VINALHAVEN — A lobsterman died Wednesday after falling off his boat, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.
The U.S Coast Guard in South Portland received a call over marine radio at 1:43 p.m. about a fisherman spotting a body in the water next to an unmanned lobster boat, according to Coast Guard Lt. Scott McCann. The body was located about a mile off the island between Big White Island and Little Hurricane Island.
The person who called in the report pulled the body out of the water. Members of the Maine Marine Patrol then arrived and took the body to emergency medical service workers waiting at Carver’s Harbor. The person who was pulled out of the water was confirmed dead by medical personnel, McCann said.
The Coast Guard also responded with a boat from the Rockland Station.
Lt. Marlowe Sonksen of the Maine Marine Patrol said it was conducting training exercises in Rockland Harbor when the call came in, and the agency sent two of its boats to the scene.
The Coast Guard is conducting the investigation.
The name of the victim is not being released pending notification of family members.
The Coast Guard confirmed that the victim was the only person in the water. The vessel was retrieved and is safely moored in Carver’s Harbor, according to the Coast Guard.
“This is a heartbreaking incident in this community,” McCann said. “We want to find out exactly what happened, so we can prevent a similar tragedy from occurring again. Remember to wear a lifejacket if you are on the water by yourself.”
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