Search and rescue crews recovered the body of a 48-year-old man Monday afternoon off the eastern shore of Salt Spring Island's Fulford Harbour.

The man was the operator of a 40-foot fishing trawler that sank overnight, police said. No one else was believed to have been onboard.

Police believe an overnight storm that brought heavy winds to B.C.'s South Coast played a role in sinking the vessel.

An RCMP dive team was headed to the island Monday afternoon to confirm no other people were onboard the vessel when it sank.

The man's identity was not immediately known.