Oregon fisherman lost at sea 28 miles outside Grays Harbor

By Dan Hammock • May 17, 2021 3:30 pm
Courtesy photo The search for Jason LaBrie was suspended after a 22-hour effort by the Coast Guard to locate him after he went overboard 28 miles northwest of Grays Harbor Friday.
Courtesy photo The search for Jason LaBrie was suspended after a 22-hour effort by the Coast Guard to locate him after he went overboard 28 miles northwest of Grays Harbor Friday.

The Coast Guard suspended the search Friday for a 47-year-old man who fell overboard while heading out with friends to fish for halibut 28 miles northwest of Grays Harbor.

Missing and presumed dead is Jason LaBrie of Oregon City, Oregon. According to a GoFundMe page set up for the family, LaBrie leaves behind his wife Bethany, son Alden, and daughter Sophia.

“This calamity has been an unexpected tragedy that has left his family in need,” read the fundraising page. “Jason and Bethany live very frugally and he was the sole provider with Bethany working from home as a part-time caregiver.”

Funds raised will be used for memorial and household expenses; the link to the funding page is https://www.gofundme.com/f/jason-labrie-lost-at-sea?utm_source=messenger&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1.

Fishermen aboard the 26-foot vessel Defiance II activated an emergency position indicating radio beacon after realizing LaBrie was missing, according to a Coast Guard statement. The 13th District command center received the alarm at 12:39 p.m. and contacted the vessel crew by telephone to gather more information.

At 12:50 p.m., the Coast Guard initiated an urgent marine information radio broadcast notifying all mariners in the area. A Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor vessel crew responded from the Westport station, and a Sector Columbia River helicopter crew diverted from other flight operations. At 1:10 p.m., Coast Guard search and rescue crews were on the scene.

A Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento airplane crew was airborne and en route, and the Coast Guard Cutter Elm and crew diverted from another mission at about 3:30 p.m. to assist with the search.

The Coast Guard saturated an area of approximately 244 square miles, completing 18 searches over more than 22 hours without locating LaBrie, and suspended the search.

“The decision to suspend a search is one of the most difficult decisions we have to make,” said Capt. Nathan Coulter, 13th Coast Guard District chief of incident management. “We offer our deepest sympathies to the family of Jason LaBrie in this difficult time.”