alaska fishing jobs handbook 2010

7/27/2019 Alaska Fishing Jobs Handbook 2010

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THE ALASKA FISHING JOBS

HANDBOOK

2010 EDITION

BY THE STAFF OF THE ALASKA FISHING JOBS

CENTER

WHERE CREWS AND SKIPPERS CLICK


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit ii

A portion of proceeds from the sale of this handbook will be

contributed to the United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA) and other

advocacy groups representing the interests of the commercial

fishing industry in Alaska.

All information provided is of a general nature and is not intended

to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity.

Although AFJC endeavors to provide accurate and timely

information, there can be no guarantee that such information is

accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be

accurate in the future.

The Alaska Fishing Jobs Center is an Internet-based infomediary

service, not a hiring or placement agency. We disseminate

information to job seekers and provide prospective employers with

access to job applicants through our website at

www.FishingJobs.com.

In this handbook we stress the need for personal safety training

and personal responsibility for all persons connected to thecommercial fishing industry. We also emphasize the importance of

well-crafted and carefully considered crew contracts.

We are not liable for any damages or injuries arising from any

commercial fishing operation, in Alaska or elsewhere. Neither are

we responsible in any way for the actions of job seekers who may

utilize our service, or for the actions of any employer who may

choose to hire such a job-seeker.

No portion of this book may be copied, photocopied or reproduced

in any manner without written permission from the Alaska Fishing

Jobs Center.

Copyright 1998-2010, Alaska Fishing Jobs Center. All rights reserved.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit iii

Bill Hansen and the crew of the salmon purse seiner Cheri H hauling gear near Ketchikan, Alaska. In the left

background, the skiffman uses a towline to hold the Cheri H in proper relation to the net as it is pulled aboard.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit iv

CONGRATULATIONS!If youre interested in a fishing job in Alaska, youve just taken the first and most

important step; arming yourself with knowledge.

Once youve read this handbook, we urge you to sign up with AFJC and fill out your

personal crew profile and application. We will make them available to every licensed

fishing boat skipper in Alaska.

AFJC is the only organization that provides the hiring skippers of Alaska with direct

access to you, the job seeker. They pay absolutely nothing for our service, and that

increases the likelihood that you will land a fishing job in Alaska.

The guidance in this handbook and the wealth of information contained in the Fishing

Crew Toolbox on our website supplements and extends the power of your profile and

application youll see what we mean by that as you read through this and learn more.

Back in the Fishing Crew Toolbox you will find contact information for thousands of

Alaskan skippers organized by fishery, boat type and region. Youll also find excellent

maps and research tools for familiarizing yourself with coastal Alaska, fishing season

calendars, and much more.

Now, read this handbook, get a sense of what fishing in Alaska is all about, and see

what you think. We hope to see you soon, back at the Alaska Fishing Jobs Center.

www.FishingJobs.com
http://www.fishingjobs.com/http://www.fishingjobs.com/http://www.fishingjobs.com/


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit vTABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD .....................................................................................................1COMMERCIAL FISHING IN ALASKA........... ............ ........... ........... ............ ........... ....2

THE STRATEGY BEHIND THIS HANDBOOK............................................................................. 2

CRABBERS ................................................................................................................. 3

TRAWLERS /DRAGGERS ................................................................................................ 4

LONGLINERS .............................................................................................................. 4

ALASKAS SALMON INDUSTRY ........... ........... ........... ............ ........... ........... ..........5LIFE ON A PURSE SEINER ............ ............ .......... ............ ............ .......... ............ ....7

THE WORKDAY ON SEINERS ............................................................................................. 9

LIFE ON A GILLNETTER .............. ............ .......... ............ ............ ........... ........... .. 11THE WORKDAY ON GILLNETTERS..................................................................................... 11

UNLOADING THE DAYS CATCH ........... ............ ........... ........... ............ ........... .... 12THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL ................ ........... ........... ............ ........... .... 13SPECIAL CONCERNS OF WOMEN IN FISHING ......................................................... 14BYCATCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... . 152010 TARGET FISHERIES ............ ............ .......... ............ ............ .......... ............ .. 16

BRISTOL BAY SALMON GILLNET ..................................................................................... 16

KODIAK SALMON PURSE SEINE ...................................................................................... 17

SOUTHEAST SALMON GILLNET &PURSE SEINE.................................................................... 17

EARNING POTENTIAL IN THE TARGET FISHERIES .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ... 18YOUR THREE RESPONSIBILITIES AS A MEMBER OF AFJC .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ... 20JOB SUCCESS TRACK ONE: YOUR AFJC CREW PROFILE AND LETTERS TO SKIPPERS .... ... 20


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit viSAMPLE CREW PROFILE NARRATIVE SECTION #1................................................................. 21

SAMPLE CREW PROFILE NARRATIVE SECTION #2................................................................. 21

SAMPLE CREW PROFILE NARRATIVE SECTION #3................................................................. 22

SAMPLE LETTER #1 .................................................................................................... 23

SAMPLE LETTER #2 .................................................................................................... 24

JOB SUCCESS TRACK TWO: MAKING THE TRIP ...................................................... 25WHERE DO I GO TO FIND A JOB? ..................................................................................... 25

WHAT SHOULD I BRING? .............................................................................................. 25

Raingear ............................................................................................................ 25

Boots & Shoes .................................................................................................... 26

Layers ............................................................................................................... 26

Miscellaneous items: .......................................................................................... 27

HOW MUCH STUFF SHOULD I BRING? ............................................................................... 27

WHEN SHOULD I GO? .................................................................................................. 28

WHERE CAN I STAY ONCE I GET THERE? ............................................................................ 28

ONCE I GET TO THE DOCKS, WHAT DO I DO? ..................................................................... 28

HOW DO I ACTUALLY ASK FOR A JOB? .............................................................................. 28

IS THERE A UNION FOR FISHERMEN? ................................................................................. 29

WHAT IF I DONT GET ON A BOAT IN THE NORTHWEST? ........................................................ 29

HOW DO CREWMEMBERS GET PAID? ................................................................................. 30

WILL I BE SIGNING A CONTRACT? .................................................................................... 31

ISNT COMMERCIAL FISHING DANGEROUS? ......................................................................... 31

WHAT ABOUT DRUGS ON FISHING BOATS? ......................................................................... 32


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit viiWELL, CAN I AT LEAST HAVE A BEER NOW AND THEN? ........................................................... 33

SAMPLE CREW EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT ............................................................ 34DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO KEY PORTS IN THE NORTHWEST .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .. 37

SEATTLE,WASHINGTON .............................................................................................. 37

BELLINGHAM,WASHINGTON ......................................................................................... 37

EVERETT,WASHINGTON .............................................................................................. 38

GIG HARBOR,WASHINGTON ......................................................................................... 38

YOUTH HOSTEL ADDRESSES AND CONTACT INFORMATION .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... 39GLOSSARY .................................................................................................... 40LOGBOOK ..................................................................................................... 42


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 1

FOREWORDAlthough this is not a big book, it contains information that took us years to learn, and thats

why we wanted to pass it along to you.

Among other things, this handbook:

backgrounds you on the risks and rewards of Alaskan commercial fishing; outlines your three-track strategy for obtaining your fishing job online at our website,

through letter-writing to hiring skippers, and by walking the docks;

tells you how to behave on a fishing boat, so that you distinguish yourself as a valuablecrewmember and your skipper asks you back for the following season.

This book is a roadmap to adventure, but no two adventures are alike. You might be hired right

the website. That is your first goal, and ours! You may get a callback from the first skipper you

send a letter to, or the twentieth. Or maybe youll find a job walking the docks in Seattle or

Bellingham or Ketchikan, in May or June. Time will tell.

As much as we would like to, we cannot guarantee you will land a job on a fishing boat in Alaska.

But we do guarantee that by posting your profile and application at the AFJC website you will

dramatically increase your chances.

Everyone who ever went to Alaska was taking some kind of risk. For us, that risk paid off with

unforgettable experiences, hard work, good money and lasting friendships.

It is our sincerest hope that you can look back someday and say the same.

Be smart. Be safe. Good fishing.

-The Crew at AFJC

P.S. Now, read this handbook!


