KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
The name of the man who fell off the fishing vessel Seabrooke yesterday has not yet been released, and the Coast Guard is in the process of determining whether or not to continue the search for him.
The man fell overboard just before 10 a.m. Tuesday when his foot got tangled in a line while he was setting crab pots. The Seabrooke was fishing for tanner crabs about 22 miles northwest of Cold Bay at the time.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Walter Shinn in Juneau said the man’s next of kin were notified yesterday afternoon and that the Coast Guard has a mandatory 24-hour waiting period after next of kin notification for release of information such as the man’s name and hometown.
Shinn also said a Jayhawk helicopter was dispatched to the area at 10 a.m. this morning, and that the Coast Guard will search the area and re-evaluate the situation, making a determination whether to continue or abandon the search.
The Coast Guard reported Tuesday that the 40-year-old man was not wearing any sort of flotation device and is presumed dead. This is the first Bering Sea crab fishing fatality since 2005.
The Seabrooke is owned by Seabrooke Enterprises of Freewater, Oregon, but homeported in Kodiak.
