12 fishermen rescued from ice floe on Green Bay

[Woody]

12 fishermen rescued from ice floe on Green Bay
Associated Press
Posted: 01/01/2009 12:01:00 AM CST


NAMUR, Wis. — Twelve ice fishermen were stranded for hours on a huge chunk of ice that broke off from shore Thursday and floated into Green Bay, but rescue crews plucked them all safely from the large ice sheet, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Three groups of fishermen had ventured onto the ice, bringing pickup trucks and all-terrain vehicles. But a large fissure ripped through the floe when a freighter passed through the bay, creating ripples that combined with high winds to break the ice.
"The freighter itself was way out in the middle of the lake, not near the fishermen at all," said Coast Guard spokesman Charles Wolfson. "But a large 800-foot freighter is enough to cause a ripple in the ice pack."
The crack was 400 to 500 feet wide, preventing the fishermen from returning to shore. The fissure extended five to six miles from Little Sturgeon Bay to Dykesville, Wolfson said.
None of the people was in immediate danger, Wolfson said. No injuries were reported and no one fell in the water.
Rescue officials found eight fishermen about a mile out on the ice on the east side of Green Bay, Wolfson said. Another pair was found near Dykesville and two other fishermen were recovered near Sugar Creek County Park.
Two trucks and three ATVs were left on the ice and would probably remain there indefinitely, Wolfson said.
"I guess they'd have to wait for the ice pack to shift or wait for the ice to freeze again," he said.
Wolfson said the incident
serves as a warning to other ice fisherman, who should stay close to shore and carry a cell phone or other communication device.
"It's still early in the ice season. Ice fisherman should take precautions when taking personal equipment out there," he said. "And be aware we still have some shipping traffic, which could cause a problem."