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COMMERCIAL FISHING IN ALASKA

A nice bag of salmon comes aboard Kevin Patricks Wonderland, off Dall Island in Southeast Alaska

THE STRATEGY BEHIND THIS HANDBOOK

The Alaska Fishing Jobs Handbook emphasizes work and crew positions on two kinds of

commercial salmon fishing boats, purse seiners (pronounced say-nerz), like the one above,

and gillnetters.

This emphasis is strategic, and it benefits you, because we want you to put your efforts where

they are most likely to be successful. Taken together, salmon purse seiners and gillnetters

comprise the greatest number of commercial fishing boats in Alaska, and provide the greatest

number of available entry-level fishing jobs.

This emphasis does not extend to our website, however. The Fishing Crew Toolbox contains

comprehensive information on all kinds of Alaskan fisheries, and every fishing boat skipper in

Alaska can take advantage of free access to you enjoy free access to our website and to you, the

job-seeker.

So, although we do emphasize salmon jobs here in the handbook, there are many other kindsof fishing boats operating in Alaska, targeting many different species of fish and shellfish. And

when you join AFJC you will have the potential to access all of them.

A note about salmon set netting: We are also placing new emphasis on set net jobs, because

there are a lot of them, they dont require on-the-water experience, and they offer our


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 3members another way to get to Alaska, make good money and get the lay of the land. Salmon

set netters are fishermen who set their nets out from the shore, with one end secured to the

beach and the other end anchored out. Set nets are used to catch salmon in many parts of

Alaska, and crewmembers on set net crews often have opportunities to move on in subsequent

seasons to work aboard fishing boats.

Here are some brief overviews of other Alaskan fisheries and vessel types.

CRABBERS

The notoriously dangerous Bering Sea is hunting ground for a fleet of crab fishing vessels

between 100 and 200 feet in length. Deadliest Catch, a popular program on the Discovery

Channel, has popularized crabbing and fired the imagination of thousands if not millions of

television viewers who are interested in working on a Bering Sea crabber. That presents a

problem, because no matter what the program may suggest, the Bering Sea is no place for

beginners.

We discourage first-time fishing industry job-seekers from setting their sights on a Bering Sea

crab job for the same reason we would discourage pre-med students from performing surgery.

Somebody could get hurt.

When they arent wrestling 700 lb. crab pots up and down the stack, or in and out of the

water, winter crewmembers on crabbers routinely break the salt-spray ice covering their boats

rigging with aluminum baseball bats to prevent the vessel from growing top-heavy and

overturning.

The list of crewmembers given up to the Bering Sea in pursuit of crab is a long, tragic list, and it

grows a little longer almost every year. You need solid on-the-water experience and the skills

that go with it before you try for a crabbing job. Gain some boat experience first, and then take

a long, sober look at the risks and rewards involved in Bering Sea crabbing.

Those of us who have attended funerals and memorials for friends lost in the Bering Sea would

be remiss if we promoted crabbing as a realistic aspiration for greenhorns. It should only be

undertaken after gaining on-the-water experience, and a sober assessment of your boat skills.

For more information about this, see theCrab Fishing in Alaskapage on our website.
http://fishingjobs.freelock.net/node/4http://fishingjobs.freelock.net/node/4http://fishingjobs.freelock.net/node/4http://fishingjobs.freelock.net/node/4


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TRAWLERS / DRAGGERS

Dragging their nets through the Bering Sea and the North Pacific, giant factory trawlers, or

draggers, catch huge volumes of cod, pollock, sole and other relatively low-value species.

Most of the crew on these ships remain below deck for their 14-16 hour workdays. Standing at

machines and conveyors, they process and freeze the catch. Some species are turned into

surimi, a fish paste used to create artificial crab and other products.

Smaller draggers operate in other parts of Alaska, going after rockfish, shrimp, bottom fish and

other species.

A halibut longliner heads north for the season, through Southeast Alaska

LONGLINERS

A fleet of boats called longliners target halibut and sablefish (also known as black cod) from

Southeastern Alaska to the tip of the Aleutian Islands. Since halibut and black cod are deep-

water fish, they are caught using baited hooks arranged along appropriately enough long

lines stretched across the sea floor.

Longliners vary in length from 32 to over 100. Some are venerable old wooden boats of the

schooner style, about 65 long, but most longliners are more modern now, built of aluminum or

steel.

Longlining is a tradition-rich fishery, and with the possible exception of crabbing, longlining

especially for halibut is probably the most physically demanding work to be found in Alaskas

fleets. It was long said of this fishery, the boats are made of wood, and the men are made of


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 5steel. Baiting hooks thousands of them lifting the massive halibut onto cleaning tables and

gutting them by hand with sharp knives is most of the work. But icing the fish in the hold is

also a workout, especially when the weather is cranky.

So longlining is tough, but it can also be very lucrative, and it affords opportunities to see lotsof different parts of Alaska. The season is long lasting from March to November, and a quota-

system management regime provides skippers with flexibility in timing their trips. It allows

skippers to watch market conditions and the weather for the best possible windows to get out

and catch their individual quota.

The amount of quota held by skippers varies widely. Some skippers can catch their annual

allotment in just a few days, while others spend weeks and even months packing in the halibut

and black cod.

In addition to longliners, draggers and crabbers, many other types of fishing vessels operate in

Alaska.

Although this handbook describes a few Target Fisheries that provide large numbers of entry-

level jobs, your job search will cast a much wider net than that. Every skipper licensed to

operate in Alaskan fisheries enjoys free access to the Alaska Fishing Jobs Center and its

member database. Thats more than 12,000 skippers.

ALASKAS SALMON INDUSTRYNews media in the Lower-48 often give people the impression that salmon are on the verge of

extinction; that they have been over-fished or otherwise endangered. This is true almost

everywhere but Alaska. The overall biological health of Alaskas salmon runs is remarkably

strong and sustainable

Most of Alaska is still pristine wilderness, with rivers and tributaries essentially unchanged over

centuries. This good news is rarely reported in Lower-48 newspapers or electronic media.

Five species of salmon reproduce in the streams and lakes of Alaska. In ascending order of

market value they are Pinks (slang term: Humpies), Chums (Dogs), Cohos (Silvers), Sockeyes

(Reds or Bluebacks), and Chinooks (Kings). Salmon spend their first year or two of life in their

natal, fresh water stream, then migrate to salt water. After spending two to four years in the

ocean, they undertake an amazing journey that, should they survive, will return them to their

stream of origin.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 6As the salmon approach their home waters, they become concentrated and begin to school up

in greater and greater numbers. Then they can be caught in quantity by seiners and gillnetters.

Alaskas salmon fisheries are managed by biologists, who are mandated to maximize the

economic benefit of the salmon runs for the people of Alaska. Since economic benefits woulddisappear if salmon runs failed, manager-biologists are required to manage the runs for

sustainability. In general, they do an excellent job, telling the fishermen when and within

certain parameters where they can fish.

The period of time when fishing is allowed is called an opening. Each fisherys season will

include many openings. Openings vary in duration from a few hours to a few days.

Breaks between openings give the managers time to assess run strength and adjust their

management strategy. Their primary goal is to ensure optimum escapement in each major

spawning stream in their area. The term escapement describes fish that manage to survive all

predation, including that of man, and escape upstream to reproduce.

Breaks between openings also give fishing crews time to mend and repair equipment, rest and

generally prepare for the next opening.

A typical purse seiner hauls gear.


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LIFE ON A PURSE SEINERThe maximum length for salmon purse seiners in Alaska is 58 feet. This is a state-mandated

size limit meant to prevent excessive fish-catching efficiency among the fleet. Since the boats

are relatively long and wide, they are usually quite comfortable. Purse seiners are readily

distinguishable by their rigging. Purse seiners have a heavy mast, from which projects a boom,

extending aft vertically and diagonally over the work deck. From the boom hangs a power

block.

Purse seiners typically have a crew of five, including the skipper. Everyone is expected to pitch

in whenever and wherever there is work to be done, but certain specialized tasks usually, but

not always, fall to crewmembers with prior experience.

The skiffman drives a high-powered work skiff, pulling one end of the purse seine net as it

enters the water and corrals the catch. He1

The engineer, usually a returning crewmember or a greenhorn with mechanical experience, is

responsible for keeping the engines and machinery in good working order.

works closely with the skipper, who communicates

with him by radio about maintaining the shape of the net.

