The Alaskan Fishing / Processor Shipping Fleet
Not long after we moved to Seattle I did some volunteer work for the Puget Sound Keepers Association. This organization is dedicated to keeping and cleaning up the Puget Sound/ Salish Seas waters. We were on a small power boat on a tour of the Duwamish River to learn about sources of pollution and the ongoing cleanup efforts of this important river. This is where I met two marine biologist (one male and one female) who were also volunteering. Both of them were recent college graduates, The female worked as a Marine Biologist aboard a Alaskan fishing vessel monitoring the catch and recording scientific data for the Alaskan fishing authorities. You might imagine a young female aboard a Alaskan fishing vessel for two to three months at a time with a all male crew who most do not speak English. I asked her how she got along with the crew for so long a period. She said that she did not speak to most of them and she was not even sure if they trusted her work since she was monitoring and reporting on their daily catch The other marine biologist, a male, worked on a fishing/processor ship as crew earning money to pay off college debt. I was amazed how these two young people found their way directly out of college onto Alaskan fishing vessels, probably the toughest environment to do work of any sort of work. I asked them so many questions, they were very nice and graciously patient with my curiosity. My interest in the fleet that supplies nearly 40% of the annual seafood consumed in the U.S. is due to the fact that they have a huge presence in our daily lives. We pass by Pier 91 almost daily where so many of the largest of the fishing/processor fleet are moored in the off season. We encounter them occasionally when out sailing on Puget Sound. The huge majority of the North Pacific and Alaskan fishing fleet, vessels of all sizes are moored either st Fisherman's Terminal along the Lake Washington Ship canal or at Pier 91. They spend all of the off season here in Seattle since all the services they need to keep their ships in operating shape are here in Seattle.
Fishing/Processing ships do everything in one trip. They catch, process, pack and freeze returning to Seattle only after they have met their full quota for the season. Each ship or owner has to have a permit to fish in Alaskan waters. Each permit is connected to a sanctioned fishing season. Vessels continue to fish until either their quota is reached or until the end of the season, which ever comes first. On the bountiful years many catch their quota in just a couple of months, on the not so good years they will stay in Alaskan waters until the end of the season. The smaller ships will fish until their holds are full and then offload in a Alaskan port like Dutch Harbor, then head back out to sea to fish until their quota is filled. The majority of the fleet based in Seattle leave about mid May and all of them are back by the end of October. The commercial fishing calendar can be seen at: https://www.alaskafishingjobsnetwork.com/getting-a-job/alaska-fisheries-calendar-and-seasons/
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)were set up by the United Nations in 1982 to protect the interest of sovereign nations that exceeded the previous determined three and twelve mile offshore limits. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_economic_zone Russia and other countries fished the bountiful Bering Sea and often conflicts between US fisherman and foreign fishing ships started when the area became overfished. Even after the EEZ's were agreed upon there were continued Russian ships and others that violated the waters. Here is an article from 1997 as an example: https://www.rferl.org/a/1086723.html However, the US have aggressively defended the waters in the last decade and there are fewer incursions by foreign vessels.
Some families have held their permits for many years and are passed down in the family business. Any new fisherman wanting to fish in Alaska waters must wait until a current permit is sold or traded. Each permit comes with a fishing quota which has something to do with how long an owner has held the permit. The longer you have held a permit the larger the quota. There are of course ways an owner can share or trade part of a quota. Researching the policies that guide fishing quotas are long and complicated, you can imagine a document that has evolved over many many years can change as quick as the seasons. The indigenous populations of Alaska have of course inserted their contributions to the regulations and then outside commercial interest so it is a web that requires brokers to help the industry manage the trading see http://www.glacierfish.com/operations/ft-alaska-ocean/
 |
| Pier 91 is the berthing pier for many of the Alaskan Fishing Processor ships. The depart in May and return late October |
 |
| Alaska Mist, a 53 Meter fishing vessel is currently moored just adjacent to Fishermans Terminal at a yard undergoing repair. Wow, while researching this vessel I found this article which shows just how tough the environment can get working aboard these ships: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/rescue-pulls-22-disabled-fishing-vessel-adrift-bering-sea-alaska/2013/11/15/
"Twenty-two crewmembers of the disabled fishing vessel Alaska Mist are safe in Dutch Harbor Thursday, thanks to a good anchor, and the combined rescue efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard, a sister ship, and the tug Resolve Pioneer.
