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How to Get Alaska Crab Fishing Jobs?

  • Written by Nicolene No Comments
    Last Updated:: February 17, 2010

    When you look at shows like the Deadliest Catch, you will see how dangerous the career of crab fishing can be in Alaska’s Bering Sea. The main areas that you will find the three major crabs are Bristol Bay, Kodiak Island, the Bering Sea and Dutch Harbor. In the Deadliest Catch the 8 vessels operate out of Dutch Harbor and spend months in the Bering Sea trying to catch the largest numbers of crabs. From October they go out in search of the King Crab, and from January, the Opilio Crab or Snow Crab is harvested.

    A crabbing vessel normally consists of between 4 and 10 crew members and the skipper. It takes years to become a skipper of a crabbing vessel, but it is not that easy to become a rookie member of the crew, known as a greenhorn, either. You will normally have to start working in the winter crabbing season and then in the salmon fishing industry during the summer. If this all works out then you will be able to move onto working in the summer crab fishing season which is the busiest and most intense. The best way to get employment on the Alaska crab fishing boats is to get to know people in that circle and meet the skippers.

    When you work on the crab fishing boats you will bait large steel pots which are like cages. The bait consists of a mixture of cod, salmon, and herring. These weigh about 700 Pounds and are dropped into the ocean by way of hydraulic launchers with buoys attached to them. These are then each marked with a number to be collected later. Each catch is checked for immature crabs that are too small and then they are thrown back. The remainder are counted and recorded by the skipper.

    When you want to be involved in this kind of industry and make the large amounts of money that are offered on crab fishing vessels you should find out more on Alaska Job Finder. Here you can learn about the different fishing seasons and what you can expect when you work in Alaska. When you become a member you will have access to the biggest list of fishing jobs in Alaska that are currently open. Not only this, but you will also find job openings for Alaska tour guides, ice road trucking, Alaska oil drilling, Alaska resorts, and much more.

    If you decide that you want to make a lot of money and work in an exciting career that takes you into interesting places, you should go to the main areas for crab fishing and apply for jobs. You should try to get involved in any kind of fishing to start with so that you can meet as many people you can including the skippers. This will give you a chance to work on the summer crab fishing vessels, where the most money can be earned.

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