A greenhorn, by the way, is a new and inexperienced crewmember. Always remember that every

crewmember and skipper in Alaska was once a greenhorn.

Greenhorns are usually assigned the role of deckhand. Deckhands do a little bit of everything,and are expected to display initiative and a willingness to learn at all times. Stacking the net as

it comes aboard; repairing the nets and other equipment as they wear and tear; pitching fish

into the fish-hold; unloading the catch at the end of the day; standing wheel-watch and helping

keep the boat clean are a few of the countless tasks that will be learned by the enterprising

deckhand. Which brings us to AFJC Rule #1- There is no such thing as a stupid question.

1 Throughout your Handbook, we are using conventional masculine terminology. This is partly for convenience and to

avoid grammatical awkwardness. We also choose this style however, because we have observed that a number of

women we know who work in the industry refer to themselves as "fishermen," preferring the traditional term to the

more politically correct but seemingly less popular term, "fishers." In any case, women comprise a growing percentage

of the ranks of both crewmembers and skippers. The staff at AFJC feels very strongly that the Alaskan commercial

fishing industry is a better one because of these women, and we suspect that few in the fleets would disagree.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 8So dont be afraid to ask. We know one skipper who got hired as a greenhorn onto a purse

seiner. He spent three days on board before locating

the head. Do not be like him. Ask questions when

you dont understand something. There is a lot of

terminology and equipment unique to boats, and

the sooner you learn port from starboard, the

better.

No matter how enterprising the deckhand, however,

there are certain skills that only come with time and

practice. Wheel watch that is, driving the boat is

a combination of boat handling and navigation that

you wont learn overnight. During your first season,

your skipper may only give you the wheel if there is

a long, straight run to be made. More experienced crewmembers or the skipper himself may

take over when navigating gets tricky.

While you are in this learning phase, you should make extra effort in those areas where you can

function easily. One way to think about this is by breaking the work on a fishing boat into two

categories. One is the work of fishing. The other is the work of maintaining the boat and

equipment.

The greener the crewmember, the more he should help in maintaining the boat. When you get

back to town, be the first one onto the dock with the garbage bags. Take on more than your

share of the dishwashing duties. Clean off the table and countertops. Coil lines carefully and

neatly. If you see a piece of gear that could roll across the deck in heavy weather, secure it. Be

on the lookout all the time for things that are out of place, then put them away. Dont wait to

be told.

It usually falls to one of the deckhands to do double duty as the cook, although on some boats

cooking responsibilities are shared. All purse seiners have large oil-fired ranges where most of

the cooking is done. Some also have microwaves and other modern appliances, which make the

job considerably easier than it might be otherwise. Even so, the old stereotype of an

overworked and under-appreciated boat cook still has a bit of truth to it. Most crews and

skippers, however, recognize the importance of a good steady diet and are grateful to the

person who dishes it up day after day.

AFJC Rule #1

There is no such

thing as a stupid

question.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 9On most seiners, crewmembers sleep in bunks in a common area of the cabin, near the bow,

called the focsle (short for forecastle). On older seiners, the focsle is situated below-decks

and forward of the engine room. Newer designs have the focsle on the main cabin level. The

skipper usually has a small private stateroom on the main cabin level.

Bunks vary in size from boat to boat, but they are usually adequate. A general lack of space is

common to all fishing boats. Prospective crewmembers should bear this in mind when packing

for their trip. More about this later.

THE WORKDAY ON SEINERS

Compared to crabbing and halibut longlining, a workday onboard a seiner or gillnetter is like a

walk in the park. Depending on your previous experience however, it may be the most

demanding walk youve ever taken.

On seiners and gillnetters alike, days are long. If fishery managers give the fleet a four-day

opening, this means the fishery will be open for ninety-six hours straight. Your skipper, unless

he is very unusual, will always seek to maximize catch during openings. That means fishing

from first light until dark.

On purse seiners the greatest part of the workday is given to the repetitive process of making

sets. (Set is the term given to the process of laying out and retrieving the net, a process that is

repeated many times each day.)

Most seining is done very close to shore, where schools of migrating fish appear in the greatest

concentrations. While the crew checks the deck and equipment for readiness, the skipper

studies conditions of tide and current, light, wind and observable fish behavior to determine

where he will make his set. At this point in the operation the skiff is attached to the seiners

stern, and the skiffman is at his steering station in the skiff, with the engine running in neutral.

Arriving at his chosen spot, the skipper signals the crew to release the skiff. Now released, and

pulling one end of the net, the skiff turns and motors into position, usually facing and quite

close to the rocky shoreline. The skipper drives the seiner away from the skiff, and the quarter

mile-long net pays out over the stern. As the last of the net slides off the seiners stern, the

skipper slows the boat and begins to tow slowly against the current on his end, holding the net

in a generally semi-circular shape.

Both purse seine nets and gillnets are constructed in three main parts: a corkline along the top;

the webbing (also called the mesh) of the net itself below the corks, and a heavy leadline at the


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 10bottom. The corkline floats on the surface of the water. The web hangs down in the water like a

fence. At the bottom of the web, the weighted leadline keeps the fence hanging more or less

straight in the water. (Gillnets are much smaller and lighter than purse seine nets. More on that

later.)

The tow lasts about twenty minutes, during which time the crew throws any fish remaining on

deck into the hold and hoses down the work area to clear it of seaweed and jellyfish. There are

usually a few minutes to relax and grab a sandwich or cup of coffee during tows.

Scott McAllister and the crew of the purse seiner Owyhee lift a big bag of salmon

During the tow, the skipper and skiffman are holding the net open so fish can swim into it. At

the end of the tow, the skipper tells the skiffman, by radio, to close up. Hearing this, the

deckhands and the cook scramble back into their rain gear and gloves so they can haul gear.

The skiffman closes the circle of the net by driving alongside the seiner and handing off his end

of the net to the deck crew. He then drives out under the towline attached to the seiner. Circling

to the other side of the seiner, he attaches another towline to the big boat, which he will pull

on with the skiff to hold the seiner in proper relation to the net as it comes back aboard.

When the net is closed up, it is hanging like a big circular corral in the water. The fish that

swam into the net during the tow are now caught, but they can still escape by diving, since the

bottom of the net is floating too, not resting on the bottom.

To prevent their escape, the crew purses it closed, using a large winch mounted on the

seiners deck. Visualize a long drawstring closing the bottom of a giant, mesh bag. Thats whatpursing is. Once underway, it is time for the net to come aboard.

The power block does the heavy lifting in a seine operation, pulling the net out of the water and

over the deck. As the net passes through the power block it is then lowered toward the work

deck, where two or three crewmembers stack it in a pile.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 11The fish come aboard in the last part of the net, and are emptied either onto the deck or

directly into the hold. Hauling gear takes about 15 minutes for most seiners today. An efficient

crew on a well-equipped purse seiner can complete 15 to 18 sets per day.

Retrieving the net onto a typical salmon gillnetter. Note the cylindrical net drum located on the

deck.

LIFE ON A GILLNETTERGillnetters are smaller than purse seiners, usually 32 to 42 long. In terms of the machinery

they employ, gillnetters are less complicated than purse seiners are. Their nets are much

smaller, and they require less crew, generally just the skipper plus one to three crewmembers.

Crew responsibilities aboard gillnetters usually fall together like they do on seiners, except

there is no skiff in the operation, and hence no skiffman. Since the crew is smaller, duties are

compressed as well, and everybody is expected to pitch in to help with every task.

THE WORKDAY ON GILLNETTERS

The workday on gillnetters follows a pattern similar to that on seiners. The net is set and hauled

repeatedly during the day, and the fish are put down in the hold during and after each set.

Since gillnetters are smaller, and their machinery simpler, the operation has a less industrial

feel to it.

As in seining, gillnet skippers read tide and current conditions, and watch for jumpers as they

decide where to set their net. Arriving at their selected spot, they signal the crew to leter go!


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 12The crew throws one end of the net into the water with a float attached and the skipper drives

quickly away as the rest of the net pays out.

