ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday searched for a missing commercial fisherman.
The boater was identified as Brian Ronshausen, 50, who was last seen launching a small boat from Stan Blum boat ramp at about 11 p.m. Monday.
The sheriff's office said a concerned boater called 911 at approximately 3 a.m. after finding an unoccupied 20-foot Carolina Skiff in the channel near the Riverside Marina in the Fort Pierce Inlet.
In a post on Xat 3 p.m. Tuesday, the Coast Guard said the Port St. Lucie Police Department found fishing waders and a jacket near Spoil Island SL 17 belonging to Ronshausen.
"Side scan sonar and dive teams will be deployed," the Coast Guard said.
The sheriff's office said there will be a large law enforcement presence along the shoreline as deputies continue their search.
The Coast Guard said air and surface units are both involved in the effort.
"[I saw] a lot of low-flying helicopters this morning, yeah they were all over the place," Fort Pierce boater Jim Slate said.
"Mariners usually watch out for each other, and it's very concerning when someone has an incident," boater Douglas Gordon added.
Gordon said with the windy conditions Tuesday, it was a bad idea for even bigger boats, much less a 20-foot skiff, to be out on the water.
"It's been really rough. It's been rough for a long time, a lot of boats are waiting to do their passage," Gordon said.
Ben Meitner of Ameracat Boats said he and his father tried to help in the search after seeing FWC and Coast Guard crews on the water.
"We actually have some sonars and depth finders on the boat, and we figured we'd just try to help out a little bit, look around," Meitner said. "To think nobody knows what happened."
If you have any information about the boater or vessel, call the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami at 305-535-4472.