Coast Guard suspended search for Oregon man who fell overboard while fishing northwest of Grays Harbor

Grays Harbor, WA – The Coast Guard suspended the search Friday for a 47-year-old Oregon man who reportedly fell overboard while fishing for halibut 28 miles northwest of Grays Harbor.

The Coast Guard says that fishermen aboard the 26-foot vessel Defiance II activated an emergency position beacon after realizing the man was missing.

The Coast Guard initiated an urgent marine information radio broadcast notifying all mariners in the area and a Grays Harbor Lifeboat crew responded along with a Jayhawk helicopter crew. 

A Coast Guard Sacramento airplane and a Cutter also responded to assist with the search.

According to the Coast Guard, they saturated an area of approximately 244 square miles, completing 18 searches over more than 22 hours.

Capt. Nathan Coulter, 13th Coast Guard District, chief of incident management said “The decision to suspend a search is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make. We offer our deepest sympathies to the family in this difficult time.”