Police call off search for missing Gold Coast fisherman

The search for a fisherman missing off the Queensland coast since Friday morning has been suspended.

Ash Haigh’s boat was found floating off the coast hours after he was meant to return to the Runaway Bay Marina on the northern end of the Gold Coast.

Police recovered the boat 37 kilometres out to sea about 2am on Friday. On Saturday afternoon an inactive Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) registered to the 44-year-old was found 26 kilometres off Ballina, in NSW.

Nine News has identified the missing man as 44-year-old Ash Haigh.Facebook
The search, which had included four boats and an aircraft, then switched to a recovery phase.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Senior Sergeant Shannon Gray said the keys to Haigh’s vessel were found on the seat, and one of the two ladders was extended into the water.

“I wouldn’t have thought [that’s typical], but the circumstances as to what happened in the boat are still unknown, and we may never know exactly what happened,” he said.

Haigh was an experienced fisherman and prominent member of the Gold Coast Game Fish Club.

On Sunday, Premier David Crisafulli described the incident as “a real tragedy”, and described Haigh as a family man who had made a large contribution to his community.