions were rough when the boat was last heard from, with 10-foot seas, roughly 25 mile per hour winds and an ocean water temperature of 46 degrees, Coast Guard Capt. Scott Anderson said in a prepared release late on Friday.

Paul's girlfriend Amy Romano and their little daughter Stella are now on their own.

And Amy's friend Lauren Ashley set up the account for Amy and Stella.

"Any money raised would help towards whatever type of memorial the family would throw, plus it would take some stress off of Amy in this extremely hard time," Ashley wrote on the gofundme page for them.

You can still donate by clicking here.

Photo: Courtesy of gofundme, a promotional partner of Patch