I am a commercial fisherman in Alaska, ask me anything!

How fake is Deadliest Catch show ?

very fake and dramatic haha

How fake is the fishing?

the fishing isn’t fake. you can’t really fake that.

What is the worst thing that's ever happened on your boat?

crew wise: one time my former captain told me that he didn’t want to hire me because he didn’t want to rape me & thought i was being dramatic for being upset about it, because i should be thankful that he didn’t want to rape me.

boat wise: almost loosing our anchor in 100 knot winds

Wait, did the captain not want to hire you because he thought he wouldn't be able to resist raping you, or did he not want to hire you because he had no interest in raping you in the first place (and would actually prefer having that desire)?

Either way... what the fuck. Glad he's not your captain anymore.

he didn’t want to hire me because he thought he wouldn’t be able to resist raping me. sorry for the confusion!

he’s fucking gross.

So, did you take that job?

he told me that after i had already taken the job when we were two months into fishing and in the middle of the water.

Oof. Still working with cap'n rapey?

nope, definitely not haha

Are you a lady? Did you tell everyone so he is seen as the slimy predator he is? Do decent men work for him? Does he live in your community, and will he be shunned by decent people? What did your mama say?

I'm sorry I ask so many questions. The world shouldn't be this way, and I'm sorry you had to deal with a sick man who thinks he's normal

I am a lady & yes, commercial fisherman tend to stick together and warn other people of folks like that! no, i’m suprised he even manages to still get crew. when i worked on his boat 4 people either got fired or quit before we even left port haha. He doesn’t live in my community, but he also doesn’t have many friends in the industry.

What is your view on overfishing?

I think it’s disgusting. Alaska actually has really good regulations in place for commercial fishing. Except trawlers, they are letting the trawlers destroy marine environments, overfish, deplete the king crab stocks etc. The bycatch allowments for this year were absolutely ridiculous.

Basic Information about trawling

Thanks for getting back to me!

" The “pre-approved” 2022 bycatch numbers for the Bering Sea trawl fleet set by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council are as follows:

Chinook Salmon bycatch: 45,700 fish (there is no hard cap for chums or other salmon)

Halibut bycatch: 5.48 million pounds (For the Gulf of Alaska: 3.76 million pounds)

Herring bycatch: 6 million pounds

Snow Crab (opilio): 5.99 million individuals (equal to 7.8 million pounds; the catch for crabbers is 5.6 million pounds)

Tanner Crab (bairdi): 3.07 million individuals (6,140,000 pounds; crabbers can take 1 million pounds)

Red King Crab: 80,160 individuals (520,000 pounds; the fishery is closed to crabbers for the first time in 25 years) "

These numbers are absolutely appalling.

I've had a lot of friends who I knew in Seattle that'd take those trawlers out to the Strait for a season and come back with stories man. But I had no idea that it was that bad... they have to understand the implications of those allotments. Is there a general acceptance for trawling among the fishing community up there?

Edit: proofreading

no one like trawlers!!!!! every single fisherman hates them! they are destroying fish stocks and marine life and environments, it’s disgusting. there’s multiple advocacy groups of fisherman who are campaign to the government to stop trawlers/trawler by-catch. no luck so far, it sucks!

Why do they let them do that? What political weirdness makes them regulate well in some areas & then let this mess go on?

sorry i just saw this. money and greed. the government does not care about the american people or the environment.

What commercial methods exist for fishing that don't involve trawling?

• gillnetting
• seining
• setnet/dipnet
• hand trolling/power trolling
• hook & line
• longline pots
• any pot fishery

Curious what the price of king is up there anymore it's 35/lb in the lower 48 that I can find

i heard it’s 200/lb in the lower 48. and i’m pretty sure the government blocked russia from importing their king crab (maybe not?). but 35 seems incredibly cheap for alaskan king crab right now.

Like a lot of folks, I’ve enjoyed watching TV shows about commercial fishing/crabbing in Alaska. If you’ve watched any of these, are there any inaccuracies or exaggerated aspects that bug you?

most of those shows are just drama filled with no accurate portrayals of fishing/boat life haha!

