PEARL RIVER — St. Tammany Parish deputies recovered a crabber after he was stranded in a Pearl River marsh for nine hours.

Deputies said they were dispatched alongside Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Coast Guard after a 57-year-old crabber didn't return home from East Pearl River Tuesday evening.

According to his family, they hadn't heard from the man since 10 a.m., and that he is paralyzed on his left side. By 5 p.m., he was officially reported missing.

After following his trail, authorities found the man's boat partially submerged after his motor failed and his phone went underwater. They then found him exhausted in the water, where he was for nearly nine hours, unable to move due to his medical condition.

He was immediately turned over to medical personnel, evaluated, and brought safely home Tuesday night.