Floating Fishermen

Earlier this week, nearly 600 ice fishing fans were stranded on an ice floe in the southern Sakhalin islands. The fishermen were cut off from the mainland when the ice cracked and floated away. Local residents had previously been warned via text message that the ice in this region was dangerous, but the warning didn’t deter these avid fishermen.

Rescuers arrived and evacuated 536 people from the ice floe on January 28 using three boats and a hovercraft. No one was in need of medical assistance. Some of the fishermen reported that, by the time they were rescued, the coast was already over 600 feet away.

This seems to be a popular place for stranded fishermen: the weekend before, 200 fishermen had to be rescued from an ice floe in southern Sakhalin, and on January 22, 250 fishermen were rescued from the same place. The lesson? Bring warm clothing if you go ice-fishing near Sakhalin.