I always wanted to try commercial fishing, but I’m 6’6”. Would I be totally miserable living on a boat, or is there enough space for a bloke like me?

my captain is 6’6” & about 300lbs. So yes, there’s definitely room for tall folks. Just probably not on a tiny boat haha

What is your off season job?

i worked as a care coordinator for a guy with dementia last year. not sure about this year, we will see, i might just not get an off-season job, since my offseason is only from december-march

What skills should someone have before taking what seems to be an extremely difficult but lucrative job? What makes someone stand out versus what makes someone not fit the mold, in your opinion.

when i started fishing i weighed 120lb & couldn’t pick up a block of frozen bait. now i’m about 170lb and can pick up and toss the 90lb dungie pots with ease. what made me “fit the mold” was shutting my mouth. i just did what i was told and kept a positive attitude. and working on my arm strength which was a little more difficult as a woman haha.

skills that i would say make someone “stand out” - physical strength - attention to detail - knowing how to cook fast & good food - being aware of your surroundings - take the job seriously but don’t take things to seriously (i.e. if someone is berating you, just let it roll off your back don’t start arguing or fighting) everything can be taught skill wise, no one can teach you how to be a team player though & no one wants to babysit a greenhorn.

What’s the biggest fish you caught?

i think around a 200-230lb. Halibut! You end up with your whole arm up to the shoulder trying to gut the damn thing!

Thanks, sorry next question, what’s the weirdest thing you found in the stomach of a fish?

nothing weird. sometimes they eat a shit ton of bait, and they come up with their stomachs all distended because they somehow managed to eat 6 pollock in one sitting. sometimes you’ll pick them up and they will throw up because their stomachs can’t handle all of the food haha!

What’s the best way for an entry level person to get involved with fishing as a career? I’m from So Cal and want to do this for a living but can’t find anyway In

There’s a lot of fishing facebook groups!

I'm in the same boat as you and would also like to know.

I don’t think either of you are in a boat

god damnit i was going to make the same joke!

How much of plastic pollution do you imagine fishermen contribute with? I'm sure you lose quite a bit of nets and what not, cheers!

most of our nets/gear have no plastic at all. dungie pots sometimes have plastic “crab snaps” but that’s the only gear that I can think of that has plastic.

surprisingly we don’t loose gear that often. - lost one crab pot this year, because another vessel set their pot way too close to ours and our lines became tangled up and snapped when we tried to haul our pot. - lost a slinky pot, because a whale ate it whole. we do pull up derelict gear sometimes & we always drag it on board and take it into port to throw away (not every boat does this, some just cut it free & let it sink again).

the real plastic pollution issue is with trash, especially in the bering sea. large factory boats don’t want to take care of their trash & will just chuck it overboard. you don’t find that happening as much on smaller boats (especially seiners) because they are close to shore & have a little more common sense. there are some captains and crew who will chuck plastic water bottles and stuff into the ocean. so all in all, i’d say the plastic pollution isn’t as drastic as people may think. i can’t give a percentage or anything but i hope this gave you some insight!

How do you know the whale ate your slinky pot? Did you see it happen?

I’m realizing this sounds like I’m arguing with you or something, but I’m just curious!

we usually have like 6-7 whales surrounding the boat & when the bridle came up we could tell me the way the line had parted/there was no tension (it didn’t get caught on something & snap while hauling)!

Why do they surround the boats?

they want as much fish as they can get haha!

How big is your ship/boat?

I ask because I was stationed on an Aircraft Carrier when I was in the USN, and even sailing through 15-20 ft swells in The Atlantic barely moved that hunk of metal. I can imagine it’s kind of rough until you get your sea legs under you, no?

Cheers, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!

it’s a 59 foot steel boat that was built as a crabber. it takes nasty swells with ease! it’s not bad for me, some people get seasick and stumble but overall it’s really nice on this boat!

Glad to hear!

The only thing that got me in those massive swells was that the ship would rock sloooooowly back and forth all day which put me right to sleep.

2am-7am watch sucked on its own, but being soothed to sleep like a baby made it nigh impossible to stay awake.

RIGHT! those swells make me so damn sleepy, i get the best sleep ever when the weather is shit!

Best guess- what’s the percentage of people you work with abusing drugs or alcohol?

on my boat, none. in port, most everyone (especially alcohol). drug use (ie amphetamines) is more prominent in bristol bay i think, with long liners and pot fisheries they (captains that care) are able to weed people out pretty easily, because you can’t function appropriately if you’re drunk/high. there are some boats that genuinely don’t give a shit, but overall no one wants a deckhand whose high. a lot of seiners smoke weed though. alcohol is more lax, there’s a lot of captains that are fine with drinking on the boat, just not during fishing. so it just depends.

Well, let's add in for the smart captains, they realize the USCG will fuck them sideways if they find drugs on a boat.

Amen. Even captains who are cool with recreational drug use (in my experience) have an absolute no drugs onboard policy. If you've ever been boarded by the Coast Guard returning to port, you understand why.

