Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Deadliest Catch
While at sea, the crews face nearly 24-hour shifts for days at a time, in less-than-optimal conditions: 40-foot waves, 80-mph winds, subfreezing weather and 700-pound crab pots slamming against the deck — not to mention a nearly 100 percent injury rate. More than 80 percent of the fatalities Alaskan fishermen suffer on the job are due to drowning — either from falling overboard or as a result of a boat accident.
Have you seen this new show on the Discovery Channel? It is called The Deadliest Catch. It comes on kind of late, but the new season started last week. It is really very interesting. Basically it is about fishing boats and their crews. These guys go out into the Bering Sea for a 5 day King Crab fishing fest. Its cold, wet, and you never know what the weather will be. It's basically one of the toughest jobs I have ever seen. The season can last either 5 or 12 days depending on the decision made by the Alaskan Wildlife Board. These guys basically don't sleep or eat for 24-72 hours. They dump 'pots' or cages over board and haul them up--hopefully loaded with Alaskan King Crab. I will never look at crab in a restaurant the same again. You should check this show out.
My question is basically what drives these guys? Is it just the money? Is it the thrill of the catch? Maybe a bit of both? What drives us in our jobs? What drives us in our relationships? What drives us to go through incredibly hard times or events? What keeps us getting up each morning?
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Dude...this show rocks. After watching it I realize what a wuss I am. I think these guys (the deck hands) do it because it is good money in a short amount of time. There is a great article about how much these guys make and the big fishing companys that are going to change that. You can read it here.
In the article they say that fifty-four boats have five days to catch fifteen million pounds of crab, worth $90,000,000 at the dock! A deck hand can make upwards of $20,000 for five days (a skipper gets twice that). Pretty good. I also think something like fishing just gets in your blood. The family nature of a boat, the hard-work, the risk and reward all play into it.
All I know is that I am NOT man enough to do it. My cousin was a fisherman (owned two $10 million doallar boats) and he only worked six months a year. Granted it was 24/7 but the other six months he was at home all the time. Then he started leasing out the boats and fished two months out of the year. He is a little bit taller than me, but one of the strongest (like Ant strong) man I had ever meet in my life.
In the article they say that fifty-four boats have five days to catch fifteen million pounds of crab, worth $90,000,000 at the dock! A deck hand can make upwards of $20,000 for five days (a skipper gets twice that). Pretty good. I also think something like fishing just gets in your blood. The family nature of a boat, the hard-work, the risk and reward all play into it.
All I know is that I am NOT man enough to do it. My cousin was a fisherman (owned two $10 million doallar boats) and he only worked six months a year. Granted it was 24/7 but the other six months he was at home all the time. Then he started leasing out the boats and fished two months out of the year. He is a little bit taller than me, but one of the strongest (like Ant strong) man I had ever meet in my life.
Wow!!!!!!!!! I am humbled by the tenacity of these men. My dad was a Merchant Marine during WWII (he joined at age 17!!!). His harrowing stories of survival at sea amaze me. They would go for days without sleep, basically working non stop to keep the heavy ice from collecting on the windward side, which would've caused the giant ship to capsize in that direction. These fishermen on this TV show amaze me. The fact that I eat crab amazes me. There's a great documentary on Norwegian fishermen who also sing grand chorale music in a traveling choir. The men are incredibly strong, like the previous post mentions. They almost all live to be in their late 90's while continuing to work. Amazing. I think Matt Wert worked up in Alaska one summer as an apprentice fisherman. Wow.
# posted by 
: 11:46 AM
: 11:46 AM
I saw the ads for the show and set my DVR to record it but we ran out of space (wife had to many unwatched Oprah's on there), but yeah these guys are probably the manliest guys on the planet. If they get paid so much, how does red lobster ofter all you can eat crab legs for $15?
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