A professional fisherman became lost at sea Sunday afternoon during a fishing competition in shark-infested southeast Australian waters and has yet to be recovered.
Paul Barning “was tragically lost at sea in the most unlikely of circumstances whilst fishing on his boat Dark Horse off Port Stephens on Sunday,” the New South Wales Game Fishing Association (NSWGFA) said through its president, Steve Lamond. Barning had been participating in the NSWGFA Interclub tournament.
Barning, 58, became lost at sea approximately 34 miles offshore at around 1 p.m. local time during the competition, Australia’s 9News reported.
“The fishing boat at the time was retrieving a mako shark — which is quite a large shark in those offshore waters — and we believe during that maneuver of the fishing craft and the shark being brought alongside, the man has become entangled in the fishing gear and has been forced over the side. At that incident, the man hasn’t been recovered. After the entanglement, we believe the shark has submerged, pulling that man into the water,” NSW Police Marine Area Command Superintendent Joseph McNulty told reporters.
Lamond disputed reports claiming that the incident was a shark attack that occurred after Barning fell overboard, calling it “fabricated and untrue news reporting.” (RELATED: Kayak Fisherman Terrifyingly Gets Chased By Great White Shark In Real Life Nightmare)
He warned against “speculation, false reporting and retaliation for false reporting during this time.”
The Marine Command also revealed Barning was not wearing a life jacket at the time.
“That 58-year-old man was not wearing a life jacket, he was not wearing a flotation device that would have aided him,” McNulty added, according to 9News.”That’s a message to everyone fishing locally, in our waterways, offshore, he was 55km offshore without a life jacket. Tragically, that might have saved his life.”
The Marine Command launched a sea and air search spanning over 46 miles of coastline near the East Australian Current, according to 9News. The current was good at the start of the search but also very strong — which made the area a good spot for the competition in the first place.
Mako shark is a name used for both shortfin and longfin mako sharks. Atlantic shortfin mako sharks could reach 13 feet in length, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Longfin mako sharks could grow to as long as 14 feet and are often mistaken for shortfin mako sharks, according to the international advocacy organization Oceana.
The search for Barning began Sunday and resumed on Monday.
Barning was the current secretary and a past president of the NSWGFA, Lamond wrote. Barning also was a lifetime member of Port Hacking’s game fishing club and “a highly experienced game fisherman.”
“Paul’s an excellent game fisherman, very well experienced, and this is certainly a very freak-type accident,” Lamond told 9News.
Citing the NSFGFA’s social media policy, the association urged members not to speak to the media or post any information other than the NSFGFA committee’s official statements.
Lamond thanked the competitors who helped in the search and rescue efforts and offered “thoughts and prayers” for Barning’s “wife Leonie, his son Sam and daughters Eleanor and Brigette in this trying time.”
Approximately 40 fishing boats, a number of whom were there for the competition, promptly joined the search, 9News reported. “The fishing comp was ceased immediately and those 40 boats moved into the area [to] search for the fisherman, their mate, their friend,” McNulty said.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
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