Hopes fade for lobster fishermen HOPES are fading for two lobster fishermen missing in wild weather on Tasmania's remote southwest coast. No trace has been found of the two men, both aged about 30, since their upturned dinghy was discovered near Port Davey yesterday afternoon. The pair are experienced professional fishermen and police believe they were probably wearing life jackets. But a cold front and swells of four metres have police fearing the worst, while the conditions have also prevented divers from being deployed. "As time goes on it is increasingly unlikely we'll find them alive," Inspector Stuart Scott said. The two men had been in the dinghy picking up lobster pots, having left their larger boat moored at Port Davey on Sunday afternoon. A helicopter, police vessel and two fishing boats were searching the area, while two officers were on the shore. "It is theoretically possible that if you managed to get to the shore you could walk around and get back to the inner bay which is where the original boat was moored," Insp Scott said. Once you are on shore then a different set of calculations apply ... but there is no evidence that that is the case at this point. The men, who have not yet been named by police, are from Launceston and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel south of Hobart. They were working in a remote area which is adjoined by Tasmania's World Heritage Area wilderness and is accessible only by boat or on foot. "The nearest permanent residence is Melaleuca which is still some distance away from this area and you wouldn't walk there in a week," Insp Scott said. It is very remote and in certain weather conditions it's pretty bleak and wild. One of the men is from an established fishing family, reportedly of four generations. "That always is an additional factor in considering people's chances but the reality is now that time is getting on," Insp Scott said. More bad weather is expected for tomorrow, when the onshore search will be expanded.