The Bering Sea is known as the most dangerous waters on earth for ships to navigate. However, there is also a huge bounty of different species of crab and fish that attract fisherman from Dutch Harbor each year. Unlike the Atlantic Ocean, where fishermen are in search of swordfish and tuna, the Bering Sea offers the remunerative king crab and opilio crab that is sought after around the world. It is the incalculable Alaskan climate and the rough sea that makes getting these crabs the Alaska fishing jobs. Many perish each year in their quest for this high-yielding catch.
Beyond the northern Pacific lies the Bering Sea and a lot of it is frozen in the early months of the year. These icy waters are favored by the species of crab that these men are after. King crab is a delicacy around the globe and brings in big business for fishermen who dare to catch them. Catching them can be a deadly job though. It is often the ice that makes it extra dangerous for the crew of these fishing ships like the North Western or Time Bandit. It happens that sometimes the gear is set too close the encroaching ice and it swallows it as the waters continue to freeze.
It is not just the string of crab pots that is in danger of the ice. The ships travel through frigid temperatures, it is the cold sea water that sprays aboard these vessels and coats them in a layer of ice. The thick frozen layer of sea water that covers these ships makes them and the stacked pots extra heavy. Because of this added weight, it is easy for the ships to roll over and for everyone to end up in the deadly Bering Sea. This is why deckhands are forced to use mallets to hack away at the frozen layer to remove the ice and send it overboard into the ocean. This task greatly slows down the process of catching the crab, but it is necessary.
Large waves sway the deck back and forth and deckhands slip and slide across the icy deck. They struggle to stay upright and alert because they have to constantly watch for falling objects. These objects can be ice chunks themselves or heavy pieces of equipment such as crab pots. Crab pots weigh nearly half a ton when covered in ice and can become a swinging pendulum of death when being moved by the crane. The heavy crab pots have to be moved by the crane into the rough seas below to set the string of crab pots.
Regardless of the dangers, there are still dozens of people that seek these deadliest careers on the planet. It is the high pay and sense of adventure that motivates these young people to take the trip to Dutch Harbor. For a large majority, it only takes a few days, or even a few hours, or being on deck to realize that this is not what they had expected. Even though they had seen it on television, they thought they were hard enough to handle these brutal conditions. Many are proved wrong each season, but some greenhorns do make it through to the next season.
Beyond the northern Pacific lies the Bering Sea and a lot of it is frozen in the early months of the year. These icy waters are favored by the species of crab that these men are after. King crab is a delicacy around the globe and brings in big business for fishermen who dare to catch them. Catching them can be a deadly job though. It is often the ice that makes it extra dangerous for the crew of these fishing ships like the North Western or Time Bandit. It happens that sometimes the gear is set too close the encroaching ice and it swallows it as the waters continue to freeze.
It is not just the string of crab pots that is in danger of the ice. The ships travel through frigid temperatures, it is the cold sea water that sprays aboard these vessels and coats them in a layer of ice. The thick frozen layer of sea water that covers these ships makes them and the stacked pots extra heavy. Because of this added weight, it is easy for the ships to roll over and for everyone to end up in the deadly Bering Sea. This is why deckhands are forced to use mallets to hack away at the frozen layer to remove the ice and send it overboard into the ocean. This task greatly slows down the process of catching the crab, but it is necessary.
Large waves sway the deck back and forth and deckhands slip and slide across the icy deck. They struggle to stay upright and alert because they have to constantly watch for falling objects. These objects can be ice chunks themselves or heavy pieces of equipment such as crab pots. Crab pots weigh nearly half a ton when covered in ice and can become a swinging pendulum of death when being moved by the crane. The heavy crab pots have to be moved by the crane into the rough seas below to set the string of crab pots.
Regardless of the dangers, there are still dozens of people that seek these deadliest careers on the planet. It is the high pay and sense of adventure that motivates these young people to take the trip to Dutch Harbor. For a large majority, it only takes a few days, or even a few hours, or being on deck to realize that this is not what they had expected. Even though they had seen it on television, they thought they were hard enough to handle these brutal conditions. Many are proved wrong each season, but some greenhorns do make it through to the next season.
About the Author:
The Alaska jobs brings many to Alaska every year. How about you? Looking for Alaska fishing jobs?
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