Body of well-known fisherman recovered from sea off West Cork following searchThe experienced inshore fisherman had reportedly gone pollock fishing from Castletownbere before a major search operation was launched Tuesday morning Tue, 01 Sep, 2026 – 12:08Rachel Lysaght
The body of a well-known and experienced inshore fisherman in his 50s has been recovered from the water off the coast of West Cork following a multi-agency search on Tuesday morning.
The man, who has not yet been publicly named as family members are still being notified, regularly fished in the Black Ball Head area.
It is understood that he went pollock fishing in a 30ft boat from Castletownbere on Monday night.
At approximately 7.20am, the Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was tasked by the Irish Coast Guard following a report from a member of the public that a vessel had got into trouble at sea off the coast of Black Ball Head.
A spokesperson for the Irish Coast Guard Marine Rescue Co-Ordination Centre in Valentia told the Irish Examiner that a search was undertaken by the lifeboat, with assistance from a Coast Guard helicopter from Shannon and several local fishing boats.
At approximately 8.20am, the body of a man in his 50s was discovered in the water.
It is understood that the man, who is believed to be a local, was fishing in the area before the alarm was raised.
A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána confirmed that gardaí in Castletownbere also assisted the Coast Guard in recovering the man’s remains from the water.
The spokesperson said the man’s body has since been removed to the mortuary at Cork University Hospital.
The coroner for West Cork has been notified and an inquest into the man’s death will take place in due course.
‘The difficulties that fishermen face’
Patrick Murphy, CEO of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, said incidents such as this highlight “the difficulties that fishermen face when they’re trying to make a living”.
“It is a tragic story, but thank God he was found,” said Mr Murphy.
“We are very cognisant of how hard this will be on the family, and we offer our condolences to them on this loss.
“This highlights the risks that people in our industry carry out on a daily basis to feed people ashore and make a living for their families.”
“Investigations are ongoing,” the garda spokesperson said.
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