Joel Kawahara vanished from his fishing vessel, the Karolee, during a southbound trip from Washington to Northern California; the roughly 400-mile transit showed no visible signs of distress. Coast Guard crews found the unmanned boat with fishing gear arranged, a half-drunk cup of coffee on the helm, unfinished oatmeal, and a life jacket hanging aboard. Friends and officials described the disappearance as strange and suspect a possible freak occurrence that tossed him overboard. Kawahara was a Seattle-born commercial fisherman who targeted salmon, albacore and halibut and served on multiple fisheries and conservation organizations. He grew up around boats and a family tackle store and was one of three brothers drawn to fishing and the sea.
Joel Kawahara's fishing boat, the Karolee, traveled down the coast from Washington toward California waters, keeping a steady course that offered no hint that something had gone terribly wrong. But when Coast Guard crews boarded the boat last week in Northern California, officials found no one on board. Its captain was nowhere to be seen. Somewhere along the roughly 400-mile trek, the 70-year-old Kawahara was lost.
On the Karolee, the fishing gear was set up on the deck. A half-drunk cup of coffee was found sitting on the helm, and Kawahara's oatmeal was left unfinished, as if the experienced fisherman suddenly disappeared in the middle of breakfast, said Heather Burns, a longtime friend. His life jacket, she said, was found hanging in the boat. Kawahara's friends suspect "a freak occurrence" may have tossed him overboard somewhere out at sea.
Born in Seattle, Kawahara was a professional fisherman who focused on salmon, albacore tuna and halibut. But friends and colleagues said Kawahara was a passionate advocate for fish and conservancy, fighting to maintain safe and healthy habitats for fish. "He wasn't there for anybody but the fish," Burns said. "To him, everything tied back to salmon." Kawahara was a board member of Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, president of the Coastal Trollers Assn., and member of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council.
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