Coast Guard Rescues Fisherman 50 Miles Off Cape Cod

BOSTON (CBS) -- A Coast Guard helicopter rescued a fisherman who was experiencing a medical emergency 50 miles off Cape Cod early Sunday morning.

The Coast Guard said the 38-year-old man aboard the fishing vessel Nobska was having trouble breathing shortly after midnight.

At about 2:30 a.m. a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter lifted the man to safety from the 90-foot commercial fishing boat based in New Bedford. He was flown to a hospital where he was reportedly in stable condition.

"After consulting with our Coast Guard flight surgeon, it was clear he needed to be taken off the boat immediately," said John Harland, a search and rescue controller. "Good communication with the Nobska crew made this rescue successful, especially in the dark."