Thirty-two-year-old Luke Naukatsik, was fishing by himself 12 kilometres northwest of Baker Lake at Naluarjuk Lake.

Police say he fell overboard, out of the borrowed canoe he was fishing in. He was not wearing a life jacket.

Friends saw Naukatsik fishing in a canoe around 7 p.m. on Saturday and at 9:30 p.m. someone else came by and saw Naukatsik's four-wheeler, but not the boat.

"He (the passer-by) didn't think much of it at the time," said Baker Lake RCMP Const. Bob Pilot.

The next day, Naukatsik's friends went out looking for him, but he was no where to be found.

Later that day his canoe was spotted at the bottom of the lake.

Police were informed and a local helicopter company, Monopro, volunteered to go out and help find Naukatsik.

Naukatsik was later found face down on bottom in about 2.5 metres of water, about 3 metres from his boat, 18 metres from shore.

He was still wearing his hip waders and his fishing rod was nearby.

Pilot said it is likely Naukatsik fell into the frigid, cold water and did not get to shore before his body gave in to the cold. The lake was still covered with a thin sheet of ice, except where Naukatsik was fishing.

Naukatsik is survived by a common-law wife and four children.

The NWT has the highest drowning rate in all of Canada. From 1990 to 1995, there were 80 drownings, 39 of which were a result of boating accidents.

Last month, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Department of Transportation launched a boating safety awareness program to help bring those numbers down.

This year's campaign focus is on young males between 16 to 35, who, according to statistics, are those most likely to be involved in a boating accident.

Pilot said it's important that when people go boating they bring along life jackets for everyone.

"You have to be prepared for any of the worse eventualities," he said.