Search Called Off For Fisherman Missing in Puna

The fire department today ended a search for a fisherman missing since Friday along the Puna coast.

The search for the 56-year-old Hilo man had involved aircraft and vessels from the county and US Coast Guard.

The fire department used a rescue boat and helicopter to comb 16 miles of coastline surrounding MacKenzie Park and up to a half-mile offshore. Divers also searched a mile-wide area around Malama Flats, where the fisherman disappeared.

The missing man, Arnold “Arnie” Asato, was fishing Friday night on a 10-foot cliff when he either slipped or was struck by a wave.

The Coast Guard halted its efforts Monday night after searching more than 959 square miles using the cutter Kiska based in Hilo, and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and HC-130 Hercules airplane.

Asato was the second man to disappear in a little more than a week along the rocky Puna coast on the Big Island’s windward side.

Four days of searching failed to turn up any sign of 30-year-old Peter Mahoe, who was last seen on May 29 climbing down a cliff near Kapoho in search of opihi.