A crew member aboard a commercial fishing vessel died after being swept overboard near King Cove last weekend.
State troopers say 53-year-old Rudy Paul Dushkin, Jr., a King Cove resident, was aboard the F/V Matt-Michelle Sunday morning, gillnetting for salmon. Dushkin was hauling in the anchor when a large swell hit the side of the boat and knocked him into the water.
Skipper Bert Bendixen was the only other person on board at the time. He put out a distress call, and was able to tow Dushkin closer to shore using a longline. He then put on a survival suit to pull Dushkin out of the water. But Dushkin couldn’t be revived.
Troopers say Dushkin wasn’t wearing a personal flotation device at the time of the incident. His body will be taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Anchorage.
Annie Ropeik is a reporter for KUCB in Unalaska.
