Richard Shiroma, seen here with an earlier catch, is still missing after going fishing on Wednesday. His boat was found beached.

The Bingo II ran aground near the Arnold Palmer golf course at Turtle Bay Wednesday night. The boat's engine was running with the marlin lashed to the boat, but Shiroma was missing.

The Coast Guard and Honolulu Fire Department searched yesterday from Kane'ohe to Ka'ena Point for Shiroma. The cutter Kiska continued to search through last night, and the search from the air will resume this morning, said Petty Officer Brooksann Anderson. Many of Shiroma's friends also went out in their boats to look for him.

Sandra Shiroma said her husband has been fishing for more than 40 years and has gone out weekly since he retired as a director from GTE six years ago.

"We want to keep our hopes up and hope that he had something to hang on to so they could reach him in time," she said yesterday. "He loved fishing. When he retired he bought this 25-foot boat and the trailer and the truck to pull it and he's been fishing avidly ever since."

Richard Shiroma

"Apparently he got separated where they could keep in touch by phone, but they couldn't see him. So nobody really knows what happened to him," Sandra Shiroma said. "They knew when he had hooked up, they knew when he tied up, and they knew when he was coming in because he gave them all that information. Then after he was supposed to have been heading toward He'eia Pier, they lost contact."

Nearly 20 boat owners joined the search yesterday, said Ernie Choy, who owns The Deli on He'eia Pier. He said Shiroma was well-liked and well-known in the fishing community.

"He's a customer and a friend," Choy said. "A lot of Richard's neighbors are out with their boats. He's a member of the 'Aiea boat club, and they're real tight, so they're out there, too."

Richard Shiroma also was involved with the regulation side of fishing. He was a member of an advisory panel with the Western Pacific Management Council and represented recreational fishers on other matters.

"He's a friend and colleague to a lot of us on the council," said Paul Dalzell, the council's senior scientist. "He'd come and swap stories, tell us what was happening on the water and what the current talk was among recreational fishermen."

Dalzell said safety was the priority with Shiroma whenever he was on the water.

"I know they haven't given up the search yet. We're all hoping and praying that he's found," Dalzell said. "If it does turn out for the worst, it will be not only a human tragedy, but a great day of sadness for the council."

Sandra Shiroma said she also hasn't given up. She said she last saw her husband when he left at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"He said goodbye and I said good luck," she said.