Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) enforcement agents are searching for a missing boater in Lower St. Martin Parish.
Agents were notified around 8 a.m. on Feb. 25 about a missing boater in Banister Canal and responded to the scene immediately to search, according to a spokesperson for LDWF.
According to a nearby commercial fisherman, he came across an unmanned 18-foot aluminum vessel with a tiller steer motor and called authorities. When agents arrived on the scene, they found evidence to suggest the boat hit a pylon, ejecting the operator into the water.
The missing boater left to go fishing with his dog around 3 p.m. on Feb. 24 and never returned. The dog was found on a platform near the boating incident site and returned to the boater’s family.
The LDWF Enforcement Division and deputies from St. Mary, St. Martin, and Assumption parish sheriff offices are involved in the ongoing search for the missing boater.
The LDWF Enforcement Division is the lead investigative agency for this boating incident.
