Rhode Island fisherman lost at sea
MONTAUK, N.Y. (WLNE)— The search has been called off after a 32-year-old Rhode Island fisherman went missing Saturday off the coast of Long Island.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Carl Whitney of Charlestown, R.I. went overboard on Saturday evening around 11:20 p.m.
He was on the commercial fishing vessel, Hope and Sydney. Crews reported the accident about 16 nautical miles south of Montauk Point.
The U.S. Coast Guard says the crew also reported Whitney was not wearing a life jacket.
Coast Guard crews searched throughout the night and morning, covering over 608 square miles, but were unable to recover Whitney.
Fred Mattera, a retired fisherman of 40 years, knew Whitney, too. In fact, he trained him on marine safety.
“I did have him in training,” Mattera said. “We had done some drills with him and he seemed to be fine, paid attention and was part of the team as a unit.”
Mattera is now the Executive Director of Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island. He says the dangers that fishermen face are underrated.
“It’s incredible… huge machinery, heavy machinery, everything’s heavy, big bags of fish, thousands of pounds of fish,” Mattera said. “Everything’s done in a perpetually moving environment.”
Mattera says what happened to Whitney was awful and happens far too often.
“It’s awful,” Mattera said. “These types of loses is where people start to reflect and step back and say, wow, we’ve got to do better.”
Anthony Papply, Petty Officer 3rd Class with the U.S. Coast Guard says safety on board the ships is so important. He says Whitney was not wearing a lifejacket when he fell overboard.
“This weekend it was sunny, but water temperatures can tell a different story,” Papply said. “Things like hypothermia can set in quicker. It’s probably one of the most important things you can do if you’re out on the water, just wear a life jacket.”
However, Mattera says it’s hard for commercial fishermen and many do not wear life jackets. He says the culture has to change.
“I will tell you, I fished 40 years and it wasn’t until my last 5 or 6 years that I wore a PFD,” Mattera said. “They were bigger, they were cumbersome and you need to be flexible and able to move around. But now in the last 10 years, they have incredibly designed PFD’s. We have to get fishermen to realize, we can’t keep losing people overboard.”
Whitney went overboard the day after a teenage fisherman was swept out to sea at Cupsogue Beach County Park in Westhampton Beach. The search for the teenager continued Sunday, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
Whitney’s mom posted to Facebook saying, “They have called off the search. They have looked everywhere. They can’t find him.. I have a broken heart. RIP, my son, always in my heart, I love you dearly. 32 yrs is way to young.”
