Become a shrimp boat captain!
There is a flip side to a career in commercial fishing. Sure, one can make a lot of money in a short period of time. But the industry is top-heavy with young people; there is a definite "shelf-life" for the average commercial fisherman and -woman. Very few of my crewmates were over the age of thirty; at least a third were under the age of twenty-five. And those who were in their thirties or older were showing signs of wear-and-tear: a history of back surgery, an increased propensity for injury, etc. Not to mention that the older crewmembers had families who were left behind, kids and wives who have seen their fathers and husbands only a few months out of the year. I made more money in the two months I spent commercial fishing than two months working at any other single job in the past. Yet, after doing the math, I really hadn\'t made a financial killing at all. I was paid a percentage of what the boat made. If I worked sixteen hours and the boat made no money, I made exactly $0.00 per hour. This happened quite often, particularly when the boat was tied up in port and fueling up for the next trip out. I was always on the 12:00a.m. To 4:00p.m. shift, regardless of whether we were actively fishing or merely steaming back to Dutch Harbor, to offload our catch. Sometimes I would clean the bathrooms or work in the galley, wiping cigarette tar off the ceiling and, if we were not actively fishing at the time, I made no hourly wage. Other times I would work sixteen hours and make nearly two hundred dollars.
Buy the video
Once you have made your secure payment through one of the below services, you will recieve a password key to log in and view the film
