I AmA crab fisherman in Nova Scotia. AMA!

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Don't down vote this, its a fair question. Wheres the proof? You are required to provide it.

who would fake being a low-income crab fisherman from Nova Scotia? Sometimes reddit astounds me.

Do you look down at Maine and think "you tropical-weather-having, light winter-enjoying ninnies..."?

yes.

Do you like liquor, like Jim Lahey?

The shitapple doesn't fall far from the shit tree.

Fellow Nova Scotian here,

What's the name of your boat? Do you have any rituals or superstitions regarding crabbing? Why did you start crabbing (Family business?)?

my only ritual is that i get incredibly drunk in the days leading up to the new season, and then don't drink until the season ends, at which point i commence drinking again.

How many people with the last name Nickerson are you related to?

8-10

Do you think shows like Deadliest Catch have highlighted what an incredibly challenging and dangerous field you work in, glorified and sensationalised it, or something in between? For disclosure I loved DC when I got to watch it, but always wondered what someone in the industry not on the show felt about it. Many thanks.

those guys work some pretty rough waters. the waters round NS are much calmer -- and those are deep water guys catchin king crabs. i have nothing but respect for them.

do you feel the oceans are being over exploited or do you feel ocean populations are safe?

yes and no. some species, for sure. take cod or lobster for example. they were once incredibly abundant in the atlantic and now populations are dwindling. snow crabs though, are pretty hearty -- they recently adjusted the per catch quota due to much bigger than anticipated numbers

thanks. ever have a "why did I chose this profession" moment?

only when we're pulling up blanks

About how many crabs do you catch on a normal day?

depends if im with my first wife or not!

You have your own boat, or are you on a crew?

both.

When is your off season? How many hours a day would you work when out at sea?

10-14hrs a day in high season. not always out at sea, either! a lot of maintenence involved in crabbing.

my offseason is june-july-august, but i do odd jobs around Glace so dont really have breaks!

Fellow east-coaster here, ready to ask the hard hitting questions:

Favourite Beer?

can't go wrong with an Alexander Keith IPA. you?

Keith IPA is not a real IPA. also fellow NS! hail from Halifax !

Doesn't mean I can't like it!

Ever had a man go overboard?

a few times. myself included one of them. fortunately 3/3 on rescues. the time went over it was december -- not the most fun thing, trying to warm up after that...especially when the captain has a quota to reach and he won't go back to shore!

What was the coolest sea creature you saw, either dragged up or spotted?

does pulling up a waterlogged blanket count? because if it does, then that. scared shitless when that thing came out of the water.

also, and this is insane - came across a dead dog floating 6mi from shore once. Came after a really stormy week, but it was still really far out. Not sure what happened there...

What type of crab do you normally fish?

snow crab, generally.

sometimes i head down south for blue crabs in the summer

What is the best thing you have dreged up? What is your favorite area of Nova Scotia? What is the scariest Nor-Easter you have encountered?

best thing? probably part of an old u-boat rotor. it was rusted pretty bad but had an eagle emblazoned on it.

for crabbin' i love north of glace bay. very pretty.

Do you fish rod and line aswell? If so what is your best catch?

yeah, when i can. caught a king salmon a few years back that probably takes the cake.

What do you think about king crabs fisherman? Is it really harder than what you are doing?

yes, as i said before, those boys are the pro's. they're playing with fire every time they go out.

Did you ever read the poem "First Death in Nova Scotia" by Elizabeth Bishop?

i haven't. should i?

Fellow Bluenoser here, hi! Do you worry about the future of the fishing industry in general in Nova Scotia? I'm currently a Nutrition student and we're learning quite a bit about sustainable agriculture and it has me interested in someday having my own sustainable farm. Other than the abundance of crab in the ocean, do you feel like there are less and less younger folk interested in becoming fishermen or farmers? Also, where abouts in Nova Scotia? I head up to Weymouth quite a bit, if you're around Digby area I'd be more than happy to drop by and support a local fisherman someday.

