LUBEC (AP) — Canadians joined the U.S. Coast Guard in the search for two urchin fishermen who remained missing after the body of a third was recovered Wednesday in a bay off eastern Maine.

The broken-off bow of the 32-foot fishing vessel, Bottom Basher, was found bobbing in the water Wednesday, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Randy Bucklin said. The vessel had three people aboard when it was last seen a day earlier, officials said.

The Coast Guard did not release the name of the man whose body was recovered because his family had not yet been notified. The three missing fishermen had been identified as the skipper, Joseph Jones, and crew members Darrell Cline and Norman Johnson.

A search organized Tuesday night after the men failed to return home to Lubec that day found debris where their boat was believed to have sunk. A bow later appeared in the water and was identified by the name and registration number on it.

Bucklin said two helicopters, one from the Coast Guard and one from the Canadian defense force, had joined the search in Cobscook and Straight bays, joining two Coast Guard vessels and three Maine Marine Patrol boats. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police led a search along the shoreline on the Canadian side of the border for the two missing men while police in Maine led a search along the American side.

Coast Guard Capt. James McPherson said an investigation will be conducted into what caused the vessel to sink.


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