Police and search and rescue teams are changing tact in the hunt for a boat missing off the Canterbury coast, now calling it a recovery mission.
The FV Jubilee has reached 10 hours since the initial distress call was made, and police have confirmed debris found is likely from the boat.
Three men were on board when the vessel went missing, and search and rescue teams responded to the incident around 6:30am.
Inspector Craig McKay says an empty life raft found by an aerial search team, along with a number of fishing bins and documents, do belong to FV Jubilee.
"Oil and related fluids were also present in the area, but the vessel was not visible from the surface or the air. The aerial and sea search covered an area of approximately 50 square nautical miles."
FV Jubilee was in an area with depth up to 45 metres, and the Police Dive Squad has been helping with an underwater search for the vessel.
Police say the Wellington division of the Dive Squad is now on its way to help out with the recovery.
No details have been released regarding the three men on board, but police are working with the families as the investigation persists.
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