A fisherman died Wednesday morning after he fell into Portland Harbor as the vessel he was on docked at the Portland Fish Pier.

A Coast Guard crew aboard the Cutter Sitkinak, which was docked nearby, witnessed the 51-year-old fisherman fall into the water about 8:43 a.m., said Lt. Robert Martin, spokesman for the Portland Police Department.

The Coast Guard crew launched a small rescue vessel and pulled the man out of the water. EMTs and Portland police met the Coast Guard crew at the dock and the man was taken to Maine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later, Martin said.

Although the man’s family has been notified of his death, Martin declined to release the name of the fisherman and the vessel he was aboard because other relatives of the man and people associated with the fishing vessel may not have learned of the death.

Police also notified the Maine Department of Labor and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as is standard in workplace deaths.

Comments are not available on this story.