Search area expanded after fisher goes missing from Batemans Bay
Marine Rescue vessels have been deployed between Port Stephens and the Victorian border to search for the man, who departed from Batemans Bay Marina at about 6am on Saturday.
It is believed the 56-year-old was heading towards the continental shelf to catch tuna.
In a statement NSW Police said the search was expanded on Monday afternoon "following unconfirmed sightings of the vessel by members of the public".
Authorities have not verified any sightings of the man and his eight-metre-long Arvor cruiser vessel since the search commenced on Saturday evening.
Marine Rescue Inspector Stuart Massey said up to 30 volunteers had been on the water during some days of the search.
"When they were first out there they were out there till after midnight, then a lot of those crews backed up again the next morning," he said.
"They are determined to get back out there and do their bit, but they've been working incredibly long hours out there."
Inspector Massey said conditions on Monday morning were favourable for crews searching near Narooma and Bermagui.
"There's not a great deal of swell or wind out there … that's making it a little bit more comfortable for the crews," he said.
The search has been led by the NSW Police Marine Area Command alongside Marine Rescue and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
Multiple interstate aircraft are also involved, according to AMSA.
Police have not confirmed the identity of the fisherman.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Search for missing Alice Springs man Gach Top in Central Australia deploys drones as more people 'lend a hand'
The search for missing Alice Springs man Gach Top has continued into its fifth day, with police and the SES using drones supplied by a local Larapinta trail guide. The 26-year-old man went missing on Monday and his car was found abandoned 14.5 kilometres west of John Flynn's Grave Historical Reserve. Police have described Mr Top as a 6-foot-tall man of Sudanese appearance with a lean build and short curly hair. NT Police Acting Sergeant Christopher Grotherr said the earlier helicopter search had been scaled back in favour of drones, which had the advantage of being able to "really focus on specific areas". He said the number of on-ground personnel searching the rugged terrain, west of Alice Springs, by foot remained the same. Larapinta Trail Trek Support owner Zak Dragic, who has been rescuing hikers along the track for a decade, said the drones had a range of capabilities including thermal imaging. He assisted police on Saturday, navigating the hilly, grassy terrain surrounding Larapinta Drive by flying drones close to the ground and into areas helicopters couldn't access. A friend of Mr Top's family, Elia Mabok, has also joined search efforts. Mr Mabok, a member of the local Sudanese community, brought along his dog David Kong to assist. "We are a small community here in Alice Springs, and we all work with and know each other," he said. Acting Sergeant Grotherr said police had also received "valuable" input from locals in the surrounding Indigenous communities and had collaborated with Aboriginal liaison officers through the search. "They have been out here conducting searches for us and providing us some pretty valuable advice in where we might need to search," he said. Acting Sergeant Grotherr said the search operation had been extensive and expanded into ravines, crevices and cracks in the area. "I'm hopeful that something will come to light," he said. He said police were confident they were deploying the best search methods. "However, we are always mindful of potential changes to the information that we might have coming forward, and that could potentially change how we move forward if that comes to light," he said.
