Friends and family reflect on the life of the fisherman who tragically lost his life in the Bristol Bay accident,

Fisherman Corwin Wheeler, 21, tragically passed away in a gear entanglement incident in Kvichak Bay on Friday, July 5, 2024. The Alaska State Troopers reported that Wheeler, a deckhand on the gillnetter Anna Joy, got tangled in the gear and fell overboard during the sockeye salmon gillnet fishery. Despite efforts from his crewmates to free him, Wheeler fell into the water. Another deckhand, Jackson Wilder, bravely jumped in to try and save him, swimming 20 feet to reach Wheeler. Unfortunately, they were not wearing personal flotation devices at the time. The crew eventually managed to pull Wheeler back on board and performed CPR until help arrived. Wheeler's family and friends remember him as a wonderful and intelligent young man who loved fishing in Alaska. His grandmother, Denise Rowe, shared that Wheeler had made many friends and cherished his time in Alaska. The family hopes that crews on the water will prioritize safety and look out for one another during this fishing season. This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of commercial fishing, with gear entanglement being a leading cause of fatalities in the industry. This was the first commercial fishing death in Bristol Bay since 2021.