A report has revealed a fisherman found dead on the shore of Inishbofin last year may have suffered a serious injury that prevented him from returning safely to land.
The body of local man John Burke, who was aged in his 50s, was discovered two days after his boat capsized very close to land.
The body of Mr. Burke was recovered on the north shore of Inishbofin in July last year, and his aluminum open vessel was found overturned nearby.
At the time of the incident, there was a small craft warning in effect, with sea conditions described as moderate to rough.
The most likely scenario is that Mr Burke's vessel became unstable when he tried to free a fouled lobster pot - and ultimately took on water and capsized.
During salvage, the boat was found to be tethered to the seabed by a bridle arrangement that was connected to a pot riser.
The report notes that modifications made to the boat would have greatly reduced its stability, particularly in challenging conditions.
Mr. Burke was wearing a life-jacket that was still inflated when his body was recovered, but he had no emergency communication device onboard, and either lost his mobile phone or was unable to use it.
A post-mortem report recorded broken ribs, although it could not establish if these injuries happened before or after death.
If before, the report says it could explain why Mr. Burke was unable to reach the nearest rocky land which was 100m away.
Other factors to the incident include inability to swim, lone working, lack of voyage planning or communications arrangements and cold water shock.
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board says this incident is almost a contradiction to the recommendations set out in the code of practice for the safe operation of recreational craft.
It recommends Government develop targeted campaigns that highlight the dangers of lone fishing, and promote best practice like voyage plans and regular communication with shore contacts.
