Lake Erie Fishermen Rescued From Ice Floe

DETROIT, MI – U.S. Coast Guard crews rescued five fishermen who were stranded on an ice floe in Lake Erie, reported the Detroit Command Center of the Coast Guard. The fishermen used flashlights to signal other people onshore that they needed help.

Coast Guard officials said they responded to the call Friday. The fishermen were rescued via helicopter at 7:50 p.m. from Brest Bay near Sterling State Park in Monroe.

The emergency call went to the Monroe County Dispatch, which triggered the rescue response. Coast Guard Lt. Adam Morehouse, the Air Station Detroit Commander, said that the fishermen's flashlights were key to their rescue.

"It would have been difficult to find them if they didn't have flashlights; it enabled them to signal for help and, ultimately, for us to locate them," Morehouse said. He also warned other ice fishermen of open water on the lake.

"There is a lot of it. The water is completely open in some near shore areas," he said.

The Coast Guard warns ice sport enthusiasts that the ice is very dangerous after the increase in temperatures over the past week. The recent warm weather has caused ice to melt, brought in heavy fog and caused multiple ice rescue cases. There has been one fatality on the ice, as well

The Coast Guard encourages fishermen and other sports enthusiasts to check the weather before heading out on the ice. If people go out onto the ice, they should bring signaling and communication equipment, such as a flashlight, flares, VHF radio and a personal locator beacon. Mobile phones are good to bring, but are unreliable as a primary communication source because signals are not strong off shore and batteries lose power in cold weather.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric Delong