Right, nobody gives a shit if you're burning one on the dock, soon as you set foot on a commercial vessel, you better be straight or bad shit can go down, they go in dry. Even for some pot.

smoking pot is dumb on a boat. especially longliners or pot fisheries. seining doesn’t have as much risk involved so it’s less dangerous (still not smart). there was a guy in dutch a few years ago smoking crack on deck while they were tied up at the city dock lol. some people are stupid. also it’s not hard to wait till you go to port to get fucked up (sans folks with addiction issues, but you won’t last long on a boat if you are actively using).

exactly, they find drugs or someone gets injured and pisses dirty. captains could loose their insurance, licensenses, the boat etc.

Where do you go on vacation?

I do not! Can’t remember the last time I had an actual vacation

Thank you for taking time to answer some questions. Are high fuel prices affecting your business? If so, in what ways?

oh god yes!!! usually fuel costs are divided between all of the crew on the boat (it’s taken out of your check) and for people fishing for black cod & halibut (which are regulated with IFQ’s - Individual Fishing Quotas) who don’t have a lot of IFQ’s, they aren’t making any money because all of the money coming in can’t even cover the cost of fuel.

the boat im on has excellent fuel efficiency, however it still costs about 12,000 to fill our tanks, luckily we only get fuel every month. some boats need to fill up every week or week and a half.

i know a few guys this season who gave up on dungie fishing because the price of fuel was so high it wasn’t worth it.

sorry my answer is a little bit of a scrambled mess, but i hope that helps answer your question!

Whats the longest shift you've worked?

probably like 30 hours.

I read a comment on reddit years ago that Coca-Cola is very expensive in rural parts of Alaska due to import issues. Commenter who was hiking the wilderness said he carried cans of Coke with him for gifts/bartering due to its value. Wish I could find the comment. Any truth to this?

everything is expensive in rural alaska, especially produce, if you can find any. but i can completely believe that story!

What’s a bunch of bananas cost?

like $4-$11 a pound or something like that from what i can remember!

What's the pay like?

pretty good. the price of fuel & everything is else is crazy high right now though.

What is the overall view about the Deadliest Catch show from the boats not featured in the show? Is there any jealousy or animosity towards the captains that are on it?

its absolutely the funniest thing to watch when i’m bored, it’s so dramatic and everything is played up for views. there’s definitely no jealousy, i think some of those guys don’t want to even be on the show haha. most of the boats/captains are kind of the laughing stock in dutch. the one person i can say i do like, is neal from the time bandit. he’s a fun guy to be around & can engage people in conversation really well!

What's your favorite way to cook salmon? Also, not a question, but I live around your latitude in Sweden. Anchorage and Stockholm are about the same distance from the equator.

i love smoked salmon!!

Alaska has some amazing National Parks where the land truly still belongs to the wild. Have you been to any? Do you have a favorite one to recommend to people wanting to travel to Alaska? Any other places in Alaska that inspire wonder that you’d recommend seeing?

I’ve explored a lot of nature up here! I would suggest anywhere in Southeast Alaska it’s absolutely GORGEOUS!!

Are Bonita fish big!?

i have no idea what that fish even is.

What's the scariest thing that happened while you were out at sea? Any moments where you legit thought you wouldn't make it?

yes, when i was fishing in the Aleutian’s in October on a 32 foot gillnetter. There were some moments we’d hit bad weather and I thought the boat wouldn’t recover from a roll & that would be it.

Have you ever fallen in while underway? What was it like? Have you ever been called to an SOS?

no, i did have to drag this idiot back on board last year bc he didn’t want to work anymore so “fell overboard”. it’s pretty hard to fall overboard if you are paying attention/following saftey protocol. sos wise, nope!

Stupid question... What type of fish are those in the image?

Sablefish (black cod)!

What do fishermen do to pass the time?

i make a lot of sourdough bread or cook random food haha. most people nap, im not too good at napping. sometimes i like to organize/clean stuff. a lot of people play games on their phones/read also!

Just got back from spending a week in Ketchikan. What an unbelievable experience. Fished for 7 days in salt and fresh. There are so many guide lodges there. Do your seasons overlap? Are you guys sick of competing with tourism? Does tourism even effect you guys since you use different methods and different slot limits?

there’s no competition with tourists themselves, the charter fleet is annoying because they don’t have to pay for IFQ’s for halibut or black cod (which is stupid) and the price of King Salmon for commercial seiners is pretty low because the charter fleet wanted a lot of the Kings for themselves so they can exploit tourists.

I love Alaskan King Crab but it is so expensive, why?

the alaska king crab fishery faced a mandatory shut down last year. so no one can fish for it right now! so any stock that people had is super rare and super expensive.

