A Kenai man died at sea Thursday after falling overboard from a commercial fishing boat this morning north of Kodiak. Alaska State Troopers identified the victim as Anthony Walsh, 62.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska State Troopers received a report at about 9 a.m. that a man went into the water off a fishing vessel about 124 nautical miles or 143 miles north of Kodiak in Cook Inlet. Walsh was in the water about 10 to 30 minutes before other mariners pulled him aboard, said Petty Officer John Paul Rios of the 17th District Public Affairs in Juneau.
According to an Alaska State Troopers dispatch, Walsh fell overboard while salmon fishing with Kevin Loran, 59, of Anchorage. Loran attempted to get Walsh on board, but was not successful. Walsh became unresponsive while Loran tried to get him on board. Mariners from a nearby boat came to help and got Walsh out of the water.
Rios identified the boat Walsh and Loran fished on as the F/V Hooligan.
Crew members from the two boats performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation for about 30 minutes in an attempt to revive Walsh, but were unsuccessful. A Coast Guard helicopter was sent to assist, but the call was canceled when they received a report the man had died, Rios said.
The Hooligan went to the Homer Harbor, arriving at about 1 p.m., where medics from the Homer Volunteer Fire Department met the boat and took Walsh’s body to the South Peninsula Hospital morgue. His body will be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, troopers said.
Rios said Coast Guard Sector Anchorage will investigate the fatality. He does not know if Walsh wore a personal flotation device or other flotation gear, he said.
Alaska State Troopers, Homer Police and the U.S. Coast Guard did an initial investigation, according to the troopers.
Reach Michael Armstrong at marmstrong@homernews.com.
