North Coast mourns loss of fisherman

Mar. 14, 2000

By MIKE GENIELLA
Press Democrat Staff Writer

The North Coast commercial fishing fleet was grieving Monday after a weekend tragedy at sea claimed the life of Michael Maahs, a widely known expert on salmon restoration and a member of a pioneer Fort Bragg fishing family.

Maahs, the 45-year-old father of a teen-age son and daughter, was swept overboard about 2:37 p.m. Saturday from the vessel Kramoli and drowned in heavy surf about one mile off the mouth of Ten Mile River, according to the Mendocino County Coroner's Office.

Sheriff's Capt. Kevin Broin said Maahs' body was plucked from the ocean by a Coast Guard helicopter about 90 minutes after he apparently was knocked into the water by a wave. At the time, 12-foot waves and winds up to 25 knots were reported offshore, according to the Coast Guard.

"It appears to be a tragic accident involving experienced fishermen,'' Broin said.

On board the family-owned vessel was Maahs' father, William "Sonny'' Maahs, a legendary North Coast fisherman who was honored just two weeks ago by the state Legislature for 50 years of work on behalf of the declining coastal fishing industry. Michael Maahs accompanied his father to the annual Legislature Fisheries Forum two weeks ago in Sacramento when the senior Maahs was honored.

Broin said Monday the elder Maahs told investigators that his son was piloting the Kramoli on Saturday as the fishing vessel made its way back toward Noyo Harbor after the father-son team had spent the morning checking on crab pots they earlier had placed in coastal waters about nine miles northwest of the harbor.

Tired from the day's work, Sonny Maahs told investigators he went below to take a short rest while his son was at the wheel.

About 15 minutes later, the elder Maahs realized he didn't hear his son up on the deck, said Broin.

"He called out his name, and then went up to check. When he couldn't find him, he quickly sent a distress call out over the vessel's radio,'' Broin said.

Broin said while waiting for a Coast Guard helicopter to make its way down the coast from Humboldt Bay, Sonny Maahs frantically searched in a two-mile radius for his son.

About 4 p.m., a Coast Guard crew spotted Michael Maahs' body floating on the ocean. His body was retrieved and airlifted to shore, where a medical Calstar helicopter waited.

"Efforts to revive him continued right up until he was taken into the emergency room, but it was too late. He had spent too much time in the water,'' Broin said.

Broin said a grief-stricken Sonny Maahs told investigators that he and his son had fished together for 33 years. "They were a team. They were very skilled at what they did,'' Broin said.

Michael Maahs' death at sea stunned his family, friends and colleagues who worked with him on salmon restoration efforts.

Michael Maahs was the new chairman of the Salmon Restoration Association, a 28-year-old organization his father helped found. The organization uses money from an annual Noyo Harbor salmon barbecue to fund local fish hatcheries and restoration work.

"His death is a terrible tragedy. Michael will be sorely missed by his family and the fishing industry,'' said longtime family friend Wayne Scott, a retired fisherman.

Michael Maahs worked with the Mendocino Coast Resource Conservation District on various habitat restoration projects, and he oversaw a recently completed Garcia River watershed study. Co-worker Terri Barber said results of the study are to be turned over this month to state officials.

"Michael's death is a huge loss. He knew so much about the issues and he worked very hard at getting to the facts,'' Barber said.

Barber said Maahs wasn't interested in "politically correct theories. He felt every watershed was unique and that factors out in the ocean played a large role in what was happening to the fisheries.''

Maahs is survived by his two children, Cyrus and Stephanie. In addition to his father, he is survived by his mother, Donna; and his former wife, Joan.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Bragg. Burial will follow at Rose Memorial Park. Arrangements are under the direction of Chapel by the Sea. Friends have set up a trust fund at the Fort Bragg branch of Savings Bank of Mendocino County on behalf of the Maahs children's future education.