Joel Kawahara\u2019s fishing boat, the Karolee, traveled down the coast from Washington toward California waters, keeping a steady course that offered no hint that something had gone terribly wrong.<\/p>\n
But when Coast Guard crews boarded the boat this month in Northern California, officials found no one on board. Its captain was nowhere to be seen. Somewhere along the roughly 400-mile journey, the 70-year-old Kawahara was lost. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a strange case,\u201d said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Steven Strohmaier. \u201cThere were no signs of distress, no signs of debris.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the Karolee, the fishing gear was set up on the deck. A half-finished cup of coffee was found sitting at the helm, and Kawahara\u2019s oatmeal was left unfinished, as if the experienced fisherman suddenly disappeared in the middle of breakfast, said Heather Burns, a longtime friend.<\/p>\n
His life jacket, she said, was found hanging in the boat. <\/p>\n
Kawahara\u2019s friends suspect \u201ca freak occurrence\u201d may have tossed him overboard somewhere out at sea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Karolee is towed by a U.S. Coast Guard crew from Station Humboldt Bay into Eureka on Aug. 14, 2025, after it was discovered that the owner of the boat was missing.<\/p>\n
(Steven Strohmaier \/ U.S. Coast Guard Northwest District)<\/p>\n
Born in Seattle, Kawahara was a professional fisherman who focused on salmon, albacore tuna and halibut. But friends and colleagues said Kawahara was a passionate advocate for fish and conservancy, fighting to maintain safe and healthy habitats for fish. <\/p>\n
Burns said Kawahara was a loyal and dependable friend who \u201cwould do anything for the people he loved.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a fisherman and advocate he worked to protect the waters, the fish, and the fishermen that he dedicated so much time to.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t there for anybody but the fish,\u201d Burns said in regard to his advocacy work. \u201cTo him, everything tied back to salmon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kawahara was a board member of Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, president of the Coastal Trollers Assn. and member of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. <\/p>\n
Ken Kawahara said his brother was always drawn toward fishing and the sea. <\/p>\n
Their father owned a boat and a fishing tackle store in Seattle when they were growing up, and would spend some summers going out to do commercial fishing. <\/p>\n
Kawahara \u2014 one of three sons \u2014 seemed to find a calling in fishing, his brother said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad got the impression that Joel was not going to do anything else,\u201d Ken Kawahara said. \u201cHe just wanted to bum around and fish.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point, he said, their father sold their boat in the hope that Kawahara wouldn\u2019t spend all his time fishing. <\/p>\n
His brother eventually went to college, earned a degree and began working for Boeing, Ken Kawahara said. <\/p>\n
But he said Kawahara didn\u2019t like his Boeing job, which dealt with military work that clashed with his personal philosophy. As soon as he was able to save up enough money, he bought a fishing boat. He quit his job. He returned to fishing. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe just wanted to go back to fishing,\u201d Ken Kawahara said. <\/p>\n
For years, friends and family said, Kawahara worked doing what he loved, earning the respect of colleagues along the West Coast and fishing grounds up to Alaska. When he went missing this month, members of the commercial fishing community came together, hoping to find answers. <\/p>\n
On social media, friends and colleagues looked for information on the Karolee, hoping he was still on board and something had just kept him from answering calls and messages. <\/p>\n