USCG Suspends Search for Missing Fisherman off Florida

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended a search for a fishing boat captain who went over the side off the Atlantic coast of Florida on Sunday. 

Russell Minor, the skipper of the commercial fishing boat Day Boat Too, fell overboard at about 0300 hours on Sunday morning at a position roughly 300 miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral. Crewmembers reported the incident to the U.S. Coast Guard, which launched a search with an HC-130 Hercules long range SAR airplane. 

The crew of the HC-130 dropped a datum marker buoy at Minor's last known position to generate information for a search pattern. To cover a broader area, the Coast Guard called in the cutters Dependable and William Flores, plus additional aircraft crews from Coast Guard Air Stations Clearwater, Elizabeth City, and Miami. Altogether, they covered roughly 4,600 square miles over the course of the next 42 hours, but did not locate the victim. 

“The decision to suspend a search is never easy and not one we make lightly,” said Christopher Eddy, search and rescue specialist for the Coast Guard 7th District. “Coast Guard crews searched day and night but, unfortunately, were unable to locate Mr. Minor. Our hearts go out to the entire family during this difficult time.”

Minor, 31, is survived by his son and his fiancé, according to local media reports. 

Day Boat Too is a commercial longliner in Florida's swordfish fishery, and she is operated by a firm in Fort Pierce. The company confirmed that Minor worked aboard the vessel as a contractor.