Feature photo by Just B Cuz. Photo above by Xa’at.
So you want adventure? Make some money? Bask in amazing natural beauty? Good. Can you live in cramped space? Work 48 hours straight? Ignore freezing temperatures? Good. You’re ready to get a job on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska.
Fifteen or twenty years ago, thousands upon thousands of college-age kids migrated to Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet in the late spring, pitched tents in parking lots, and beat the docks until they secured a site on a drift boat or seiner. In those days the salmon runs were incredibly strong, the ex-vessel price was over $3.00/lb., and work abounded.
Photo by pinprick.
If you couldn’t find a site, then the tender vessel or the cannery certainly had a position for you – a less lucrative one to be sure, but good work nonetheless. Crab fishing in the wintertime offered similar opportunity. A young man could get on a plane in Anchorage and have a job before he landed in Dutch Harbor.
Boats made so much money they could hire an extra guy on a half-share basis just to make life a little easier for everyone. It was relatively easy for an able-bodied guy to get a site, even if he didn’t have any fishing experience.
Things are quite different today. Regulations, oil spills, an economic emphasis on imports, the crash of the Japanese economy in the mid-90s – all of these factors have drastically changed the fabric of the industry over the last two decades. But the romantic allure persists and the risk/reward factor is still intense.
The job can still be quite lucrative for the right person, and the best way for you to land your site is still to simply SHOW UP! Skippers don’t troll for employees on Monster. There are websites dedicated to finding “fishing” jobs in Alaska, like Alaskafishingjobs.com, alaskajobfinder.com, and others.
Some of these charge a membership fee though, and most of the positions are on factory processors owned by giant seafood corporations like Trident or Peter Pan. This might be a good place to start, but in truth, the chances of getting hired on a proper fishing boat, sight unseen, especially if you’re “green”, are about zero.
There is no application process, we’re going straight to the interviews. So if you’re starting a career or just taking a sabbatical from the cubicle, here’s how to go about it.
Photo by Piero Sierra.
1. Do your research first
You want to be in the right place at the right time. Herring season kicks off in Togiak in April. The salmon run in Kenai starts in July.
Last year I worked with a guy who flew into Kodiak in mid-May, went to the city employment office (hint, hint), and had a site on a seiner the next day. He said he made $25,000.00 in ten weeks. Now that was a fortunate scenario, but he made his own luck by showing up at the right time, just a week or so before the season opened.
An e-visit to the city in question should provide you a timetable, provided it’s a big enough place like Homer. A smaller burg like Naknek will require some extended effort. National Fisherman publishes monthly articles, filled with tons of data on the volume and value of almost every fishery.
Visit NationalFisherman.com and check the dates. There’s even a small classifieds page there. Local and regional newspapers always carry a story or two as well. Be creative with your search.
Photo by kqedquest.
2. Pack appropriately
Functionality is key. Even in the summer months the weather will be unpleasant at times, and you’re there to work. Go with some sweatpants, hooded sweatshirts, comfortable, durable socks, and some rugged footwear. Bring a light, rain-resistant jacket.
You want layers of versatility stuffed into one semi-large pack. Remember, you want to be mobile, and the vessel on which you land your site isn’t going to have a lot of extra space for storage.
You can easily get your slickers and gloves after you’ve landed your site. In most cases the boat will even charge it, then just take it out of your first check.
Under Armor is great stuff, too. (Make sure to keep every single receipt for ANY related purchase. Find an accountant familiar with the maritime industry, there are all sorts of deductions for commercial guys.)
Photo by jillig.
3. Be professional
You’re ready to swashbuckle like Captain Jack Sparrow, but this is still a business. The number one issue for boat owners and captains is the dependability of their crewmen. Beat the docks early, and without a hangover.
You want to stress your reliability and your eagerness to respond to a good opportunity. If the man asks you if you have any experience, just say “No” or “Not yet.” Do not tell him how you went sailing on your uncle’s yacht one summer. Do not tell him that you are a hard worker and a fast learner, he’s heard it a million times. He’ll be more impressed with directness and honesty.
Do you have any relevant skills? Maybe you can “turn a wrench” or you’re familiar with electronics. If you’re not mechanically inclined yet, don’t sweat it. The number one attribute for fresh hires? Cooking. If you can whip up a nice meal for three or four or five guys on short order, your prospects just improved significantly.
Now if the boss listens to what you have to say and still tells you to ease on down the dock, don’t take it personally, some skippers wouldn’t hire Superman if he hadn’t been on a boat before. But I’ve worked for a lot of skippers who liked to hire “clean and green,” because they knew the guy was going to be trouble-free and they could train him up how they wanted.
