Two people were rescued but two others are missing and feared dead after a British Columbia fishing boat capsized off the northwest tip of Washington's Olympic Peninsula.

The boat capsized just after 7:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday evening off Cape Flattery, which is known for its rough waters.

The skipper of the 24-metre Ocean Tor was plucked from the hull of the overturned vessel and a Canadian fisheries observer was found in the water shortly before nightfall.

The survivors were taken aboard another boat, which headed to Ucluelet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The two missing crew members were not wearing survival suits.

The U.S. Coast Guard said weather conditions were not that severe at the time. It appears water poured into a fish hold when waves crashed over the stern.