Missing fisherman: family’s plea for help

Missing fisherman Jason Kauta. Supplied/Stuff.

A Bay of Plenty fisherman who went missing on Saturday has still not yet been found.

Jason Kauta went out fishing on Sunday morning and has not been seen since. His niece, Mia van den Broek, says Kauta left Tōrere Bay in Ōpōtiki at 7am, reports Stuff.

She says he would usually pack up around 12.30pm to be back ashore at 1pm, but he did not return.

Police were alerted at 4pm that Jason had failed to return from his trip.

An extensive search on Monday involving police, coastguard, surf life-saving, a plane and helicopter failed to find him.

On Tuesday morning, the coastguard from Ōpōtiki, Whakatāne and Maketū, as well as the RNZAF Orion resumed a search at sea in the Tōrere area.

A police spokesperson says 'marine efforts by both coastguards ceased for the day” around 6pm.

The Air Force is also completed their search, without success.

'An assessment will now be undertaken of the search thus far,” says police.

'Any further action will be dependent on the assessment and on the weather over the coming days.

'Police continue to ask that members of the public who may be on the shoreline from Torere through to Maketu to be vigilant and report any sighting of the following items of interest: a 100 litre white chilly bin, a red tote tank, wooden oars and a yellow life jacket.”

Jason is described as a being 170cm tall, with a whānau name, Wharekino, written on his right arm on the inside of his tā moko.

His boat is described as a 3.5m 'fibreglass dinghy boat” with a white top, and the base and sides coloured mustard orange.

On the boat was a 100-litre white fishing bin, two wooden oars, a smaller chilly bin 'with possibly his jersey, keys and a yellow and black fishing GPS tracker that looks like a walkie talkie”.

The boat also has 'an old school anchor with four or five spikes with one missing off it connected to the boat with a long chain and white rope”.

Family believe he is likely to be in the Opape, Torere region 'but depending on the currents could end up towards Ōpotiki or Te Kaha areas if not further out towards Maketu.”

Anyone who comes across any of these items is asked to contact police on 105 quoting file number 220418/0391.

-Additional reporting by Stuff.co.nz

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