Hi! I'm in Glace Bay. I do think young people have generally started to shun hands-on crafts like fishing and woodworking and farming and the like, but when you couple that with the falling supply of fish and other sea creatures i dont think you're seeing a big issue. But it does speak to something larger abouit us as a society maybe in terms of values and other things that kids dont want to do badass, manly, necessary jobs anymore!

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in canada, snow crab season (my main source of income) starts in november and goes until april. depends, per pound, if you're selling to wholesalers or smaller guys. usually about $2/pound

It goes through hockey season! How do you function?!

DVR. and we get 1-2 days off a week!

Nice! I was concerned for a minute there. Who's your favorite team?

The only correct answer here is the Toronto Maple Leafs!

Edit: 2013 STANLEY CUP CHAMPS! GO LEAFS GO!!

Wow this is not even okay...

i am from outside toronto but am a ravenous canadians fan. please don't kill me.

Biggest crab you've ever caught?

3-4 lbs. Heads the size of baseball mitts. Once saw a deckhand from another boat pull out one that had to be 8-10 pounds, but not sure.

these are snow crabs, fyi, so not anywhere as big as king's, the alaskan big boys

Is the work seasonal? How often do you go out and for how long?

seasonal in canada, anyway. nov-april. then some years i head south or elsewhere depending on whats popular and what kind of leads i can get.

Where on the coast are you? I'm outside Halifax, sailor on the navy ships. Not so much a sailor as a guy in a big tin can.

Glace bay!

Hey fellow Nova Scotian! What part are you from :)?

originally from newmarket, ON. live in glace bay now. :)

Have you noticed the fishing has gotten worst over the years? P.S. I love big crabs! :)

you have to look at it as a cyclical thing. back in the 1980's it was arguably worse than ever, then it came back, dipped again and for crabs, at least, it's back up. for other species, sure, there's a pretty obvious decline. but crabs are weird, i guess.

As in Asian Dutchman, there is no chance in hell Ill be elected to do an awesome job as yours....

...so do you still need a crewmember?

Wish I was the one making that decision, I'd bring ya on! Culd use some diversity in the crabbing world. Bunch of crusty ole white guys, mostly.

Hey man! Are you discerning at all when it comes to who buys your catch, or do you sell to anyone who will pay you for it? I guess I'm asking will you tell a national chain to shove it if they want to pay less then market value? Or do they set the market value?

^{I don't understand economics...}

Sadly, I don't make those decisions. Depends what sort of boat your onif they have a deal with a sole proprietor, corporation, etc. if it were up to me it would stay local. But then again, big companies mean more money.

are all newfies retarded?

yes.

Do you eat a lot of crab throughout the year? I envision your family eating crab at every meal.

Remarkably, I haven't gotten sick of it yet. Neither has my wife or son! Prefer lobster though.... But the crab wins because it's freee!

Have you ever met Ellen Page who is from New Scotland as well? How much money does one get paid crabbing?

i have not met her, but once met Helen Hunt.

Last year I made $35,000 canadian, and that was a bad year,

dredged up more than my fair share of treasure (and trash)

Elaborate please! Best thing you ever dredged up? (I read about the eagle-emblazoned u-boat part). Worst thing?

probably the blanket. weighed a ton and it was a spooky thing to come across at midnight on a night with no moon. other than that? oh, plenty of boots and shoes and auto parts that have no business being in the ocean.

What do you do in the off-season?

sometimes fish/crab elsewhere. depending on how well the season went i may travel -- was lucky enough to go to norway a few summers back.

Do you call people landlubbers?

yep. And then I walk away, my wooden leg dragging slowly behind.

Have you ever fallen off the boat?

once. fell off the wagon a few times too!

What do you typically eat when you're out fishing?

sandwiches. eat land food on the sea, and seafood on the land, as they say.

How do you feel about sloths? I have the same name.

more like, how DON'T i feel about sloths.