How to Commercial Crab Fish in Alaska

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By Terri Brisbane
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Crab fishing

Kodiak Crab fishing happens in the middle of winter and takes place in the icy cold waters of the Alaska's Bering Sea.

Crab fishing jobs are hard to get because you have to know what you are doing. But who wouldn't want to make upwards of fifty thousand dollars for six months of work? That kind of money only comes from a full crew share, and most newcomers are paid a half crew share or less. Your life is in the hands of the fishermen who have been "out west" for many seasons.

Every year Alaska's Bering Sea loses a few crab fishermen and even a giant crab fishing boat.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Be an adrenalin junkie
Nerves of steel

Step 1

Most people new to Alaska and commercial fishing usually don't start out crabbing, but salmon seining in the summer to gain some experience on the water.

Winter in the Bering Sea is not a fun place to be, and on a crab boat you can expect to work twenty hours a day. Not all the time is spent baiting and launching crab pots, but also breaking up ice that accumulates on the boat. Too much icing can cause a boat to go down, and if you go down into the Bering Sea in the winter, you are not coming out of it alive. Baseball bats, sledge hammer and any other heavy objects are used for de-icing.
Step 2

You won't get a crab fishing job, or any other fishing job in Alaska, by sitting at home and surfing the internet. It just doesn't happen that way. You have to actually go to Alaska to get a job in Alaska, and if you have never been fishing before, your chances are still pretty slim.

If you really think you can give it a shot, try working in a local processing plant first.

This will get you to alaska (the plant usually pays for your transportation) and the plant has bunk houses too. Now you're in the fishing loop. You will meet fishermen, and know the names of the good money-making boats. Working in a cannery really sucks. But that's another article.
Step 3

If you're an adventurous sort of person and want to take your chances, you will have to pack everything you need into a duffel bag, get on a plane, and head to either Kodiak or Dutch Harbor.

Most people walking the docks in Kodiak and Dutch Harbor looking for a fishing job don't get them, no matter what web sites they have seen claiming the opposite.

Most crab fishermen get the jobs because they were born into it, they have a family member on the boat, or they are walking on the dock and notice a Skipper, pissed off because a crew member hasn't shown up because he is in the local clink.
Step 4

Fishing in Alaska Fishing in Alaska My suggestion is, if you really think you can give it shot, try working in a local processing plant first.

It will get you to Alaska (the plant usually pays for it) and the plant has bunk houses too. This will get you into the fishing loop and you will meet fisherman, and know what the good money-making boats are. Working in a cannery really sucks, but that's another article.

In Alaska's fishing industry, just like a lot of safer industries, it's all about being in the right place at the right time, who you know, and word of mouth. Those are the cold hard facts
Step 5

Once you're on the crew and actually doing real crab fishing, your life in no longer your own, but it might feel as if your life is all you've got. Losing a body part, having the flu, not sleeping for days, these are no excuses for not working on a crab boat. And remember, there is no overtime.