'Kind and caring' fisherman died after being dragged from boat by tangled rope

A "kind and caring" fisherman died after his foot became caught in a bight of rope which dragged him overboard. The fishing gear he became attached to was so heavy he drowned in the water, despite wearing a lifejacket. Jack Walker, 35, was a career fisherman with around 15 years' experience in commercial fishing when he fell from a boat off the coast of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire in May 2025. An investigation report published by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has identified several safety issues around the way the the boat operated at the time of the tragedy. Mr Walker had joined the Wilaya boat around 10 months before the fatal accident. The report outlined how the Wilaya, a commercial boat, had departed from the port of Milford Haven for a day of lobster fishing at around 7.45am. Onboard was the skipper and boat owner, who was a career fisherman with 15 years' experience, Mr Walker, the deckhand, and a friend who was accompanying them as a passenger for the day. The friend was a retired workboat master but wasn't involved in the vessel's fishing operations. At around 1.30pm on May 1, 2025, when the boat was one nautical mile north of Jack Sound in Pembrokeshire , Mr Walker was dragged overboard by the deploying gear after his foot became caught in a bight of rope while shooting a string of pots. It found that although he was wearing a personal flotation device at the time of the incident, the fishing gear was so heavy it held him below the surface of the water and he drowned. The report into his death found that the skipper and passenger on the boat managed to recover him promptly but he could not be resuscitated. He was transferred to an RNLI all-weather lifeboat but was pronounced dead at 3.40pm. His cause of death was recorded as immersion in water. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here . The report found that the vessel's risk assessments had not been adhered to in ensuring the separation of the crew from the running gear. In addition to this, the skipper hadn't done all his required safety training which had not been noticed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency during an investigation of the boat. As well as this, the crew didn't adhere to the vessel's documented control measures during their shooting operations which meant the crew were exposed to a risk of harm and injury. It noted that the skipper had subsequently completed the mandatory safety training, changed their method of shooting pots and implemented measures to guarantee further separation between the crew and running gear. Recommendations have also been made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to review guidance on shooting pots. Following his death, Mr Walker was described as being a "loving" member of the family and a "great friend". His family said: "We are completely heartbroken at losing our kind, caring, and loving son, grandson, dad, brother, uncle, and brother-in-law. A great friend to all. Jack tragically left us doing what he loved most. "Our thoughts and heartfelt wishes go out to his crew mates that day. We would like to thank everyone for their support." An inquest into his death was opened at Pembrokeshire County Hall in July 2025. It heard how emergency services were called to Hakin in Milford Haven to reports of a fisherman having fallen into the water but noted that he died at the scene. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice .