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Press Release | Aug. 14, 2025

Coast Guard suspends search for man missing off Pacific Northwest Coast

Coast Guard Northwest District External Affairs: (206) 815-6755

A fishing vessel is towed by a U.S. Coast Guard crew from Station Humboldt Bay into Eureka, Calif., Aug. 14, 2025, after it was discovered the owner of the boat was missing and a search was started in the waters off the Pacific Northwest. Multiple U.S. Coast Guard crews, including fixed-wing, helicopter, cutters, and small boat, searched for the man over nearly 24 hours. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay)     A fishing vessel is moved by a U.S. Coast Guard boatcrew aboard a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat from Station Humboldt Bay into a marina in Eureka, Calif., Aug. 14, 2025. The vessel was located without operator onboard and the Coast Guard began search efforts that lasted multiple days and covered hundreds of miles. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay)

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ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard suspended its search for a missing fisherman off the coast of Oregon and Washington, around 1:30 p.m., Wednesday.

Missing is a 65-year-old man.

Coast Guard crews searched over 18 hours, scouring an area of 2,100 sq. miles, including over 430 miles of trackline.

The man departed alone on his fishing vessel, the Karolee, the week prior and was last heard from at 7:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 8. The boat could be seen via its automatic identification system (AIS) and was traveling a constant southerly course at approximately four knots for several days.

Coast Guard watchstanders made numerous call outs to the Karolee and asked mariners in the area to do the same. No communication was ever received from the Karolee.

On Tuesday morning, a Coast Guard C-27 fixed-wing aircrew from Air Station Sacramento responded to the position of the vessel and attempted to make contact but nothing was heard. The aircrew visually noticed that the vessel was rigged for fishing, lights were energized, and a life raft was observed in its cradle.

The aircrew flew over the vessels’ previous course but did not find any signs of distress. The crew then flew back to Sacramento.

Around noon, watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Northwest District command center dispatched an MH-60 helicopter from Air Station Astoria and Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Denman to assist in the search efforts. In addition, a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Neah Bay was launched and completed a shoreline search from Cape Flattery towards La Push, Wash.

The MH-60 searched for several hours in the waters west of Grays Harbor, Wash., and then returned to Astoria. The Douglas Denman arrived at the designated area by 8 p.m. and began searching. The Douglas Denman’s search lasted through the night.

The crew searched the trackline where the vessel traversed off the coast of Washington and Oregon to look for any signs of distress.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Southwest District command center diverted the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sea Lion to intercept the vessel and confirm if anyone was onboard.

The crew of the Sea Lion arrived on scene with the Karolee around 10 a.m., Wednesday, conducted a boarding, and confirmed no one was onboard. The Coast Guard crew also noted that all safety equipment was located onboard the vessel.

With no additional reports of distress or responses to callouts, the Coast Guard suspended the search. 

The crew of the Sea Lion took the Karolee in tow and brought it to Eureka, Calif., where it was transferred to a Station Humboldt Bay boat crew. The vessel is now moored in Eureka.

“Suspending a search for someone is the toughest decision we make in the Coast Guard” said Cmdr. Chelsey Stroud, search and rescue mission coordinator for the Coast Guard’s Northwest District. “Our crews diligently search hundreds of miles. We are grateful for the numerous Coast Guard crews along the West Coast who assisted in this search. We send our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of the missing man.”