The webbing (also called the mesh) of gillnets are made of super-thin nylon strands wound

together. The meshes are tinted to mimic various water colors, from muddy brown to a clear,light blue-gray. The closer the web matches the seawater color in a given area, the less likely it

is the fish will see it hanging in the water. This is important because salmon are caught in

gillnets by becoming gilled (stuck) in the meshes when they swim into them.

Once the entire gillnet is in the water, the crew makes sure it is secured to the gillnetter with a

towline. The skipper then either tows his end to maintain shape or simply drifts with the

current, watching the net all the while for telltale splashes along the corkline, which indicate

that fish are being caught.

A gillnet set may last from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the many variables

being monitored by the skipper. In crowded fishing areas such as Bristol Bay, where strong

tides and currents are the norm, sets sometimes only as a few minutes. But when fishing is

slow, or in relatively wide open spaces like those in Southeast or False Pass, sets often last

much longer.

When the skipper is ready to see what the net holds, he gives the signal to haul gear. The crew

begins winding the net back onto the boat, using a large hydraulically powered drum mounted

on the deck. As it comes aboard, the skipper and crew remove the salmon by hand from the

entangling meshes. Learning to read the net and quickly pick the salmon from the net is a

skill that comes gradually. It is important to learn it well, however, because fast picking means

money in your pocket when the fish are running. This is the part of a gillnet operation where

hustle really matters.

Most gillnet crewmembers learn to use a fish pick to remove salmon from the net. A fish pick

consists of a palm-size handle with a short, sharp, curved spike protruding from one end. The

spike is inserted quickly between the meshes of the net and the body of the fish to assist in

separating the two.

UNLOADING THE DAYS CATCHIn most cases, the last set of the day on seiners and gillnetters is followed by a run into a

nearby bay or town to unload the days catch. Usually you will unload at a tender, a fish-cargo


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 13boat that weighs your catch as you deliver it, and issues the skipper a fish ticket, itemizing the

species and weight delivered.

Unloading used to be a very labor-intensive process, with each fish individually thrown into a

sort of cargo net called a brailer, which was hoisted and dumped onto the tender. Fortunately,methods have improved. Seine fish are usually pumped out now, with a system that resembles a

giant vacuum cleaner. Most gillnet fleets have also improved their unloading methods

dramatically, although they dont employ pumps.

After the fish are unloaded, there are usually a few hours of darkness available for anchoring,

eating and sleeping.

THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SKILLThe single most important skill that a crewmember must have does not involve net mending,

stamina, or wrenching on the engine. It is the ability to get small.

Fishing boats are crowded places. On gillnetters, the square footage of common interior living

space is about the same as a good-sized tent. We are talking small spaces here. Of course

theres room on deck to broaden your horizons, but in terms of interior space, things are tight.

On a purse seiner, the interior living area shared by a five-member crew is less than the square

footage of a typical studio apartment.

Think about sharing an apartment or a dorm room with a friend. The same habits that make a

good roommate make a fine fellow crewmember:

natural sensitivity to personal space; cleanliness; tidiness (yes, theyre different); and a self-governing volume control on ones mouth.

A person with these habits is a person who can get small. They make good roommates and

they make good crewmates.

You can be the greatest mechanic who ever lived, but you wont last more than one season if

you dont do your laundry and shower once in a while. And you can be the worlds greatest

navigator, but if you are an egotistical loudmouth, youre on the beach.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 14Most of us have a pretty good sense of our own personality, so if you put a lid on those traits

that grate on others, youll have a much better experience in fishing.

SPECIAL CONCERNS OF WOMEN IN FISHINGCommercial fishing has traditionally been a male culture. But starting in the 1980s, more and

more women have joined onto crews and moved up to become skippers of their own boats as

well.

Here are some reality-based suggestions for women seeking work on fishing boats.

Be aware that there are still (relatively) few women in commercial fishing. Theres a fairly good

chance that if you find a job on a boat, you will be the only woman on board.

Because of the lack of space on boats, you should be prepared for some diminishment ofprivacy. If youre modest by nature, be prepared to be inconvenienced somewhat. While your

male crewmates dress and undress standing in the focsle, you may be more comfortable going

into the head to disrobe, or change clothes. On some older boats, the head is entered from the

deck. This is the kind of minor inconvenience you may encounter.

When youre looking for work, be aware that although a skipper might want to hire you, his wife

may have other ideas. It is not unheard-of for skippers to have affairs with female

crewmembers. Spaces are small on boats, and people will do what people will do. Depending on

the relative stability of the skippers marriage, his wife may not allow him to hire a woman. Thismay sound antiquated or anti-feminist, but the fact is that women seeking fishing employment

may need to pass muster not only with the skipper, but with his wife or girlfriend as well.

Trust your intuition. If something doesnt feel right, pay attention. Fishing boat skippers and

crewmen are just regular guys. In other words, they mirror the general population. Some are

gentlemen, and some arent. Some can relate to women as equals, and some cant.

Be aware that the traditionally male-dominated culture of the fishing industry is changing

quickly, for the better, and you are contributing to that positive trend by being there and doing

a good job.

Finally network! Find other women on other boats and youll make some great friends.

When we asked one of our women friends who runs a boat in Bristol Bay for her input on these

issues, she surprised us a little bit:


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 15Tell them that the job they are most likely to be offered is the cooking job, which is the best

job on board, I think. Ive always said that there are only two jobs on a boat Id want cook and

skipper.

She went on to say that there are two things to remember about cooking on a boat. Mealpreparation has to be fast, and it has to be good.

If they are close to landing a job, one way to increase their chances of getting it is to offer to

cook a meal, she added.

This is not to suggest that the only jobs available to women on boats are cooking jobs, but it is

probably safe to say that many women who have broken into fishing have done so by taking

over as cook.

These suggestions are meant to prepare you, not discourage you in your job search. Mostskippers with women crewmembers really appreciate the contagious element of civility that

women often bring aboard with them, in addition to their talents, personalities and work ethic.

In recent years weve begun to see a few all-female crews springing up here and there across

Alaska and thats more good news for the entire industry.

BYCATCH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNSIt is worth noting that gillnets employed in Alaska bear little resemblance to the so-called walls

of death used by the high-seas fleets of foreign countries. The high seas nets may be 20 or 30

miles long, and they are fished around the clock. They trap and kill indiscriminately anything

that swims into them, including birds and sea mammals. Activists concerned with this tragic

bycatch have rightly condemned high seas gillnetting as a wasteful and inhumane practice.

In Alaskan salmon fisheries, bycatch is almost non-existent. The nets, of manageable size, are

used in areas and at depths of high salmon concentration where birds, mammals and other fish

species are rarely found in appreciable numbers.


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2010 TARGET FISHERIES

We retain the concept of target fisheries in this handbooks 2010 edition, because it gives you a

little better glimpse of select fisheries. Since we opened the Fishing Crew Toolbox area on the

website, however, the importance of target fisheries has receded a little bit, because you can

now download contact lists of skippers that operate across a broad spectrum of Alaska

fisheries.

And of course your profile and application are accessible by halibut and sablefish longliners,

draggers, shrimpers, cod fishermen or set-netters (salmon fishermen who set their nets out

from the beach and sleep in cabins). Even so, the target fisheries are where a lot of jobs are, so

its good to keep them in mind.

BRISTOL BAY SALMON GILLNET

On the map of Alaska, look to the southwest part of the state, where the Alaska Peninsula and

Aleutian Islands extend west toward Russia. Immediately north of the peninsula lies Bristol Bay,

a large bay that opens to the Bering Sea.

Bristol Bay is home to the worlds greatest natural run of sockeye salmon. Every summer, over a

brief window lasting about five weeks, millions upon millions of these beautiful, bullet-shaped

six-pounders race home to their natal rivers and tributary streams.

BRISTOL BAYKODIAK SOUTHEAST


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 17About 1,450 permit-holders fish Bristol Bay, and each of them need two or three motivated

crewmembers. That adds up to a lot of jobs in one of the most lucrative fisheries in the state,

when measured by our time-in-dollars-out formula.

Bristol Bay jobs start in early June, and most skippers are wrapping it up and putting their boatsaway by July 25th.

KODIAK SALMON PURSE SEINE

Now move southeast directly across the Alaska Peninsula. See that big island?