What is the Alaskan Fishery word for “greenhorn” and how many of them came running your way to “work” due to all those reality shows? Secondly, what do you think the success/failure rate was for this category of folk?

we use the term greenhorn! and there’s a lot of people who try it, anytime you get a guy who won’t shut up about deadliest catch you know they are usually all bark and no bite. i think some people are successful if they are interested in the work and experience, i think there is a pretty high failure rate cuz they think they know everything lol.

Where do you make port? I lived in Unalaska (Dutch Harbor) for 6 months and that was one of the most bizarre places, I have so many great memories but man can it get boring after so long.

petersburg, sitka, seward, dutch, akutan, king cove

Where do you fish generally in Alaska ?

I’ve fished everywhere from Southeast Alaska up into the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands area!

What's an obvious affect climate change has had on your fishing? What's a non-obvious one?

i think this encapsulates both the obvious/non-obvious but the water being a lot warmer has affected the depth that fish are at. so for example with dungie’s, fishing in the shallows (5-20 fathoms) you aren’t catching much because the water is warmer. sorry, i’m trying to give you the best answer possible without giving incorrect information!

I used to hand catch spiny lobsters commercially in Florida, just three of us on a 18 foot open skiff, is there anything small scale like that in Alaska or only bigger vessels?

yes! people fish with skiffs a lot up here!!

Hello, /u/prob1matic!

What's the weirdest thing you've ever seen in/on the water?

honestly i don’t know! i love seeing rafts of sea otters!

What's the scoop on the king crab season this winter? All my local stores might have a little dungeness or snow on hand, but kings have been out of stock all year. I think the 21-22 season was cancelled? Any news on that front?

i don’t think it will be open. they are having a meeting about it soon, but it’s unlikely to open until next year. dungies just opened up here on the 15th so you should be getting more in stores soon!

How do you handle fear? I know the "reality" TV shows aren't necessarily reflective of fact but being out on a boat can be dangerous. In one of your responses you mentioned it. In my field there are chemical hazards which can potentially hurt you very badly, but I've never gone into work where I was thinking that if something happened beyond my control that would be "it" as you posted on your response.

I don’t really get scared often. I trust my captain and crew & my own skills and abilities as a fisherman. So if anything were to happen that was completely out of our control, and we had tried everything to change the event/occurrence, I would just accept it. That’s something you always have in the back of your head with fishing, you could go out and not make it back & there’s nothing you can do to fix or change that!

What’s it like living in Alaska? I’ve heard it can be dark for weeks on end.

it’s pretty nice! we don’t have a polar night where i live, but we do have the endless light in the summer, where the sun hits the horizon and then just goes back up, instead of setting. so there will be full daylight till like 2300-2400 and then the sun “sets” until about 0300-0400 when it starts rising again!

Are you on the same boat/crew every season, or do you sign a contract for whatever boat is available?

i like the boat im on now, so yes. not sure if the crew will be the exact same next year. but i’m pretty sure it will, because it’s just me and one other guy.

Whats your goto landlubber grub when you make port? Aside from booze and whatever they serve there.

when i’m in port i usually still make myself food on the boat. i’ve been really into salads recently. i’ve got a great kale salad recipe i’ve been eating pretty much every day!

What’s the typical season and schedule like? For example, how long are you underway or in port, and how often are you in Alaska vs being home?

usually trips last a week or two, and we sometimes turn and burn (no more than a day in port) but sometimes we get to stay for like three days! my schedule for this year is - April-June: Sablefish, longline pots - June: Dungeness Crab, pots - July-September: Salmon Tendering - October-November: Dungeness Crab, pots / Halibut & Sablefish, longline & longline pots

Has the pandemic made your job more difficult and if so, how?

we couldn’t get off the boat at all the year of the pandemic & so everyone was going crazy having to be stuck on a boat with their crew for months haha. it has definitely affected fish prices due to restaurants not being open etc. and the lack of groceries due to import issues and such!

Have you noticed the halibut being extra gelatinous? When I was a fisherman off the Kenai Peninsula about 8 years ago we noticed it occurring with the halibut there.

I have not! I also have only fished halibut in Central Gulf or Southeast!

I have seen several articles detailing the issues that Chile is having fending off Chinese fishing boats in Chilean territorial waters. Are you aware of any similar issues with foreign fishing boats off of Alaska?

no, some of the russian boats will try and push into american waters at the border. but we don’t really have a huge issue with that. the coast guard patrols US waters 24/7

What are your favorite and least favorite parts of living on the boat?

