Interested in getting a job in the fishing industry. (Craig: living in, moving to)

[Djaxon30]

Hi, I want to warn you all that I'm going to post at length about me and my current situation so you may better understand my mindset and motives.

I am 30 years old and I work as an ESL teacher in Japan. I am originally from Texas. The work I do is relatively easy and pays well but I don't see myself staying here. I don't have a place to live or work back in Texas and I have a bachelor's degree in Art which got me my ESL job but won't do much for me elsewhere. So to cut this short I've looked at other places I could go. Living in Japan has been a dream of mine and I've reached it so now I would like to focus on other dreams and living in Alaska is my next biggest dream.

I would like to get a job working in the commercial fishing industry. I've heard the work is extremely hard and the hours are long through very cold and rough weather. I could easily stay with a comfortable and easy job but it isn't fulfilling and I'm not happy to collect a paycheck and waste my life. I play video games when I'm not at work and broadcast online so people can watch me. None of this is fun anymore, it's all the same time wasting garbage that gives short bursts of fulfillment.

The stories I've read of people who worked as deckhands sounds hard and terribly grueling but very fulfilling. So for years it has been a dream of mine to work and live in Alaska. Sorry about the long post.

How can I get into the industry?

I'm not picky on any kind of fishing and my work contract ends in March.

Any advice, knowledge, or help you all can offer im willing to listen to. I don't know much about boats but I have ridden on them and I don't get seasick at all.

Thank you for your time and patience.

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by Djaxon30

Any advice, knowledge, or help you all can offer im willing to listen to. I don't know much about boats but I have ridden on them and I don't get seasick at all.

Thank you for your time and patience.

You've never been in the Bering Sea on a 32 foot gillnetter


Seattle is the place to go. Many of the commercial boats are based out of Seattle. Don't forget to check out the canneries, and processing boats.

[Djaxon30]

Yeah, I anticipate that no amount of boating experience I have will compare even a tiny bit to a typical day in the Bering sea.

I've seen people posting about making money and getting rich from this, I am not one of those people. I genuinely want to work hard and the cold freezing weather of Alaska is preferable to any work in hot weather to me.

[Metlakatla]

Most independent captains don't like greenhorns. Part of the problem people such as yourself face is that good captains rarely need crew. Bad captains, on the other hand, often do, but do you really want to be out on the Bering Sea or other rough waters with a captain who's avoided by experienced deckhands?

My advice is get a job on a processing ship and leverage the experience gained to work for legit private captains.

[Djaxon30]

What is a processing ship?

[Metlakatla]

Look, if you really want this, you're going to have to do some research. There's lots of information online about what processing ships are. There are different types, but basically they're ships where seafood is also processed instead of being offloaded on shore.

[Djaxon30]

I know, forgive me it was a stupid question. I've been doing research but definitely not enough. I see that the best course to working on a boat is to go through the processing plants but I hadn't heard of a processing ship. I am worried I'll end up committing to years working at a plant and never getting hired as a deckhand.

[jdhpa]

If you're primarily interested in moving to Alaska rather than the fishing industry, you may want to acquire a skill that will be more portable, like nursing. It will take longer to get to Alaska, but if you decide to move in a few years it will be easier.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

[Metlakatla]

I agree with that ^. FYI, a lot of deckhands don't actually live in Alaska.

Processing isn't indentured servitude, and it's a way to show captains that you've at least got some experience with working on the ocean and can handle long hours and bad conditions. Other than that idk. Check Craigslist often. If someone here suggests that you "walk the docks," understand that that tactic doesn't yield the results it used to. Also, keep in mind that crew shares vary wildly -- a bad captain or a bad fish run can leave you broke and stranded.

[Haolejohn]

Search the interwebs for the Bristol Bay fiasco this year. Matter of fact there is a thread here about the situation.
You can make some money, but it comes with long hours and when you actually calculate, it isn't that much per hour.
I have a friend that started out with Peter Pan and landed a job on a processing ship. He was back this season with Peter Pan as a supervisor. He is very young (24ish) but his desire to work and learn is paying off.