Law enforcement officials from both the Franklin County sheriff’s office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are searching this afternoon for a missing oysterman.
According to Stan Kirkland, a regional spokesman with FWC, his department was notified at 8:36 a.m. Monday morning by the Franklin County sheriff’s office that an oystering vessel had overturned during bad weather in the bay on the northwest side of Bird Island, west of the St. George Island bridge.
Two people were thrown in the water after the boat capsized. Eastpoint resident Billie Murray, 18, was picked up by another boat in the vicinity, and taken to Weems Memorial Hospital. A man aboard the boat, reported by friends to be Brandon Wayne "Bruno" Creamer of Eastpoint, remains missing.
A man who witnessed the accident said Murray was able to stay afloat in the water, as Creamer clung to a pair of oyster tongs in the water. “He grabbed hold of the tongs, he held on to those, but she looked back and tried to see where he was and she couldn’t see him,” said the man.
“A sudden thunderstorm came through and it got really bad,” said an oysterman aboard one of first boats to arrive on the scene soon after the accident. “The waves picked up and water came over the side.”
An onlooker reported that four life jackets were seen floating in the area of the capsized boat.
Kirkland said that to his knowledge, Murray did not require hospitalization. “We have not had a chance to interview her, “he said. “It was rough weather, they took water over the bow and the vessel rolled and then went down.
“We don’t know the age of the vessel, we were told it was a mullet type skiff even though they were apparently oystering,” Kirkland said. “It was apparently an older vessel. I don’t know if it was wooden, fiberglass but it is on the bottom.
“They have located the vessel, they’ve buoyed that vessel and there are some other vessels, six or seven, of fishermen that are helping in the search,” he said.
A man involved in the rescue said a shrimp boat was dragging for him. “We tried to look for a while but you can’t even see,” he said.
In addition to FWC watercraft, the sheriff’s office has two vessels in the search, together with one from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. An FWC helicopter has assisted, depending on a break in the pelting rain that has raged intermittently all day.
The search “is basically from the site of the vessel out considerably from the vessel, to see if they can locate this missing person. Anywhere from a half mile or further,” Kirkland said.
He said the bay was open for harvesting this morning. “Unless there is a closure that applies to oystering, they can oyster as they see fit,” he said. “I would leave it up to fishermen about that. Everybody should pay attention to the weather.”