A Wisconsin man fishing near Ninilchik died Thursday morning in an accident aboard a fishing tender, according to Alaska State Troopers.
An AST dispatch issued Thursday night says Ninikchik medics declared 55-year-old Lewis Byerly dead aboard the fishing vessel Anna Lane about 1.5 miles north of Ninilchik shortly after the incident, which was reported to troopers at about 9:10 a.m.
"Initial investigation revealed Byerly was pulling the anchor up with the motorized winch and got his hand caught in the chain," troopers wrote. "The winch pulled the rest of his body in causing fatal injuries."
AST spokesperson Beth Ipsen says Byerly, one of two men who was aboard the Anna Lane at the time of the incident, frequently came to Alaska from Wisconsin for seasonal work in the fishing industry.
Byerly's next of kin have been notified, and his body has been sent to the state medical examiner's office in Anchorage for an autopsy. Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have been notified, as the Anna Lane returns to its home port in Homer.
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