Kodiak is home to salmon purse seiners, halibut and black cod longliners, herring gillnetters,

crabbers, draggers and a legendary population of grizzly bears. Rugged and windswept, Kodiak

(the island and the town) are tough places with a rich history of wresting a living out of the

water.

The purse seine fishery of Kodiak is managed differently than that of Southeast. Here, the

openings can last twenty and thirty days at a time. The daily catches are smaller than in

Southeast, and a good crew share is built one long day at a time, grinding out set after set,

day after day.

Nevertheless, many college graduates have Kodiak to thank for their tuition. The good crews,

under good skippers, get into a rhythm of working and winning, little by little, and going home

very happy.

SOUTHEAST SALMON GILLNET & PURSE SEINE

From Kodiak, head due west across the Gulf of Alaska and youll see a panhandle extending

down along British Columbia. This is Southeast, a heavily forested, hospitable region with

thousands of miles of coastline and rocky island beaches, coniferous rainforests and a

temperate climate. Rich in every kind of wildlife, with rivers and waterfalls everywhere,

Southeast is accessible yet remote.

Principal towns in Southeast include Ketchikan (Salmon Capitol of the World!), Petersburg,

Sitka, Craig and the state capitol of Juneau. In addition, the island coastlines are home to many

smaller villages with names like Pelican, Klawock, Hydaburg, Metlakatla and Point Baker.

Between fishing openings, there is usually some quality town time to be had in Southeast.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 18We put two of our target fisheries in Southeast, because the salmon runs there have been

consistently abundant for years. Also, the fleets of Southeast are large, so that between

gillnetting and purse seining, there are thousands of entry-level crew positions open each year.

The work is strenuous but not grueling, the waterways are adventurous without being

treacherous, and the scenery is second-to-none. We love Southeast.

Southeast gillnetting has emerged in recent years as a real sleeper of a fishery. The season is

longer than purse seining. A crewman who helps put the boat together in Seattle or Ketchikan,

and fishes the entire season, should expect to spend 3 to 4 months under contract

approximately from mid-June to mid-September. (Although many skippers can and do

accommodate schedule requirements of crewmembers.)

For putting in the time and effort of a Southeast gillnet season, crewmembers will see and

experience an amazing variety of country and characters. They will have opportunities to test

themselves in a small-boat environment, and will find that a ready and willing attitude will be

met with real responsibilities.

Southeast is home to a fairly large resident fleet, but many of the gillnetters and seiners that

work these waters make the trip in early summer from Seattle, Bellingham, Everett and Gig

Harbor, in Washington. Thats another reason we highlight Southeast because the skippers are

accessible in person, during the late spring and early summer as they ready their vessels for the

season.

EARNING POTENTIAL IN THE TARGET FISHERIESThe following table will give you some idea of your earning potential in the target fisheries,

assuming you work the entire season. Since there is a great deal of variability among boats of

any given fishery, and since earnings are tied directly to catch numbers, a table of this kind is

highly unscientific. Some crewmembers in these fisheries will earn more than shown, and a few

will earn less.

Crew Size figures include the skipper. Season Dates include pre-season preparation.


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Fishery Boats inFishery

CrewSize

ApproximateSeason Dates

Range of $Potential

Bristol BayGillnet

1,450 3/4 June 10 July 25 6-16,000

SoutheastPurse Seine

420 4/5 June 5 - Sept 1 8-14,000

Kodiak PurseSeine

384 4/5 June 1 - Aug 20 8-14,000

SoutheastGillnet

439 2/3 June 15 Sept 15 6-12,000

As you can see, there are a lot of boats operating in the target fisheries, and between the four

areas, there are thousands of crew jobs available for greenhorns in any given season.

In general, we caution against trying to predict which fishery might provide the biggest payday.

There are just too many unknowns in the fishing business to make solid guesses. We

recommend focusing not on making the biggest bucks, but on making your experience an all-

around positive one, no matter what fishery you work in. The experience you gain will serve you

well in the future, even if you never return to Alaska.

The point is, be ready to take advantage of your own adventure, whatever it might be. If you do

that, and follow the guidance in this book, you wont regret it.


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YOUR THREE RESPONSIBILITIES AS A MEMBER OF AFJCOkay, here are the three things YOU MUST DO! Were only going to tell you this once!

Read this book.

Keep your crew profile and contact information up-to-date! If you are hired, be sure to reflect that in your profile!

JOB SUCCESS TRACK ONE: YOUR AFJC CREW PROFILE AND LETTERS TOSKIPPERSWhen you join AFJC you will fill in a profile and application form. Part of your crew profile is just

like job applications youve probably seen before, but the narrative section of it is different

more personal and informal.

Preparing a good crew profile and writing good letters to skippers will require that you do a

little writing. If you dont know the difference between a period and a comma, then find

someone who does, and ask them to do your typing.

In the Fishing Crew Resources section of the website, youll

The tone of your profile and letters should be gracious, clear and straightforward. They should

include:

Your name, age and current occupation. If youre a student, a little about your field ofstudy and perhaps your grades.

Your extracurricular interests and activities. What is it that sets you apart? Your working style and work experience, including brief overviews of paid or unpaid

work you have engaged in which was physically demanding, or required unusually long

hours. If you have worked as a cook, or particularly enjoy cooking for others, be sure to

mention that. If you are mechanically inclined or have worked with machinery of any

kind, stress that experience.

Describe your physical abilities and any sports you engage in for school or for pleasure.

Be candid, and dont be afraid to let your personality come through. Boats and theirskippers have personalities as diverse as the general population; so dont hesitate to

describe yourself, even if you dont think you fit the stereotype of a salty dog.

Use humor, if thats your style.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 21 And dont feel that you have to follow these suggestions too closely. They are only

meant to give you a sense of the things you should cover.

Good records and courtesy are very important. If your travel plans change, or you gethired early in the job-search process, be sure to call the other skippers on your list to

let them know you wont be seeing them.

Treat people with courtesy and respect, and it will come back to you thats the mainthing.

Here are some sample profiles and letters to give you an idea of the tone to use.

SAMPLE CREW PROFILE NARRATIVE SECTION #1

I am a twenty-four year old college graduate (University of Colorado; BA, Communications, 3.4

GPA). My hobbies include snowboarding and running. I am working as a barista/waitress right

now, here in Colorado Springs, my hometown. I spend every spare minute outside, either on the

slopes, running or just hiking with friends. So Im in very good shape.

I would like to hear from any Alaskan salmon skipper who catches a lot of fish! Im a very hard

worker, and I think I have a solid appreciation of what it takes to succeed as a crewmember in

Alaska. If it all works out, I would be interested in coming back for more than one season.

Im returning to graduate school in the fall, so I am available all spring and summer, right up

until my classes begin in mid-September.

If you asked my friends they would tell you I am adventurous, easy to get along with, smart,

with a loud laugh. Please check out my references and e-mail me with any questions. Ill get

back to you right away. Thank you!


I am from Dayton, Ohio, and currently work as a driver for Airborne Express. Ive been with

Airborne for two years. Before that I worked in a family business, repairing small engines and

sharpening knives and saws. I am familiar with most kinds of engines, having built my own

street rod from the ground up while still a teenager. Since then I have owned many vehicles,

and I do all my own work. I can also weld a little.

It has always been my dream to see Alaska, partly because hunting is one of my hobbies. I have

always wanted to see a bear, and there isnt much danger of that happening here in Ohio. I read


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 22everything I can get my hands on about Alaska. I guess you could say Alaska is another of my

hobbies.

I am an extremely hard worker. I dont smoke, and only drink socially. I am single and

unattached, and I am flexible as far as schedules go. I would be happy to obtain a summer-season position, but I am also interested in longlining and can be available from March to

November!

Please review my references and let me know if I can answer any questions.

Thank you!


I am seeking a salmon set-net position for the upcoming season. Ive read about set netting,and I like the idea of having a fishing job in Alaska but still spending time on land!

I know set netting involves a lot of upper-body work, and hand and arm work. For that reason I

have been working out regularly for the past two months, doing core conditioning and arm and

wrist exercises. I am confident I can handle net handling and fish-picking.

I am currently a sophomore at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, where I am majoring in

International Relations, with a minor in Arabic. My finals are over on May 28th this year so I

can start work on the 29th! Please check my full profile and call my references.

Thanks!


