The Maine Department of Marine Resources and the United States Coast Guard are investigating the death of a recreational fisherman that happened at sea Thursday morning.

Jeff Nichols, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said the 28-foot recreational fishing vessel had two men on board when the boat’s engine developed a problem. The men dropped anchor Wednesday evening. They had been fishing about 13 miles off York Harbor near Jeffreys Ledge.

One of the men fell asleep, but when he woke up Thursday morning he discovered the body of the second man lying near the open engine compartment.

The individual, who is not being named, notified the Coast Guard around 5:15 a.m., and a Coast Guard boat towed the fishing vessel into York Harbor.

Maine Marine Patrol Sgt. Tom Hale met the Coast Guard crew at the fishing dock in York after it arrived around 10 a.m. The details of what caused the boat’s engine to fail and the cause of the man’s death are under investigation.The Maine Marine Patrol is investigating the incident and is the lead agency.

The names of the two men, who are both from Vermont, will not be released until their relatives have been notified.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.