Bobby Storrs, 3/11/05

ADN, 3/18/05

UNALASKA

Rain, wind temporarily halt search for man missing since Friday

Searchers have found no trace of an Unalaska fisherman last seen Friday and feared dead.

Bobby Storrs, 56, was last seen at about midnight Friday leaving the Unisea Sports Bar and walking to his boat in the harbor. He was reported missing Tuesday night.

Public Safety Sgt. Mike Holman said volunteers have been walking shorelines and searching with skiffs.

Divers began searching Wednesday. A diver found a brown leather jacket in the water near Storrs' boat. The coat had a plane ticket in the pocket from February with Storrs' name on it. Last month Storrs attended a North Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting in Anchorage.

Rain and wind reduced underwater visibility Thursday to just a few feet for eight divers working from the dock next to Storrs' small boat, the Miss Charlene. The dive search was suspended until Sunday.

Storrs is a Vietnam veteran who moved to Unalaska about 25 years ago. He was a founder of the Unalaska Native Fisherman's Association and served as the group's vice president for the past 10 years.

Storrs has been a strong advocate for small-boat fishermen, attending state and federal fisheries meetings and working for new opportunities for Unalaska's small-boat fleet to catch Tanner crab, herring and Pacific cod.

-- The Associated Press