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SAMPLE LETTER #1

Mr. Mark Nelson

14044 Kelsey Creek Lane

Seattle, WA 98112

Dear Mr. Nelson,

My name is Jamie Sanders. I am a student attending the University of Wisconsin, and Im hoping

to find a job on a fishing boat next summer. I know that you operate a purse seiner in

Southeast Alaska, and I would like to be considered if you are in need of crew.

Heres a little about me. I am twenty years old, in my second year of college, and although I

havent settled on a major yet I am leaning toward the sciences, perhaps biology. I have always

wanted to go to Alaska.

During high school I worked at the local True Value hardware store in my hometown of

Faribault, Wisconsin. I competed on my high schools swim team for three years, and

maintained a 3.1 GPA. After high school I took a year off to work for my uncle, who owns two

Mail Etc. franchises. Although I have never worked on a boat, I am in real good shape and Im

not afraid of hard work.

I would be very happy to provide you with two or three references from previous employers. I

think they will tell you that I work hard and maintain a real cheerful attitude even when things

get stressful. I enjoy challenges, and am always interested in learning new things.

If you think I might make a good addition to your crew for next fishing season, please call me

collect at (517) 555-5673. I would really look forward to talking to you.

Sincerely yours,

Jamie Sanders

P.S.: Im a member of the Alaska Fishing Jobs Center, and you can find a full application with my

crew profile and references at the AFJC website (www.fishingjobs.com). Just search on my

Username: alaskabound

Thank you very much!
http://www.fishingjobs.com/http://www.fishingjobs.com/http://www.fishingjobs.com/http://www.fishingjobs.com/


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SAMPLE LETTER #2

Mr. David Anderson

6324 Sudden Valley Road

Bellingham, WA 98625

Dear Mr. Anderson,

My name is Rob Johnson, and Im writing you to inquire if you have any crew positions available

for the upcoming Bristol Bay salmon season. I plan to travel to Bellingham in late May, and Im

hoping we might arrange a time to meet while Im there.

Here is a little information about me.

I am nineteen years old. I graduated from high school here in Austin last September. During

high school I worked for two years at a restaurant called Delfinos. I started as a waiter, buteventually became first a prep cook and then a line cook, handling the late-shift kitchen

operation for the last four months I was there. At Delfinos we specialized in brick-oven pizzas

and great salads, in addition to pasta specials. I really enjoy cooking.

I am in top physical condition, and I am confident that I can handle the work involved in a

Bristol Bay salmon season. I know that first-time crew sometimes start at a reduced percentage

crew-share, and I would be happy to work that way until I have proven myself.

As I said, I will be traveling to Bellingham on or about May 21st with a good friend of mine, and

I would really appreciate a chance to meet with you.

My full crew profile, plus an application and my references are online at the Alaska Fishing Jobs

Center atwww.fishingjobs.com. Please take a look at it when you have a moment. You can

just search on my Username, which is sneakattack

And my email address is [email protected].

Thank you very much for your consideration!

Sincerely,

Rob Johnson
http://www.fishingjobs.com/http://www.fishingjobs.com/http://www.fishingjobs.com/http://www.fishingjobs.com/


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JOB SUCCESS TRACK TWO: MAKING THE TRIPIf you dont land a job using Track One, the next step is to consider a trip to a hiring port.

Thats what Track 2 is all about.

WHERE DO I GO TO FIND A JOB?

Your first stops in the Northwest should be Seattle and Bellingham, Washington. These are the

Lower-48 ports where you are most likely to locate a job on an Alaska-bound fishing boat. In

Seattle, you will find them at Fishermens Terminal. In Bellingham, you will find them at

Squalicum Harbor. Other Washington ports where fishing boats winter over are Gig Harbor

(west of Tacoma) and the city of Everett, between Seattle and Bellingham.

The majority of the Alaska-bound boats that winter in Washington are part of the Southeast

fleets, venturing north to the waters around Ketchikan, Craig, Juneau and Haines. More-

northern Alaska fleets usually homeport in their respective fishing ports, such as Cordova,

Kodiak, Naknek and Dillingham.

Once you start walking the docks however, you will see that there are exceptions to every rule.

In Seattle, you can find seiners that fish the Alaska Peninsula, and you will see longliners that

work out as far as the tip of the Aleutians. You might land a job on a tuna troller that fishes in

the South Pacific! However, most of the boats youll see in the Northwest will be Southeast-

bound.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING?

RAINGEAR

You will need specialized rain gear and rubber boots for fishing. AFJC recommends you wait

until you get to an embarkation port and have a solid prospect of a crew position before

gearing up. The most common types of rain gear worn on fishing boats are manufactured by

companies like Helly-Hansen, Guy Cotten and Grundens. A suit of rain gear consists of bib

overalls and a hooded coat.

A Washington company called Stormy Seas sells modified Grundens raincoats and also vests

which employ a manually triggered CO2-inflated flotation bladder. A garment like this can save

your life, and we think theyre worth a serious look. Other companies make inflatable


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 26suspenders and specialized float coats that provide flotation and great insulation, but

sometimes add too much bulk for comfortable working.

BOOTS & SHOES

B.F. Goodrich makes the most commonly worn rubber boots. They are known as Xtratufs.

Lighter and drier boots can sometimes be found in marine supply stores and catalogues, but

they have not found general acceptance in the fishing fleets.

Fishermen also commonly use deck slippers. Worn between openings, they are tough leather

slip-ons with non-skid soles. Not pretty, but very practical, deck slippers are manufactured by

companies like Chippewa, Rainier and Cofish, but in our opinion, the best ones are made by a

company called Georgia Boot. Lummi Fisheries Supply in Seattle and Bellingham carries these,

for about $60.

We also like Crocs for boat shoes, because theyre super light, super comfortable, easy to slip in

and out of, and they float. Once the tread wears down they can get slippery, however, so be

careful!

LAYERS

Polypropylene or silk long underwear is a good idea for strenuous outdoor work on cold days.

Also check out other kinds of wicking underwear, layer garments and socks that draw

moisture away from the body. The fishing community has been slow to recognize the high

efficiency of new performance fabrics, but this is changing as a generational shift occurs in

the industry.

Sweatpants, jeans, hoodies, fleece vests, flannel shirts, T-shirts and turtlenecks round out the

usual wardrobe for people on fishing boats. Remember to dress in layers, so you can easily

adjust your temperature to match the weather and avoid overheating.

Youll need a knife. This is a must. The best ones are popularly known as web knives or Vicky

knives (made by Victorinox). They are cheap knives with steel blades, found at all thecommercial marine supply stores in the Northwest and Alaska. Get a nylon or kevlar sheath for

your knife.

Also look for a Grundens belt. This elastic band belt is worn outside the raincoat to cinch it

tight. Using black electrical tape, attach your sheath firmly to the back of your belt, and slightly


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 27to the left or right side, depending which arm you use best. By taping your sheath to the belt

(and developing a habit of always wearing the belt while working!) you will know exactly where

it is.

When returning the knife to the sheath, always insert it the same way, so that you consistentlyknow which side of the blade is up when you remove it. In this way you can help protect

yourself or others should you ever have reason to use your knife in a fast-breaking situation.

Rehearse your moves, also. This is important, because you may not have time to think if you

ever have to move fast to cut something which endangers someone.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS:

A couple of good books

Music Camera One or two decent sets of clothes for kicking around town. Notepad, stamps and envelopes. Athletic gear. Some ports have pools or basketball courts you can use. A hat. Baseball-type caps are popular in the fleets, but they dont help much on really

cold or windy days. You should have a warmer hat for bad days. You can find these at

the marine supply store too.

HOW MUCH STUFF SHOULD I BRING?

As was mentioned earlier, space is always at a premium on fishing boats. Crewmembers who

have too many clothes and other belongings scattered around their bunk area tend to become

unpopular. (Even if youre bunking with a bunch of slobs, take the time to straighten up your

space regularly. It will do wonders for your morale, and it sets a good example.)

The things you will need the most of are socks and underwear. Bring lots of those. For the rest,

just think in terms of a few changes of clothing. One large duffel bag should carry all your

clothes for the season. And you will have chances to do laundry, too, so bring a good-sized

laundry bag to stash your dirty clothes.


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WHEN SHOULD I GO?

