The search for missing canoer James “Dakota” Smith off northern Vancouver Island has been suspended, with RCMP saying severe weather has sharply reduced his chances of survival and made further searches unsafe.

Smith, a member of the Ma’amtagila Nation, was reported missing Nov. 6 after leaving home to fish in his canoe and not returning, CBC News reported, citing a Sayward RCMP release issued Tuesday.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre searched Johnstone Strait at the mouth of the Adam River, about 85 kilometres northwest of Campbell River. Police said the extensive effort included helicopters. Searchers found Smith’s capsized canoe, but no one was nearby.

High, unpredictable winds, heavy rain and frigid water temperatures had drastically reduced the chances of survival, RCMP said. Continuing poor weather also made water and shoreline searches unsafe.

Family and community members had also been searching for Smith. The status of that community-led effort was not established in the supplied report; CBC said it had contacted the Ma’amtagila Tribe Society for an update.

CBC’s report included files from Lauren Vanderdeen and Edzi’u Loverin.

Sources