What do you miss most while you're on it?

favorite: i love being out on the water, not having cell service (so i don’t have to talk to people haha), i love the act of fishing itself as well.

least favorite: if the crew sucks (my crew is great, thank god), when we run out of veggies, cutting bait, when it’s crazy windy and rainy at the same time.

I miss my partner and my friends back home a lot! and this bagel place where i live, they make the best bagels!!

edit: the worst thing is when i run out of vape juice or someone runs out of smokes!! you never want to be on a boat with a smoker that ran out of smokes!

Have you caught any giant squid?

no!

How much do you make per fish? Or how do IFQs work? Do you need to reach certain numbers and get bonuses on pay when you hit that margin?

here’s some info about IFQ’s For example if my boat has 30,000 pounds of Black Cod quota. - We go out and catch that amount (there’s a 10% margin of error - so we could catch 3k under quota and have it added onto next years quota (any more than that doesn’t get added back) or 3k over quota (any more than that and you will get severely fined). - then we deliver our catch to the cannery where the black cod is priced by weight & grade (for a 2-3lb fish we get like 1.15/lb but for a 7+lb fish we get like 9/lb.) - whatever that total is the crew gets their crew share (usually like 10%)

so yes we do need to reach certain numbers but we don’t get bonuses

What’s your opinion on “boat life.” As in - we go get wasted after work and do it all over again. I’ve got a friend who deck hands for a wildlife tour company and they say everyone just goes and gets wasted after work. Is it the same for fishing?

nope! we don’t get off the boat every day, so no getting wasted. it’s fun to drink in port sometimes, but i don’t like getting super wasted, because trying to work while hungover sucks. i think alcoholism is definitely a major issue in the fishing industry though!

Where are you based out of? I was just in Seward two weeks ago fishing rock fish and loved it!

i’m in SE right now. I fish out of seward a lot as well though!

How long have you been in commercial fishing and how did you get involved?

I’ve only been fishing for a year and a half (four different boats & 5 different fisheries). There’s a lot of facebook groups you can join!

why did you decide to pursue this life? what were you doing before? did you always live in alaska? this is such a cool IAMA, thank you for your time! cheers

my ex used to commercial fish & that made me super interested in it. i also wanted to explore a male dominated industry! i was a commercial bread baker before! & no, i am from missouri! thank you for your kind words :-)

Have you wver encountered ambergris?

What's the most valuable haul you get? I read your largest catch was a halibut, but was that single fish worth more than a smaller fish (say tuna)?

no i have not! & yes! a 230 pound halibut is about 2,300 dollars!

How do you feel about fish stocks, the globes appetite for fish, and the future?

i think there’s a lot of appetite for fish & there will always be. i also think the fisheries in alaska (sans trawlers) are heavily regulated and there are constant scientific studies being done to make sure we aren’t overfishing!

I was going to ask if you ever go after sablefish, but then I saw your verification pics. Yum! Is it all long-lining for them?

Do you ever eat part of your catch on the boat, or is there some kind of rule about that?

there is some rules about eating your catch with sablefish and halibut due to IFQ rules. also you don’t want to eat your paycheck haha. some boats do, but we don’t. we did have someone eat the cod heads once (otherwise they get disposed of)

What is your favorite fish (to cook/eat) and what is (in your opinion) the best way to cook that fish?

The only fish i eat is salmon (which i rarely eat) and smoked is definitely the best way!!!

How's the relationship between commericial fishers and the local First Nations?

like the indigenous folks? they have a seat in all fishery management meetings & indigenous communities have different rights to fish. some captains get butthurt about how the indigenous communities have different regulations, but it’s ignorant and stupid, because this is their land.

Do you have a Vicky on your side at all times? Can you make a pair of tuffs last a whole year?

yes i do, super important to always have a vicky with long lining. with seining you don’t want to have one on you because it will get caught on the net and it’s annoying (and unsafe). most of the time, no. but i got blessed with a pair of the originals this year (that are already 15 years old) and they are doing great. a crab did rip a tiny hole in one though haha.

you need a graphic artist for anything? i'm... available!

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(you did say ANYTHING... lol)

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but how about the salmon? they doing ok? sustainable? we gonna be able to eat them for long time? bears too? plenty to go around? healthy and stuff?

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hugs, thanks for catching yummy fishes for us to eat

the salmon sticks are great, especially in bristol bay the forecast looks amazing. salmon are at no risk. very sustainable. there’s a lot of companies like alaska salmon company & seafood producers co-op that you can order fish from where you know it’s sustainable and caught and treated with love and care.

bears are all good. i love watching momma bears being their cubs down to the beach to catch salmon. it’s cute!