Photo by pinprick.
4. Adapt
You might not land a site right away just by beating the docks, so you’ll need to utilize your resourcefulness. Check the fishhouses and canneries, a lot of skippers will post their “want-ads” in the offices there. Talk to people. You need to drum up as many leads as possible.
I worked with a guy who made his contact in line at the post office. Another guy put up his “resume” on the bulletin board at the coffee shop and had calls within 24 hours. Their combined previous experience: 0.
If you’re not getting any breaks, maybe you need a change of scenery. Another guy I worked with beat the docks of Cordova for two weeks and couldn’t get any action. He finally jumped on the ferry to Kodiak and found a site on his third day in town.
Persevere. There are tens of thousands of commercial fishing boats and hundreds of thousands of sites in Alaska. But they aren’t going to come to you.
Once you’re in, your performance will propel you wherever you want to go. Maybe you’ll settle in on a big ship that works year-round. Maybe you’ll network to different sites in different fisheries for different seasons.
Just like any other business, the owners and captains all know each other and who needs crew, and when. Build a good name for yourself and you’ll have it made in the industry for as long as you want.
So now you’re ready! It takes a lot of confidence and determination to find substantive employment in this manner. You need to be alert, assertive, and flexible. If you can’t handle what it takes to get the job then the job isn’t for you. Good luck.
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33 Comments... join the discussion!
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Great post Brad! Definitely one of the toughest jobs on earth. Takes a certain kind of discipline and motivation to exist in the world of commercial fishing.
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One really gets a sense from your article of the rough and tumble world of Alaskan fishing. A school acquiantance of mine was able to cover off a year of expenses based on some serious west coast fishing work.
It is so true that people have illusions of grandure. I barely survived a summer on a farm let alone rely on my hand-eye on the open seas.
I got a sense of the community and I think it is a real “ear to the ground” kinda article.
Peter
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thanks for all positive response guys, i really appreciate it.
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I love copper river salmon and I totally spent a week on a sailboat when I was 12.. so, basically.. I couldn’t hack it.
good stuff. great post. maybe you should start a website matching real fishing boats/captains, with interested crew people.. do like a rating system (like ebay sellers) where the captain rates the individuals, so if they suck the first time, they’ll never get picked back up again. and if they’re good, the recommendation/rating will speak for itself.. although, not sure if captains use the old interweb much..
ok, hope you’re well.
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What do you know! Same last name!
Very well written, very informative, but definitely not the
kind of work I would want to do.
However, I read a death notice in
the local paper not too long ago of
a woman who had done office-type
work in a mill and spent the retirement years of her life on a
fishing boat in Maine. Crazy???!!!↵ -
Hi Brad. What are the job ops for women?
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Hi, i’m a 21 argentinian boy, and i would like to get more information about the jobs in alaska, the amount of time they require and the posibilities for doing the job. Please contact me.
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Hello there! Im working in the passenger cruise as a motorman planning to shift in the fishing boat to work any available position for me? please email me…villanueva61@yahoo.com
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This was one of the best information that i have had. I am just 15 years old would that be god enough to get a job on a fishing boat? I am thinking of getting on a boat next year.
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Hello, I am daniel fernández godoy, spain, I have 18 years, and would be interested in working on a fishing boat, I have to say that, though not ablo English, but I think that if enough to understand and learn.
And neither worked before in any fishing boat but I think it could do so many thanks if tienesn any offer or information would be interested in that I did get through↵ -
I had never heard of alskan crabfishing untill I saw an episode of deadliest catch on tv. what you guys do is insane!! just the kind of job I been looking for. Ive tried roofing and farming and it all just bored me to death after a year or two. the only thing i found thrilling was bullriding. now I love fishing and excitement and adreniline pumping action crab fishing is right up my alley..not to mention the potentail of money to make.
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33 yr old husband/father (of 2 girls) who has ALWAYS wanted to work on a fishing boat since he was a kid and LOVES just being out on the open water, would be up for finding work on a fishing boat and up to the challenge/work. I live in the city and find myself more at peace when i’m up north and out on a boat doing what i LOVE… The money is the added bonus/reward! Great Income for a dedicated family who would love to work HARD and play HARD!
Feel free PLS, to contact me or forward my e-mail on (if you know someone that would be interested in someone as myself)
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Great blog post. Really solid advice.
My only comment is that that fishingjobs.com is another site that people might want to check out as well as the ones that you mentioned in the article. It has a lot of free content – videos, articles and stuff, related to the whole “How do I actually get a job on a fishing boat?” thing.
