Ian Gray: Police hold ‘grave concerns’ as Green Head search for missing fisherman called off until first light

The search for a lone fisherman who went missing off Green Head has been called off until first light because of unfavourable weather, as police admit they hold “grave concerns” for the 46-year-old. Ian Gray was reported missing about 6.20pm on Sunday after he failed to return home from his fishing trip at 4pm as expected. Mr Gray’s car and boat trailer remained at the boat ramp and family members had not heard from him. A major land, air and sea rescue was launched in an effort to find Mr Gray, however it had to be called off at 5pm because of “adverse weather conditions”. The search is due to recommence at first light on Tuesday, with local volunteer marine rescue vessels, a Department of Fisheries boat, the WA Police air-wing and drones, a rescue helicopter and an Australian Maritime Safety Authority jet involved. State Emergency Services volunteers, the WA Police mounted section and local police officers are also scouring the shore. Police have released a photograph of Mr Gray as well as the white boat he was skippering. Mid-West Gascoyne District Acting Inspector Jon Munday said police held “grave concerns” for Mr Gray, who is from Perth but has family in Green Head, about 250km north of the capital city. Insp. Munday said the weather was “not favourable for searching” because of a large swell. “Obviously it is of concern for us that we haven’t been able to find either the vessel or Mr Gray either last night with the AMSA jet or today with the searching,” he said. “Every minute that goes past it raises concerns for us because he is by himself. We are unsure of exactly what safety gear he has on the boat. “Family have told us that he has basic safety gear, so we are hoping he has life-jackets and flares and all that sort of stuff, but he is in a reasonably small vessel. It is a 4.2m open dinghy ... so with that large swell running we do hold grave concerns for Mr Gray.” Insp. Munday said he had not received any information that an EPIRB had been activated. “Mr Gray does know the area well, he does have family in Green Head and he has fished that location very regularly, so we are comforted in the fact that he knows the area well but we need to find him or the vessel,” he said. Insp. Munday said Mr Gray’s family was very worried. “They just want answers and that’s really what we want to do, we want to try and bring a speedy resolution to this so they can move on and hopefully we will still find Mr Gray alive,” he said. The search was the second launched in the region, after a report of a Chinese bulk carrier crew member going overboard about 11.5km off the coast of Geraldton at 6.40pm on Sunday. Remarkably, the man was found alive 14 hours later, 10km off the Oakajee coast by a search vessel about 8.40am on Monday. In Green Head, local resident Howard Grinsell said he saw Mr Gray early on Sunday morning before he set off fishing. “I live just around the corner, and I saw him come past somewhere around 8.30am,” he said. “I thought (what) the hell’s he going fishing for. “I went for a walk up to the lookout and you could see his boat out there, white dingy, side on, straight out probably a couple of miles. There’s probably only 30 metres of water that far out.” Mr Grinsell said the conditions on Sunday were “pretty unforgiving”. “(There was) a lot of swell,” he said. “(It) wasn’t ideal to be going fishing on your own.” He said the town was banding together as residents “all look after one another around here”. “You have to with a population of 300,” he said.