A Coast Guard Jayhawk MH-60 helicopter medevaced a 23-year-old fisherman from crab grounds 60 miles southwest of St. Paul yesterday. The man was working on the crab vessel North Sea when he started to feel ill.

Petty Officer Third Class Jonathan Klingenberg says that by the time the crew radioed for help at 2 pm, the man took a turn for the worse.

"At first, he was reportedly suffering from seasick-like symptoms," Klingenberg says. "Then, he started having seizures."

The North Sea had planned to sail back to St. Paul to get medical care, but that trip alone would have taken six hours. The Coast Guard dispatched its Jayhawk helicopter from a forward deployment in St. Paul to meet the vessel.

Klingenberg says the Jayhawk is usually stationed at Air Station Kodiak. During A season, though, it’s on a forward deployment in St. Paul to provide fast access to medical care for crabbers.

"You get people fishing in these remote areas during these peak seasons," says Klingenberg. "That’s why us forward deploying and having people in St. Paul during the opilio season is really important."

The man was medevaced from St. Paul to Anchorage for treatment last night.