A man shot by a rifle in a remote part of the west coast was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Masset.
The incident took place last Sunday (June 11) in Port Louis, north of Rennell Sound on what may have been a commercial fishing vessel.
Police are investigating, but Corporal Bob Isaacs says four people were aboard and a 55 year-old male was injured. He described the shooting as self-inflicted and said the police are treating it as an accident.
Captain Steve Eyre of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria said the man was shot in the arm. Captain Eyre says the information they received was that two young people on the boat were ashore hunting for deer. When they returned to the vessel, the rifle was loaded. The firearm was dropped and it went off.
When the Rescue Centre was called, a US Coast Guard helicopter from Sitka was dispatched as fog would have delayed any other rescue attempts.
A fishing lodge in the Port Louis area also responded to the calls for help.
The injured man has been released from hospital.