- Alaska Journal of Commerce
Fecal Face - How To Be An Alaskan Fisherman
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Fish stories and hard information regarding the commercial fishing industry and the tv show The Deadliest Catch - from an insider. Fishing for pacific albacore tuna, halibut, black cod or sablefish, dungeness crab, on the North Pacific, king and opilio crab in the Bering Sea.
Greetings Fishies!
I, like many of you am perplexed and concerned by those boats and people that are missing in action. We know that the Aleutian Ballad did not fish opies and after the king crab season headed south to
The footage of some of the boats breakdowns and their problem solving was pretty good. Now I wonder how would these guys all be feeling about the IQ system if it were not in place? If it were still the days of the derby style fishery, they would be belly up. The seasons would have passed them by without a second thought. Those boats would have been stuck in port waiting for parts, repairmen etc, and not fishing. Remember, they don’t hold the season just because a boat or two can’t make it.
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Hello Fishies!
Last night’s episode illustrated several points, some of which you may not have even been aware of. The first of these was the stark contrast between the greenhorns on the NW and the CM which was three fold – family, prior experience and youth. (Ok maybe four because we all know about the love fest with some boats and in editing they will do no wrong). The boys on the NW and CM have actually had sea time and knew via family what the deal would be. Putting a man twice their age with no experience out there and expecting him to perform as well as they do is unfair. Adding the poor treatment by crew mates and probable seasickness, Guy doesn’t stand much of a chance. Since we can’t believe much of anything regarding the storyline Mr. Rowe reads, I am suspect about the true background and hiring of the green horns. (Eventually Thom Beers admitted that he hired Bradford Davis to go on the NW because no one would talk.)
Unfortunately, between the popularity of Deadliest Catch and the downsizing of the fleet, there are a tremendous amount of men and women looking to land a berth aboard a boat. As you were told earlier in the series, most of the jobs are given to family, friends or those who have a proven track record and good reputation. Yes, it is true that once in a while there are guys hired right there on the spot. The opening may be a result of a poorly run/maintained vessel, a difficult skipper or some one just plain not showing up for the job.
Just getting there can be a tiresome trip. There are no direct flights and air service can be spotty at times. It seems that everyone is trying to get into Dutch (and then back out after the season is over) all at the same time. Round trip air fare runs about $1,500.00, and you can usually plan on being delayed in
Men and women describe the life of commercial fishing
We are pleased to present an opportunity for those involved in commercial fishing in the Pacific to describe the way they work, the way they live.
By Jerry Tilley
Continues here:
IceLife0521.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Hello Fishies!
This is a great site with quite a few interesting stories. Check it out!
Stay tuned!
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