With Bering Sea winds blowing 35 mph and the seas rolling at up to 10 feet in height, the 160-foot Alaska Mist radioed it had lost power and was adrift 30 miles northwest of Amak Island, an uninhabited, 6-square-mile pile of rock near the end of the Alaska Peninsula, more than 800 miles west of Anchorage."
So here is another example why fishing permits and quotas are traded, if your ship is out of commission during the fishing season then you can make some or all of the money back by selling your rights for that season.
|
 |
| The Alaska Ocean is the largest catcher/processor vessel in the US fleet with a capacity to catch and process up to 225 metric tons (metric ton is about 2020 pounds so about 555, 000 pounds!) of frozen finished product daily.http://www.glacierfish.com/operations/ft-alaska-ocean/ if your really into reading regulations then try this https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingCommercial.main |
 |
| American Dynasty See: https://www.americanseafoods.com/our-operations/vessels-crew Who's On Board
1. WHEELHOUSEOur deeply experienced wheelhouse staff includes the captain and the first mate, who are in charge operations on the entire vessel.
2. DECK Deckhands get plenty of fresh air while dealing with the fishing gear used to deploy and retrieve nets.
3. GALLEY The galley staff cooks meals for the crew, does laundry, and cleans the ship.
|
4. FACTORY As the largest crew on the boat, the factory staff works below deck in the fish processing and packaging areas.
5. ENGINES Engine crew members keep motors and onboard power equipment running smoothly throughout the mission.
 |
| The 83 meter Arctic Fjord |
 |
| The 82 Meter Artic Storm see: https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2018/06/12/arctic-storms-pollock-new-build-is-first-step-in-fleet-renewal/ |
 |
| The 76 Meter Defender see: https://www.globalseas.com/vessels/defender/ |
 |
| Returning from Bainbridge Island we encounter the 92 Meter Golden Alaska returning to Seattle This processor acts as a Mother ship to several smaller fishing trawlers. The smaller trawlers fill their holds and then transfre the catch to the mother ship at sea allowing the smaller trawlers to stay at sea until the full quota is filled. See: http://goldenalaska.com/?page=operations |
 |
| That's the Golden Alaska coming back to Seattle as seen through our dodger. |
 |
|
 |
| The 207 Meter Pacific Glacier New Name for this vessel see: https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2018/11/09/ocean-phoenix-owner-confirms-pacific-glacier-in-works-purchase-after-hull-repainted/ |
 |
| This Iceland Flagged 37 Meter fishing trawler was the smallest of the ships at Pier 91 the day I took the second picture above, it is obviously not a Processing ship |
Working on a Seafood Catcher Processor
Everyone has heard of the potential to earn money in the Alaska fishing industry. One place to find work is on a seafood catcher-processor. These commercial fishing behemoths are massive boats that harvest and process fish onboard in an efficient, affordable, and high-volume way.
Seafood catcher processors range from 220 to 375 feet long and employ an average of 137 people to work as deckhands and processors. With nearly 250 catcher processor ships trawling the waters of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, there are a lot of jobs to be had, plenty of fish to be caught, and big paychecks to be made. See more at: https://www.alaskajobfinder.com/jobseekers/catcher-processor/
Luckily room and board is provided on the ship. There isn’t much time to do anything except eat, sleep, and work. With no expenses, it is easy to save money when working on a seafood catcher processor. Paychecks can range from $2,000 to $8,000 per month.
One of the young Sailing acquaintances I met here in Seattle lives in Ballard where Fisherman's Terminal is just across the ship canal. She said that when the fisherman come back after along season in the Bering Sea It is a good time to be in the bars as they are so flush with money they buy everyone in the place a drink!
No comments:
Post a Comment