Sky News AU
21 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Sky News Contributor Louise Roberts says a pro Palestinian protest over the Sydney Harbour Bridge is madess
This Sunday a radical activist collective - the Palestine Action Group - wants to shut down the Sydney Harbour Bridge to stage a pro-Palestinian protest. NSW Premier Chris Minns says he will not allow our steel and granite symbol of unity and resilience to be closed 'under any circumstances'. Good. Let's be clear: no one is denying the right to protest and no one wants innocent civilians in Gaza starving to death. Yes, the suffering we are witnessing from the safety of Australia is undeniable and to wholesale blame Israel for this is appalling when Hamas has the region in its cruel, iron grip. Hijacking the Harbour Bridge to stage a global political spectacle from Sydney is not peaceful protest. It is theatrics disguised as justice. Mr Minns and NSW Police have said they would support the protest if it is held at another location or time. The Palestine Action Group, I would argue, is not purely a group calling for peace and critical help for perishing and injured citizens in the Middle East. To be blunt, some of them include people who, since the October 7 2023 Hamas terrorist slaughter, have waved flags for a cause that routinely veers into anti-Semitic slogans and chants for Israel to be wiped off the map. When organisers like Josh Lees claim the Australian government is 'enabling genocide' through arms exports, the focus shifts dramatically. Is this truly a call for humanitarian aid or has the march became a political battering ram aimed at Canberra? NSW Police, under Deputy Commissioner Thurtell, have shown remarkable restraint. They have enabled more than 100 pro-Palestine demonstrations since the horrors of October 7, despite the appalling aftermath of the protest on the Opera House steps. That is not police obstruction. It is operational goodwill. Organisers point to past closures of the bridge, such as for a Ryan Gosling film and World Pride, but those events were widely supported and carefully planned. Mr Minns is treading a fine line between recognising public sentiment and upholding civic order. Meanwhile across the border in Victoria, it's the same story. No surprise. Pro-Palestine protesters are planning to block Melbourne's King Street Bridge this weekend despite warnings from police. Hundreds of officers will be redeployed to manage this event which will drag resources away from crime, emergencies and actual policing duties. What has become clear is this: the bridge protests aren't about peace or humanitarian concern. They are about headlines and optics. 'Block the City for Gaza' reads the posters. Not help Gaza. All of this is unfolding as Australia moves closer to recognising a Palestinian state, with suggestions that the Albanese government likely to join the UK, France and Canada in supporting the move as part of efforts toward a two-state solution. This is despite fears, led by Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, that this decision would fuel Hamas. Respected Jewish leader Mark Leibler this week reminded Mr Albanese of his own conditions on this very issue: no recognition until Hamas is disarmed and the hostages are freed. Neither has happened. In an interview with The Australian, Mr Leibler's warning couldn't be clearer - premature recognition punishes the innocent and rewards terror. Israeli hostages will still be underground, Palestinian civilians will still be suffering and meanwhile Hamas is emboldened by every Western government desperate to look progressive. Social media messages this week ahead of the march from The Palestine Action Group include this: 'In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians.' And this: 'Chris Minns: get out of the way we're stopping a genocide'. Plus more: 'The bridge is really important. The Zionists are comfortable in the city, with enormous power over media and institutions. A big march on the bridge will make them uncomfortable, will hit back.' 'See you there!' 'The cops can't arrest all of us even if it doesn't win in court.' 'Where can I get a Palestinian flag?" And so on. No mention of the mother and baby butchers and rapists of Hamas, then. It is always what evil Israel 'is doing'. Fighting the police decision in NSW's Supreme Court is not about protesting. It is about power. And they want to see if they can take it from us. And the Premier, under fire for his handling of the situation, has been more than reasonable. One MP even accused him of caring more about 'traffic flow than starving children.' Protest isn't a free pass. It doesn't allow you to bring national infrastructure to a halt just because you are passionate about a cause.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Man killed in triple-vehicle Sturt Highway crash at Tarcutta east of Wagga Wagga
A man has died and a major highway closed for hours after a three-vehicle crash in southern New South Wales. Shortly before midday on Friday emergency services were called to the Sturt Highway at Tarcutta, about 50 kilometres north-east of Wagga Wagga, after reports two trucks and an SUV had collided. NSW Ambulance responded and found the male driver of the SUV trapped. He died at the scene. A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance said three other male patients were treated at the scene. The 31-year-old driver of one of the B-Double trucks was taken to Wagga Base Hospital with minor rib injuries. His passenger, a man in his 30s, suffered leg and back injuries and was also transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition. A 25-year-old man, the driver of the other B double which was carrying a load of hay, was treated for minor hand injuries at the scene. Police said the two truck drivers, aged 25 and 31, would undergo mandatory testing. Fire and Rescue NSW also attended the scene and worked to secure a large diesel leak caused by the crash. Police have begun an investigation into the incident with assistance from the Crash Investigation Unit. The Sturt Highway was closed between Tumbarumba Road and the Hume Highway for more than five hours on Friday. It was the third full closure of a major inland NSW highway in the past 24 hours, with the New England Highway and Newell Highway closed on Thursday. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
