Search called off
for fishermanCoast Guard and fire crews give
up looking for a man whose boat
returned to shore empty
The Coast Guard has suspended the search for a missing fisherman whose boat was found empty when it ran aground Wednesday night.
The Coast Guard said the three-day search for Richard Shiroma covered over 6,700 square miles from Kahuku to Kaaawa before it was called off last night.
The effort included use of a Coast Guard airplane, helicopters, two cutters and the patrol boats. The Honolulu Fire Department assisted with a helicopter and boat.
Shiroma, 61, had informed a friend that he had caught a marlin.
The fish was still tied to the back of Shiroma's boat, Bingo Too, when it was discovered empty with its engine running Wednesday night by security staff at the Turtle Bay Resort.
The friend, who was supposed to meet Shiroma in Kaneohe, had reported him overdue about an hour earlier after a long radio silence.
"Calling off a search is never an easy decision for us," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Brooksann Anderson. "We have exhausted all our resources and every rescue avenue has been taken."
The Coast Guard spoke to Shiroma's family, Anderson said, and they were very understanding and expressed their gratitude for the search. Shiroma's daughters returned Friday to the islands from the mainland.
On Thursday, a cooler and an orange-red basketball cap similar to one that Shiroma wears was spotted from the air, but searchers were not able to retrieve it.
The Associated Press contributed to this story