Coast Guard searches for fisherman in Monterey Bay

Doug McCoun (left) and Humberto Arista, division chiefs with North Monterey County Fire, scour the sea outside Moss Landing Harbor early Tuesday after a man went overboard from the fishing vessel Elaine. (Photos by Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian)

MOSS LANDING— The Coast Guard and local authorities are searching for a missing 42-year-old man who went overboard from a 43-foot fishing vessel approximately nine miles off the coast of Moss Landing Tuesday.

Crewmembers aboard the fishing boat Elaine out of Monterey notified the Coast Guard Station Monterey that a crewmember had gone overboard at approximately 6:30 a.m. outside the Moss Landing Harbor.

“We’re searching for the victim from land, air and sea,” said Humberto Arista, division chief with North Monterey County. “We have to look at a large swath of the Monterey Bay and that takes time. Fortunately there are two helicopters working this incident.”

The Coast Guard launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station San Francisco, two 47-foot motor lifeboats from Station Monterey, and the Coast Guard Cutter Hawksbill, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat home-ported in Monterey.

A fireboat from the Monterey County Fire Department and a helicopter with Monterey County Sheriff’s Office were also assisting with the search.

California State Park Lifeguard Eric Sturm joined firefighters at the end of Sandholdt Road in Moss Landing just past 7 a.m.

“We’re lucky we don’t have the 25-foot waves that were here over the weekend,” Sturm said. “Conditions are relatively mild. There’s just some fog that is making visibility a little tough.”

A small group of onlookers gathered at the mouth of the harbor to watch emergency personnel work the situation. One lifeguard used a personal watercraft to ply the waters just outside the harbor.

By 1 p.m. no one had spotted the missing fisherman. One man said the Elaine was a deep-line vessel that typically fishes for black cod this time of year.



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