Gavin Kelly went missing at sea on Friday morning while fishing at the Gold Coast.
THE search for missing Cobden man Gavin Kelly has officially been called off.
Mr Kelly, 39, went missing about 2am on Friday when he was washed overboard from a fishing trawler off the Queensland coast.
Mr Kelly, who was living with his family on the Gold Coast, was working as a deckhand when it is believed the trawler struck a submerged object or became tangled in nets.
The trawler sank, but the skipper was able to get into a liferaft, activated an EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon) and was rescued by helicopter.
A Queensland Police spokeswoman said yesterday the search had been cancelled. Strong winds and heavy seas had hampered the search.
The spokeswoman said that Water Police would continue to monitor the waterways as part of patrols.
Mr Kelly’s mother, Helen Kelly, lives in Cobden and he has a sister, Angela Jellie, in Warrnambool.
