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I suggest you watch this clip before you commit to working day and night in whatever weather happens to come along. Most greeners work for little or no money. I fished commercially for 23 years and beat the odds, but a lot of my buddies are no longer alive.
I am very happy to be retired.
Great video, I spent 18 summers on commercial fishing boats, but never in the Bering Sea.
My brother did spend about 6 years out there in the heyday of the fishery.
I never watch those. DH loved them, but every time he watched that thing on the Discovery Channel, he'd have nightmares about the last boat he was on going down - he got his back smashed up badly, and eventually had to have several disks fused and rods implanted to stabilize it. My son is still a commercial fisherman, and has been since he was 14 - well over half his life. He's fished out of Dutch and in the Bering, and it gives me the heebiejeebies just thinking about it. Odd, since I originally went to sea myself as a cook. But one always thinks oneself is invincible, that accidents happen to other people. It's totally different worrying about one's offspring.
Hello,
Last year I was in the same boat as you… I wanted to be a commercial fisher(wo)man. I had some experience on boats, but had never commercial fished. I was able to score a job, by networking in the local bars. Like several fisherman, I did a month worth of pre-season work for basically free. Last year was a good season for seining in PWS. If you have never fished, seining or gil-netting might be a better option than crabbing or long lining. Even though seining is easier than crabbing, it still is hard work. We went through three deckhands last year because they could not deal with the hardships of fishing. If you are serious, then buy a ticket, and start strolling the docks and bars ASAP. Like many other boats we have already started our pre-season work. I personally know a few boats that are hiring in this area (Valdez) and I am sure skippers in other ports are looking for deckhands too. If you are not willing to take risks, you are probably not going to survive fishing… Nothing is guaranteed…
Ask yourself if you want to bust your ass for possible pennies? Can you deal with the same people in a confined space for weeks on end? Are you prepared to work months without days off? Are you thick skinned (many skippers have reputations as “screamers”)? Can you work with minimal sleep? The list goes on…
Another option might be to look for a deckhand job on a tender or charter boat (I am guessing they both make about $150/day, but I don’t know). I also don’t know what you consider good money. ..
If you do find work, you should ask around and make sure the skipper has a history of paying their crew. You should also ask for a contract. You probably can expect a crew share of 8%-10% (sometimes this can be lower). Many captains will charge you your share of fuel and food.
Great read everyone
I do watch Deadliest Catch, My total respect to those guys and gals. How in the heck anyone has the guts to do that kind of work I've no clue. Many episodes have brought me to tears. My son also (when he was a teenager) now 32 also thought he wanted to try to get a job on one of the boats out there. We lived in MA. and someone painted a pretty picture. Man was I worried and prayed for years that he would never ever get out there. Thank God one of his very good buddies did some research, and he told my boy, "Don't do it!!! I WON'T LET YOU DO IT!!!!". Now that the program is on TV and he has seen it... He's glad he didn't go out and even think to persue it.
I believe it was season three's airing that exemplified the title; one of the boats went down and only one person lived If memory can help me out here I think it was "Ocean Explorer". Also the pots are like 800 Lbs, the boats get heavy laiden with ice and the crew has to stay awake and alert 24 plus hours. Get that ice off and then back to putting in or taking out the pots. Anyone that thinks that they want to get in the line please do your homework and learn all that you can. Also think of the worry you'd put your loved ones through. You could lose your life out there. IMO it's a very special breed of person that must have a strong passion, respect, knowlege, understanding of the sea, and even possably a wee bit of a gambler. The stakes being the highest price one could ever put on the table. For those of you that have done it, You have my fullest respect, (and I'm glad I do not like the flavor of crab or lobster meat).
Yeah...Deadliest Catch rocks. I think we all agree on that. You can't get caught up in the "adventure" and "romance" of it all though. I have such a tremendous amount of respect for those guys. I remember pulling double shifts in the military, going 40 hours with little to no sleep, but never was I exerting my body to its end AND doing it in such hazardous working and weather conditions. I know how hard it was for me just to fight of fatigue in my piddly job (which was pretty important from a national defense stance) and try to remain alert enough not to screw up. Now imagine hooks and heavy gear, metal and slippery decks, taking huge rolls and so forth. I can't even fathom.
This past weekend I sold some furniture to a man who crabbed for 3 seasons in Dutch and we got to talking. He was in his 30's and he looked 50 and he hobbled around. He showed me his battle scars, his bad knee, his war wounds. He was a BIG guy who is now working as a petroleum distributor. He told me about the pay and living conditions, the work, not showering for more time than you care to know, and more and more. He was no whimp and he valued the experience but as he said "That's no way to live your life." For as bad shape as he was in at 30, I'd say he got out just in time.
Please look for something else. I have a friend who works on a tug out of SE AK and makes pretty good money. He's away from home alot but he makes it home in one piece. Find your adventure somewhere else. The military is always looking and as a vet of both the Navy and Air Force, I would say go for that and put in your request to get stationed in Alaska.
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Good Luch
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