Two survivors rescued, one death reported after Prawn vessel capsizes off of Moresby Island

A fishing skiff capsized off Moresby Island Tuesday resulting
in the death of one crew member with two others rescued

The Queen Charlotte RCMP have provided an update on a marine incident off of Haida Gwaii that sadly has  seen one member of the crew of a fishing vessel pass away, while two others were rescued by a nearby vessel.

In a media release from the RCMP, the Joint Response Coordination Centre out of Victoria, provided some background to the Tuesday evening incident, with the capsized vessel located near Oliver Island outside of Moresby Camp on Moresby Island. 

JRCC reported that another vessel had located the capsized prawning boat with two (2) survivors clinging to it and one person in the water. BC Ambulance and Sandspit Coast Guard responded to the scene. 

The Captain of the vessel who found the prawning boat said he arrived on the scene at 4:30 PM, and it is believed the boat had capsized an hour before that. 

The boat, a 22 foot aluminum open haul skiff, had capsized after a series of waves hit it broadside. 

Queen Charlotte members attended the scene where paramedics and Coast Guard members were providing medical treatment to a 54-year-old man. The man was transported to hospital where he was pronounced deceased. 

No further details have been released related to the home port for the vessel, or the hometown of the crew members.

The BC Coroners Services is conducting a parallel investigation into the cause of death. 

They and the RCMP state that they will have No further information to be released at this time.

The full statement from the RCMP can be reviewed here.

A look at past Emergency Service notes for the Northwest and Haida Gwaii can be explored here.