Trawler fishermen make surprising catch: a fishing boat

Fishermen aboard a trawler off Australia probably thought they had filled their net full of huge fish while pulling it up and noticing it being heavier than usual, but little did they know a big surprise awaited them once their haul reached the surface.

The catch? It was a fishing boat.

Yep, the crew aboard a trawler fishing 20 nautical miles off Mooloolaba in Queensland pulled up a fishing boat from the depths, as reported Friday on Facebook by Coast Guard Mooloolaba QF6, which described the “Catch of the Day” and even identified whose boat it belonged to.

“You’re the trawler skipper and the net feels heavy,” the Coast Guard started. “This is going to be a good haul. Well, it was—just not what he was expecting.

“Remember in August when we rescued the two fishermen whose boat sank 20 nautical miles off Mooloolaba? Bet they thought they’d never see it again.

“Well, not until the trawler’s catch of the day was their boat. Hauled up, re-floated and brought back to Mooloolaba, it now sits a bit the worse for wear at the Water Police pontoon.

“What are the odds of that happening?”

Indeed, what are the odds?

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The incident the Coast Guard referred to happened Aug. 23. Its radio operators picked up a call saying, “Help, we are sinking.” Asking for a location, the reply was 26 degrees, 39 minutes—and then the radio went dead.

A rescue crew immediately headed to that latitude to search for survivors. As it did, the Water Police reported that an EPIRB had been activated, so the exact location was known.

“On arriving at the location, a search was commenced and the two men, wearing inflatable lifejackets and clinging to an esky , were spotted by the crew and retrieved from the water,” the Coast Guard Mooloolaba QF6 reported on Facebook.

And below them sat their boat. Until a trawler came along and snatched it up. It was never determined what caused the boat to sink.

Again, what are the odds?

Photos courtesy of Coast Guard Mooloolaba QF6.

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