Pre-season work for the Target Fisheries begins in Northwest ports in mid-May. It lasts for a

few weeks, and the boats usually head north by June 20th to 25th. This is your window of

opportunity in the Lower-48.

In Alaska, opportunities will arise throughout the salmon seasons.

WHERE CAN I STAY ONCE I GET THERE?

There are youth hostels in Seattle, Bellingham, Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau and Anchorage. Youth

hostels provide simple accommodations for people of all ages. Check out the American Youth

Hostels Association (AYHA) link on our Website.

Of course you can also camp, especially in Alaska. You can access information on Alaskas

parks through the states Website at www.state.ak.us.

ONCE I GET TO THE DOCKS, WHAT DO I DO?

Once youve arrived in town and located lodgings, head for the docks.

Its a good idea to locate the Harbormasters office and stop in to introduce yourself. Dont take

up a lot of his or her time. Just say hello and tell him youre looking for a job on an Alaska-

bound boat. Ask him to point out for you the boats that will be going north.

Depending on what port youre in, there may be a lot of them or only a few, but the

harbormaster will know which are which. Ask him to point out the boats that he thinks are

operated by particularly good fishermen, or people that are particularly good to work for. He

may not venture an opinion, but its worth a try.

You already know what purse seiners and gillnetters look like, generally speaking, but youll

find there is a lot of variety among each type. The hulls may be made of wood, fiberglass, steel

or aluminum, and each boat has a look and a personality of its own.

HOW DO I ACTUALLY ASK FOR A JOB?

If youve timed your visit right, there will be a fair amount of pre-season activity going on. Nets

being repaired, hulls sanded and painted, machinery torn apart and put back together.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 29Your approach should be simple and straightforward, and it gets easier after the first few times.

You just walk up to the person working on the boat and strike up a conversation. Then you tell

them youre looking for a job and ask if they have a full crew yet. If they say theyre all crewed

up, you ask if they have heard of anybody who might need another hand. And so it goes. You

are now embarked on the process.

You should be positive, persistent and willing to pitch in and get your hands dirty. Lots of

people have been hired on because they got acquainted with the crew after stopping by to chat

for a few days in a row, and then started helping out without any prospect of getting a job. If

you make yourself familiar to the skippers and the crew, and give a positive impression, they

will think of you when they hear about an opening on a boat.

In addition to the harbormasters office, you should keep an eye out for marine supply stores

located adjacent to marinas where fishermen spend a lot of time and money. The stores often

have bulletin boards where prospective crew can post short notices and contact information.

If you are in Seattle or Bellingham, the two major embarkation points for non-resident

fishermen who run their boats to Alaska, you may be able to hitch a ride up. We know one

former crewman who walked the docks in Seattle for several days without landing a job. He

made himself useful around one of the purse seiners, pitching in as the crew loaded the net

into the hold for the trip north. Although the boat was fully crewed, the skipper offered to take

him to Ketchikan, so he could continue his job-hunting up there. To make a long story short,

he wound up getting a job with that skipper, and so did his brother. The crewman we are

referring to is a New York investment banker today.

IS THERE A UNION FOR FISHERMEN?

The vast majority of crewmembers on Alaskan fishing boats are not unionized. The exceptions

are those who work on halibut and sablefish longliners and may belong to the Deep Sea

Fishermans Union of the Pacific.

WHAT IF I DONT GET ON A BOAT IN THE NORTHWEST?

If you havent found a job or a ride yet and the fleet is going north, youll need to make it to

Alaska on your own and walk the docks up there. Dont despair. This is not an unusual

circumstance. But it does bring us to AFJC Rule #2: Never travel to Alaska without enough

money to get home.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 30Alaska is a great place to live and work, but its a bad place to be broke and unemployed. Do

your financial planning well in advance of your departure and be sure you have enough money

saved to get you back home.

Our favorite way to get to Alaska is aboard the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway system,which ply the famous Inside Passage to Alaska. The southern terminus of the Alaska Marine

Highway ferry system is Bellingham, Washington. The trip from Bellingham to Ketchikan takes

37 hours, and its a great way to travel. The Alaska Marine Highway System has an excellent

Website, linked from ours. You can also call them at 1-800-642-0066.

At the Alaska Marine Highway System Website youll learn about the various options you have

for sleeping accommodations aboard the ferries, ranging from private staterooms to a

solarium deck, where you can unroll your sleeping bag on a deck chair and camp your way

north with other budget-minded travelers. You can learn about all their routes, schedules and

menus, among other things.

Be aware that reservations for peak period travel go

fast, so it may be a good idea to get reservations for

a particular target date. If it turns out that you find a

job or a free ride up, you can get a refund for your

ticket (less 15%) right up to your original date of

departure.

HOW DO CREWMEMBERS GET PAID?

Fishing boat crewmembers receive payment based

on the value of the catch. The percentage received

by each crewmember will vary from fishery to fishery

and their level of experience, but generally speaking

a crew share on a salmon boat will fall between 5%

and 10% of the vessels gross stock (the total dollar-amount received for the catch during the

period of employment.)

Although the crew share is not payable in full until after the completion of the voyage, most

skippers are willing to provide advances during the season. AFJC recommends that

crewmembers keep their advances to a minimum. Alaska is an expensive place, and the less

AFJC Rule #2

Never travel to

Alaska without

enough money

to get home.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 31you spend there, the greater your settlement check will be at the end of the season. During

your time off, try to find things to do that dont require a lot of money.

WILL I BE S IGNING A CONTRACT?

Fishing boat skippers are required by law to provide their crewmembers with employment

contracts.

Your skippers employment contract will undoubtedly be somewhat different from our sample

contract. You should review it carefully, and ask for clarification of any parts you dont fully

understand. Do not feel pressured to sign, for any reason. If you do not feel comfortable with

the terms of your contract, or are unable to reach a mutual understanding of the terms and

conditions in the contract, you may be on the wrong boat.

Having said that, however, it is worth pointing out that mandated crew contracts are a new

development in the Alaskan commercial fishing industry. The industry, for better or worse (and

usually better) has always been run on the basis of handshakes and the honor system. Many

skippers only complete contracts because the law requires it. They may have borrowed a

boilerplate crew contract from a buddy, run off a few copies and never read it carefully

themselves. If the skipper and your fellow crewmembers appear very casual where the contract

is concerned, this may be part of the explanation.

Notwithstanding that, your contract exists to protect you and the skipper in case of

misunderstandings, employment terminations or injury. If there are parts of the contract that

appear extraneous, confusing or not applicable to your position, you should discuss any

concerns with your skipper. If you can substantially improve the language of a contract by

lining out and/or rewriting sentences, you should feel free to do so, in consultation with your

skipper. Just remember to always initial where you have made changes, and get the skipper to

initial there also. (This advice applies not just to fishing employment contracts, but contracts of

any kind you may have occasion to sign in the future.)

ISNT COMMERCIAL F ISHING DANGEROUS?

In a word, yes. Commercial fishing carries many risks that simply are not present in shoreside

pursuits. This fact should be carefully considered by anyone seeking a position on a fishing

boat.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 32Historically, commercial fishing in the North Pacific is among the statistically riskiest

occupations in the United States. Generally speaking however, statisticians who track such data

do not differentiate between different kinds of fishing. As a result, the high-stakes, high-risk

fisheries such as Bering Sea crabbing are lumped together with relatively safe fisheries such as

purse seining and gillnetting. Your Handbook is specifically oriented toward these relatively

safe, in-shore fisheries.

The good news is that safety is improving across the spectrum of Alaskan fisheries. This is due

in part to passage of the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act (CFIVSA) of 1988.

CFIVSA mandated certain kinds of equipment and training drills for many Alaskan fisheries, and

generally raised awareness of safety issues in all Alaskan fisheries.

Many people play a part in this positive phenomenon. They include Coast Guard personnel and

marine safety trainers, but most of the credit goes to individual fishermen who have taken the

time to train themselves and their crew on the procedures that can save their lives.

Survival suits are required equipment on fishing boats of all sizes, and you should check with

your skipper to make sure there is one on board with your name on it. If there isnt, AFJC

strongly recommends you purchase one at a marine supply store before your boat unties from

the dock. Made of closed-cell neoprene, survival suits are designed to maintain body warmth

when crews are required to abandon ship. They are full-body suits with integrated gloves and

hoods.

