The search continues for missing father and son fishermen who disappeared off the coast of Maine. The US Coast Guard believed that unfavorable sea conditions played a role in their disappearance.
According to News Center Maine, Chester Barret and his son, Aaron, have been missing since Saturday. The pair never returned to port. Now, several days later there has been no sign of the father and son fishermen. Poor visibility has made a search for their vessel difficult, and search and rescue is facing a ticking clock.
In a press release Captain Matt Baker, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England said:
"We offer our sincere condolences to the family. We conduct every search and rescue mission with the hope of returning missing people to safety. Which is why suspending any search and rescue effort is one of the hardest decisions I make. We are grateful for the dedication of the state and local agencies who contributed to this search effort."
Fishermen Missing
The fishermen went missing after planning to drag for scallops. Family friend Chris Beal has spoke out about their disappearance, saying they were in a rush to fish. According to Beal, the pair complained about the weather in a text, saying "It's wild out here."
Dean Barrett, Chester's nephew and Aaron's cousin, lamented the bad conditions the two faced at sea.
"You've got 17 miles of raw ocean," Dean Barrett told Bangor Daily."It's a horrible place to be. There's zero islands to shelter behind."
Meanwhile, Brigitte Beal, Beal's wife, reflected on the two missing men. "Chet and Aaron were remarkably hard workers, a very close father-and-son relationship, very well-known in our tight community, always willing to help, first with a joke, very family-oriented guys," Brigitte Beal said. "We surely have lost two incredibly respected members of our community."
Sadly it seems that the search and rescue efforts have become more of a recovery mission for the fishermen. Dean says that he's determined to find their sunken vessel and bring his family home if possible. "I'm going to try to get it tomorrow," Dean Barrett said.
