‘No chance’ of finding fisherman alive after 14 hours in the water: official

YARMOUTH, N.S. – Officials in Nova Scotia have called off the search for a fisherman who went overboard Saturday southwest of Yarmouth.

Lt.-Cmdr. Bruno Tremblay, a spokesman for the navy in Halifax, says rescue crews made the difficult decision around 9 a.m. this morning after scouring the waters for more than 14 hours.

He says it’s standard procedure, noting that at this point, “there’s no chance to find him alive anymore.”

Tremblay says the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax was called around 7 p.m. Saturday with reports of a fisherman going overboard.

He says they immediately launched a Cormorant helicopter and a Hercules aircraft as well as two Canadian Coast Guard vessels, which were later joined by more than 20 ships volunteering for the search.

He says RCMP have taken over the investigation into what is now considered a missing person case.

“It’s very sad,” Tremblay said. “We were in touch with the next of kin all along and it was a very difficult decision to do but it’s standard protocols.”

The fisherman’s name has not been released but Tremblay said the boat was named “Row, Row.”