Search, rescue performed off coast

By Davon Cole, KPLC-TV

On Friday, Mar. 26, a Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agent and Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputy successfully performed a search and rescue mission in the Gulf of Mexico off the Cameron Parish coast.

At approximately 3 p.m., Wildlife senior agent Matthew Perkins received a call about a shrimp boat that was taking on water off the coast of the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. Perkins responded immediately in a 32-foot vessel with a Cameron deputy.

Perkins and the deputy found the shrimp boat at approximately 4 p.m. and were able to rescue the three people on board. They transported them back safely to shore with no injuries around 5 p.m.

According to Adam Eink, a member of LDWF, the seas were rough and the boat took on water flooding the engine compartment. One of the people on board was able to call 911 for help, and Perkins and the CPSO deputy found the people on board on top of the sinking vessel.

The U.S. Coast Guard will be the lead investigative agency for this commercial boating incident.