SAN MIGUEL ISLAND : Fisherman Found Safe by Coast Guard

A missing commercial fisherman was found safe Thursday off San Miguel Island after a search by Coast Guard officials, authorities said.

Michael Carney, 42, of Thousand Oaks, who returned home Thursday, was reported missing Wednesday after he was two days overdue from a commercial fishing outing, Coast Guard officials said.

Carney’s wife notified authorities Wednesday night, concerned because the fisherman had already postponed his return once due to fierce winds and turbulent seas off the coast of San Miguel Island, the Coast Guard said.

After nightlong efforts to reach Carney by radio, the Coast Guard command in Long Beach dispatched a search plane and rescue helicopter to find the 40-foot trawler.

“More than 90% of the time, overdue people are not in distress, but we cannot take chances,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Eric Dee Jager said.

“This guy was supposed to be back Monday and we couldn’t reach him by radio, so the most prudent thing was to send up the aircraft.”

After a morning-long search Thursday, pilots spotted Carney’s craft anchored in a cove off San Miguel Island. He had been waiting for the storm system that has generated recent rough swells to pass and had not been monitoring his radio, the Coast Guard said.

The search operation cost about $5,000 and will not be billed to the Carneys.

“It’s always smart to call us in when a boat is overdue, especially in this kind of weather,” Dee Jager said. “We’re just happy this one ended the way it did.”