Missing Fisherman Presumed Drowned
The search for Mike Jamison, a 46-year-old fisherman who apparently fell from his boat Thursday into the waters just outside Ventura Harbor, was called off Friday, possibly for good, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
With the temperature of the ocean at about 59 degrees, a person can survive for a maximum of about 10 hours, Coast Guard Lt. Carlos Mercado said. Jamison disappeared about 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
“We extended a lot of resources to try to find him and we covered a lot of area,” Mercado said. “We were unsuccessful.”
At daybreak Friday, the Coast Guard used a helicopter to search the waters between Ventura Harbor and Mugu Rock. The search started at 5:30 a.m. and was halted at 7:15 a.m.
According to authorities, Jamison was at sea dumping excess bait from Highrise, the commercial boat he works on at Ventura Harbor, when he apparently fell into the water. His boss and best friend, Ray Chambers, who was on the boat with Jamison, reported him missing.
A fleet of boats and helicopters searched all day Thursday and into the night and recovered Jamison’s black baseball cap. Authorities say Jamison is presumed drowned.
No memorial services have been planned as of Friday night, but authorities said Jamison’s family in Idaho had been notified.
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