The body of a rock fisherman who disappeared at Haycock Point near Eden on Monday has been found by recreational fishermen almost 30 kilometres north from where he was last seen.
Eden Water Police acting sergeant Steven Judd is leading the investigation into the incident and said the discovery was made by recreational fishermen returning to Merimbula Lake by boat at around 7pm on Tuesday night.
“About 100 metres off Long Point they noticed an object in the water, and when they got closer and realised it was a deceased person they rang 000,” he said.
“Eden Water Police retrieved the body at about 8.10pm.”
The body was believed to be that of a 56-year-old man of Asian descent from Ngunnawal, Canberra who went missing from the northern side of Haycock Point in Ben Boyd National Park north of Eden sometime between 2.30pm and 6.40pm on Monday night.
The man had driven to Eden at about 4am on Monday morning for the fishing trip and reportedly visited Eden Outdoors and Marine in Imlay Street to buy supplies and enquire about beach fishing. He was due back in Canberra at 11pm that night.
He was last seen fishing without a life jacket by another recreational fisherman who later noticed the man’s gear and catch was unattended.
It is suspected the man was washed from rocks by waves, which averaged 2.5 metres on the day of his disappearance.
A comprehensive land, sea and air search for the man had been underway since Monday.
While Monday’s search was largely water-based, Tuesday saw help arrive from Eden, Merimbula and Bega Police, State Emergency Services volunteers, NSW Maritime, Marine Rescue, Surf Life Saving crews from Tathra and Pambula, and the Westpac Life Saver Helicopter.
Divers were on standby to arrive today (Thursday) to search the seabed.
Act Sgt Judd praised the efforts of search parties as he began to prepare a report for the coroner on Wednesday morning.
“From our point of view despite the fact the person was recovered deceased he was found well within the projected search area which increases our confidence in our search and rescue operations,” he said.
It is the second rock fishing fatality near Eden in almost 12 months.
A 45-year-old man from Officer, Victoria drowned at Greencape’s Pulpit Rock, south of Eden on March 12, 2011.
Although he wasn’t alone when he slipped and fell four metres into surging sea at dawn it’s believed he struck his head during the fall and was unable to help himself while his friend looked helplessly on.
The Canberra Times reported yesterday (Wednesday) that a second rock fisherman went missing on Tuesday at Hat Head, just north of Port Macquarie on the NSW coast, but was found later that afternoon.
Although NSW law doesn’t require life jackets to be worn by rock fishermen it’s an issue that has been the subject of debate and studies by Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) in 2011 and Maritime NSW.
Males of an Asian background are in a high-risk group of rock fishermen after studies found they represent more than half of drowning deaths of rock fishermen.
SLSA found in 2009 and 10 that 84 per cent of all rock fishing related deaths were anglers from an Asian background.
Between 2000 and 2007, the NSW Royal Life Saving Society found this group represented more than half (59 per cent) of rock fishing deaths.
There are about eight drowning deaths from rock fishing per year in New South Wales.
The majority of fatalities are males whose deaths could have been prevented by using safety gear.
Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW chairman Malcolm Poole said the alliance was working with a Safer Coastal Waters sub committee with the state government to try and identify ways to reduce rock fishing deaths.
“The question is, what creates these spikes, is it weather conditions, is it people’s complacency, is it seasonal, they are the sorts of things we’re trying to work through,” Mr Poole said.
Email a friend