Working on a Commercial Fishing Boat is Tough

One of the world’s biggest industries is commercial fishing. The men and women who work on a commercial fishing boat face harsh and isolated environments. Alaska is one of the toughest areas to work. There are high winds, unbearable cold, icing, seasonal darkness and very long working days. The conditions that these fishermen face in Alaska are hazardous to their own safety. The pay is very good, but the conditions are terrible. It is only the hardcore fishermen who survive this very stressful career path. The overall fatality rate on one of these commercial fishing boats is 26 times that of the U.S. work related fatality during the same time frame. There are at least 100 fishermen who have to be rescued each year from Alaskan waters. These rescue rates are as high as they are due to the very skilled personnel of the United States Coast Guard Search and Rescue operations.

The Skipper

A typical salmon commercial fishing boat is approximately 1,200 feet long by 40 feet wide. The skipper’s job is to hire a crew, manage all operations including equipment, locate the fish, sail the boat, run the booms, find the market, sell the fish and pay the crew. He will look for the most skilled and athletic crew he can find, knowing that the mortality rate is higher for non-skilled personnel on commercial fishing boats. With the odds as they are on a commercial fishing boat, one wonders why the skipper is not piloting a pontoon fishing boat. These fishermen stare fear in the face every day and shake their fingers at it.

The Deck Hand

One could say that the deckhands on a commercial fishing boat are crazy. This would probably be an adequate statement. But they all have their stories and reasons for working such a tough job. Some do it for the money, some do it for the excitement and challenges and some do it because it is all they know how to do. The deck hands on a commercial fishing boat take care of all the tasks that need to be completed on board while sailing. There are many challenges in doing this routinely and it takes very skilled fishermen to keep from being swept off the deck of a commercial fishing boat and into the icy waters of the Bering Sea during one of these expeditions. They must keep the lines free from snags, be on watch for whales, clean the deck of seaweed, stack the cork line, pitch the fish into the fishhold and keep the net from going underneath the boat. They perform all of these duties on a commercial fishing boat whether it is raining, snowing, blowing or storming. They face the elements bravely so that our dinner tables can be covered with beautiful salmon and other sea delicacies.