A 72-year-old Bellingham man died mid-afternoon Friday following a boating mishap near Sucia Island.

James R. Ableman, of Bellingham, Wash. and two other Bellingham men were collecting shrimp pots when their 17-foot Boston Whaler capsized southwest of Sucia Island at about 2:30 p.m., according the San Juan County Sheriff’s Department.

The three men were trying to pull up a shrimp pot that was stuck on the bottom of the sea floor when their boat capsized and they were thrown into the water, according to the Sheriff’s office.

Though all three men were wearing inflatable flotation devices, Ableman was unable to inflate his flotation device. Boaters nearby pulled all three men out of the water; one man was unconscious. Attempts to resuscitate the man proved unsuccessful. Emergency personnel from various  federal, state and local agencies, including San Juan Island EMS, converged on the scene.

Ableman was pronounced dead at the scene.

His body was turned over to the county coroner, and the boat was righted and towed to Friday Harbor.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, neither alcohol or drugs were a factor in the mishap. The incident remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.