An Abbotsford fisherman has died in the Prince Rupert area.
On June 25, members of the Prince Rupert RCMP Coastal Police Unit responded to a report of a commercial fishing boat travelling in circles off the coast of the community of Lax Kw’alaams, B.C. (Port Simpson).
Boaters in the area boarded the vessel and discovered a man entangled in a gill net and in medical distress. The boaters called for help and the man was taken to the nursing station in Port Simpson where he was pronounced dead.
The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the man’s identity as 56-year-old Abbotsford resident Albert Arthur Armstrong.
According to the coroner’s release, Armstrong was the operator and sole occupant aboard the 32-foot fishing boat.
The BC Coroners Service, WorkSafe BC, the Transportation Safety Board and RCMP are all continuing to investigate.
Armstrong’s family has been notified.
“It is with great sadness that we have to inform the public of this incident, and our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this tragic event,” said Const. Matt Ericson, spokesman for the Prince Rupert RCMP.
