A crew member of a commercial fishing boat off the coast of Vancouver Island was hoisted to safety Thursday after experiencing a medical issue, rescuers say.

A search and rescue crew from the 442 rescue squadron was called into action about 165 nautical miles southwest of Ucluelet.

A Cormorant helicopter and Buffalo aircraft responded, and a rescue technician was lowed onto the deck of the boat to assist the crew member.

He was then hoisted to the helicopter hovering above and flown to Victoria General Hospital for treatment of the unspecified medical issue, according to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

Video taken by rescue crews shows a birds-eye-view of the operation as the victim is hoisted up to the helicopter.

The Victoria search and rescue region encompasses 1.4-million square kilometres of mountain terrain in B.C. and the Yukon.