Fishing Boat, One Aboard, Missing Off Ketchikan Coast

Via KRBD radio and Alaska Public Media, a fishing boat – with reportedly just one aboard -was considered missing off the Ketchikan coast. Here are some details:

The Feb. 20 final radio call from the 43-foot commercial geoduck clam dive boat Canis Majoris took place just north of Thorne Bay on Prince of Wales Island. The U.S. Coast Guard picked up an emergency transmission from the vessel at about 6:30 p.m. that evening.

Coast Guard Petty Officer John Hightower said Guardsmen responded aboard the cutter John McCormick, a 45-foot fast response boat dispatched from Ketchikan and a Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Sitka. According to Hightower, crews sought the Canis Majoris for about 25 hours before suspending the search.

“They have a large number of factors that they take into account to determine the survivability of the person that’s being searched for,” Hightower said. “So they use all those factors to determine the optimal survivability of the missing person and how long it would be reasonable to search for them before shifting into a recovery position.”

The Alaska State Troopers sent out a missing person’s alert too:

Date of Birth: 05-24-1968

Age: 56
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 200 lbs.

Hair: Brown Eyes: Blue

Scars/Marks/Tattoos: None known

David Klein was reported missing on 02-20-2025 at approximately 2011 hours. On 02-20-2025 at 1818 hours, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) received an Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon (EPIRB) alarm activation in the area North of Thorne Bay coming from the fishing vessel he owns, Canis Majoris. Searches of the area have been unsuccessful in locating David or his vessel. Anyone having contact or information regarding David Klein is asked to contact the Alaska State Troopers in Ketchikan at 907-225-5118 and reference incident AK25016172.