EVERETT, Wash. — Three people are presumed dead after a shrimping boat sunk near Everett Wednesday.
Four people were plunged into the water in Possession Sound shortly after 1 p.m. after their boat started taking on water.
After searching for hours, Everett Fire deemed it a recovery mission late Wednesday night, meaning they fear the people did not survive.
Everett Fire says the boat sank northeast of Mukilteo, about 200 feet offshore.
One man in his 50s was rescued by a good Samaritan passing by, he is reportedly uninjured. The three people missing include a man in his 20s, a man in his 60s, and a woman in her 40s.
Officials confirmed that the man in his 50s, the man in his 60s, and the woman in her 40s were all coworkers. The man in his 60s was the owner of the boat, and was the father of the man in his 20s. Officials are working with the families of each person to provide any updates.
Everett Police confirmed that Seattle Police Harbor Patrol had joined the effort Thursday morning.
The Coast Guard says two separate boat crews from Seattle, a crew aboard an 87-foot patrol boat, and an aircrew from Port Angeles searched 130 square miles using visual scanning and infrared cameras and didn’t find anything.
The Coast Guard called off their efforts around 10:30 Wednesday night.
There is no word on what caused the boat to take on water.
Everett police has taken over the investigation.
Richard Braun was out shrimping in the area Wednesday morning. He had no idea what happened until later on that day.
“Did I see them?” he asked. “Was there something I might have missed?”
Braun, with the Everett Steelhead & Salmon Club, said Wednesday marked a rare and sporadic opportunity for people to shrimp in the area. The next chance won’t come until June.
He said the water near Mukilteo was very crowded with boats on Wednesday, but some of that traffic cleared out up north near Everett.
As more people hit the water to enjoy warm temperatures, crews are urging everyone to prepare accordingly.
“We don’t know if they’re wearing life jackets or dry suits,” said Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier with U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs. “Stuff like that can really help improve the likelihood that you’re going to be able to survive in this cold water.”
Washington requires all vessels, including canoes and kayaks, to have at least one U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, or III life jacket for each person on board.
Braun said he never goes on the water without wearing one.
“I keep everything up to date. I know what’s going on with it,” he said. “Too many things can go wrong. If you break down in a car, you just wait. Out there, you die.”
On Thursday evening, officials paused recovery efforts for the night, adding that they would be reassessing their operation plans.
©2025 Cox Media Group