Whether or not drills are required by law, all crewmembers should practice donning their

survival suits. You should practice until you are confident you can don your suit quickly and

correctly, under conditions of rough seas, darkness and confusion.

Technological changes are also contributing to increased safety in the fleets. EPIRBS (Emergency

Position Indicator Radio Beacons) are required on most boats in Alaska today. When manually

triggered or submerged in emergency situations, EPIRBS transmit a signal that bounces off a

satellite, and is relayed to the Coast Guard, which can then mount a rescue operation by vessel

or helicopter.

WHAT ABOUT DRUGS ON FISHING BOATS?

If you cant live happily without using illegal drugs, AFJC suggests you forget about working on

a vessel of any kind. By bringing illegal drugs aboard a fishing boat, you will endanger not just

the safety of your crewmates, but also your skippers career. This cannot be stressed enough. If


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AFJC Rule #3

Be smart, stay

sober and keep

your eyes open!

you are physically or mentally impaired, and participating in the operation of a fishing vessel,

you are risking the lives of others.

WELL, CAN I AT LEAST HAVE A BEER NOW AND THEN?

Some fishing boat skippers maintain a dry boat policy, not allowing alcohol of any kind on

board. In an environment where the performance of each individual affects the safety of the

entire crew, a dry policy is a prudent one.

Most skippers maintain a dry policy before, during and after fishing periods, then relax the

rules somewhat when the work is done and the boats are tied up in town between openings.

This is a time for relaxation and socializing.

Even tied up in town, however, a fishing boat can be a dangerous place. A poorly positioned

hatchcover or a slick, wet deck might trip up a sober crewman, but his chances of sustaining

broken bones or falling overboard increase exponentially as his blood alcohol level increases.

It has often been noted, at least anecdotally, that most men who have drowned after falling off

fishing boats were found to have their pants unzipped

when their bodies were recovered. In other words, they

were urinating over the side of the boat, often drunk,

when they fell in. Alcohol and boats are a very

dangerous combination.

AFJC recommends that all crewmembers challenge

themselves to be smart and safe. A smart, safe crewman

will obtain the respect of his fellow crewmembers and

his skipper. He will also establish a reputation among

other skippers who may want to hire him someday. The

best skippers eventually attract the best crew, so

crafting a solid, sober reputation as a crewman

definitely enhances your earning potential. And to summarize, AFJC Rule #3: Be smart, stay

sober and keep your eyes open!


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SAMPLE CREW EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTThis contract is between John Doe Fisherman, operator of the F/V Fishing Boat (herein

Skipper) and the undersigned individual, member of the crew of the F/V Fishing Boat ,

(herein crewmember).

Skipper and crewmember agree as follows:

1. Duration of Contract. This contract shall commence on _________________, and shall

continue until __________________, or until such time as all gear is in and stored, and the Vessel

and equipment are cleaned up, following the conclusion of the

__________________________________ season. The end of that season shall be the end of the

voyage and the termination of crewmembers employment for unearned wage purposes. If

crewmember is injured, he will receive unearned wages only until the end of the season.

2. Crewmember is hired to perform all normal and customary duties of a deckhand. In

addition, crewmember agrees to assist in readying the Vessel and its gear in preparation for the

commencement of the above referenced season as is customary in the industry and further

agrees to perform any reasonable work, which is required by the Skipper.

3. Compensation. Crewmember shall receive in full payment for all services, the following

share: ______% of the Vessels gross stock (based on grounds ticket price plus price

adjustments) after fuel and groceries have been deducted. In the cases of fuel expenses, each

crewmember shall pay a percentage equal to his crew share percentage. Grocery expenses shall

be divided evenly among the crewmembers and the Skipper. Expenses begin at the time pre-

season preparation commences. The compensation shall be paid no more than 30 days after

the close of the fishing effort of the season. The share will be the sole compensation for the

crewmember. All work performed by the crewmember in terms of making the Vessel ready for

sea, repairs, and taking the Vessel out of service shall be paid for by the share and shall not

entitle crewmember to extra compensation.

4. Independent Contractor. Although crewmember is a seaman for Jones Act purposes, he

is an independent contractor for income tax, Social Security and withholding purposes.

5. Maintenance. If crewmember is injured, he will receive maintenance at the rate of

$18.00 per day.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 356. Advances. Crewmember may be given advances not to exceed 50% of the Base Crew

Share with the approval of the Skipper.

7. Discharge. Crewmember will be subject to immediate discharge by the Skipper in the

event that he fails to follow any of the following rules.

a) The use or transportation of drugs, including tranquilizers, is strictly prohibited on the

Vessel.

b) Abuse of alcohol is prohibited on the Vessel.

c) Crewmember must conform to all reasonable health; safety, personal hygiene, and living

standards set by the Skipper and shall, in no circumstances, commit any action, which

endangers the safety of other members of the crew of the Vessel.

d) Crewmember must live and work in harmony with other members of the crew.

e) Crewmember must meet all Vessel departure schedules.

f) One hundred percent effort is expected of crewmember at all times. Crewmember will

perform any temporary assignment required by the Skipper.

g) Misrepresentation by crewmember of previously acquired skills, experience and abilities

to induce Skipper to enter into this contract is prohibited.

h) Crewmember must capably perform the duties for which he has been hired.

i) No passengers will be permitted without Skippers specific approval.

8. Crewmember will be responsible for his own transportation expenses, if, for any reason,

he chooses to leave the Vessel or is terminated for failing to abide by the conditions of

employment.

9. Loss of Property. In case of loss of property in the event of Vessel loss, Skipper will pay

crewmember two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for any and all personal property lost by

crewmember. Any additional coverage desired by crewmember must be provided by

crewmember.

10. Medical Condition. Crewmember agrees to submit a complete and truthful medical

condition report to be provided by Skipper and further agrees, prior to commencement of


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 36Season, to undertake a physical examination by competent medical personnel at the option,

direction and expense of the Skipper.

11. Safety. Crewmember is responsible for providing and maintaining a survival suit for his

sole use.

The undersigned have read this contract and agree to its terms:

DATED THIS____________DAY OF ____________________, 20_____.


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DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO KEY PORTS IN THE NORTHWESTSEATTLE, WASHINGTON

DIRECTIONS TO FISHERMENS TERMINAL:

Northbound on Interstate 5 through city. Take the 45th St. exit. Turn left on 45th, proceed West approx. 16 blocks. Just past Stone Way, 45th jogs right (Midvale Pl.), then left again (to 46th.) Proceed West on 46th approx. 8 blocks. 46th curves right and turns into Market Street NW, then descends a hill. Left on 15th Avenue NW. Cross the Ballard Bridge. Fishermens Terminal is visible below the bridge on your right. Before you reach the overpass at south end of bridge, take the first possible right-hand

turn (Emerson St.)

Down the hill on Emerson, then take the first right-hand turn into Fishermens Terminal.Note: Many purse seiners and gillnetters of the Southeast Alaska fleet homeport in Seattle. In

addition, many factory trawlers and draggers, longliners, crabbers and tuna boats call Seattle

home.

BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

DIRECTIONS TO SQUALICUM HARBOR:

Northbound on Interstate 5, take the Lakeway exit. Loops back south to stoplight. Right at stoplight onto Lakeway Drive. Under freeway, then continue four blocks. At intersection of Lakeway and Ellis Street, make 45 degree right turn. Lakeway turns

into Holly Street.

Continue on Holly approximately 16 blocks, through downtown to F Street. Left on F Street, across railroad tracks. Right on Roeder Avenue along waterfont, approximately 3/4 mile to Squalicum Way. Left on Squalicum Way. Proceed out to the dockside parking areas.


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Alaska Fishing Jobs Toolkit 38Note: Bellingham is second only to Seattle in the number of Alaskan fishing boats that winter-

over. It is also the southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System.

EVERETT, WASHINGTON

DIRECTIONS TO EVERETT MARINA:

Northbound on Interstate 5, take the Pacific Avenue exit. Left on Pacific Avenue. Proceed West all the way to W. Marine View Drive (two blocks past Rucker Ave.) Right on W. Marine View Drive. Proceed North on W. Marine View Drive approximately 1.5 miles

alaska fishing jobs handbook 2010

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