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Great post, Brad, very informative. I’m not sure if I have what it takes but I think it would be worth it if I had the money. Working for 48 hours would be pretty tiring…
Also, the word functionality bugs me to death, please try to avoid it lol.
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I love the show and would love to have a chance to go out and give it a whirl, I like challendges and at 47 years of age this would be the altimate challendge I’d take to the grave. those guys on the boats have balls of steal not to mention bravery to EVEN challendge Mother Nature heself, I’m Native American and have all the respect that the waters will give you and I she stops for no-one, Bottom line if I recieved a call to try it there is no-eay in hell I could refuse the challendge is to great not to take on. Take-Care and G-B to all.
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Sounds like my kind of adventure. . . Your employment advise reminds me of.oil field jobs. If you claim experience. . . .you had better have it or you will find yourself left in town . . . alone! . . . . .I’m going to spare you that story.
I had a friend that bought several VW Pickup trucks from me and ran a unique shrimp boat operation on the West Coast. He was a crippled man that made good in the fishing boat business and told some incredible adventure stories.
And wouldn’t you know it. . . . . his name was Whipple. We could not find any relation link.but his stories reveled the nature of a Whipple. . . ..
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come to fisherman’s terminal in Seattle the last week of March and there should be lots of jobs cleaning the boats and hauling the nets into the warehouses ect…i heard the pay is around 20 bucks an hour and it lasts up to 4-5 weeks.I also heard from a guy who did it that you can even get room and board on the boats.This is a solid chance of impressing a skipper and before you know it,you might be north bound with the hammer down…..I’m checking it out this Friday.
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I would to become an employee of the team. I’m 33yrs.old wht. male in good shape, and a very hard worker. Thank you for your time and patience.
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Hello, my name is John, and I have been talking with my dad who lives in Alaska about possibly going there to work on a boat for the summer. I currently live in Nebraska, I am 20 years old and have had a laborer job since I was 15. I am currently working full time for an Electric Company but would really like to work on a boat this summer. I have the money for a plane ticket, I just need to know I will have a job when I get there. If anyone is interested in a hard working, respectful and ambitous guy to add to their crew please let me know.
Thanks,
John↵ -
Thanks!!!! this was brilliant!! and to John did u even read the article.you have to go and meet people and”beat the docks”!
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great article. your right. maby i could get a responce tho on any skills i could get on the side before i quit my job and head north. im 18 with skills only for a wherehouse job. maby ill take up cooking. someone that knows wht their talkin bout tell me what skills i can work on b4 i go. thanks.
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hi my name its ramiro lopez im from mexico city i wanna go to work to alaska
i want change my work y learn very fast in cooking and learn every very fast
so if some people have work for me send mi email and i get to alaska ver ssoon thanks i have 32 years old↵ -
I’m looking too find a job in the fisherman industry! Can anyone help me out? Where would one stay and go if he was too fly out there? Anyone that can help text me please (716)485-8834 thanks again for your replies!
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Hi.. From Texas Coast.
Looking for a new challenge.. Hard worker…
W. (StoneCold)
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my name is joseph, from Ghana, i am now living in china-kunming-yunnan. i am 37 yr old,and in my passport is 43yrs old.i am husband/father (of 2 children,one boy,one girl) who has ALWAYS wanted to work on a fishing boat since he was a kid and LOVES just being out on the open water,i am a local fisheman when i was 19 yrs old.i would be up for finding work on a fishing boat and up to the challenge/work. I live in the city and find myself more at peace when i’m up north and out on a boat doing what i LOVE… The money is the added bonus/reward! Great Income for a dedicated family who would love to work HARD and play HARD!
Feel free PLS, to contact me or forward my e-mail on (if you know someone that would be interested in someone like myself)
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hi my name is josh. i am from massachusetts, currently working in texas. i am looking for a couple of things. i work on power plants now. i will be getting laid off soon. i would like to stay busy and earn some extra money. i am a very hard worker, i like to work with my hands. i love the water. i feel that i could learn how to do this job very quickly because i am a very fast learner. i know i would be a very good asset to a captains boat. there are two things that i like very much working hard and earning money. they come in hand in hand. if anyone is interested in hiring, pplease contact me at 413 834 8170 or my email joshuae@mslogistix.com. thank you very much for your time.
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i from landlock country nepal…and i am 24 year old &having complited my intremediate level in 2004…and i want ot job in alaska in fissing boat..becaus i would like to work full time in alaska if there is possible chance…..
i regreadly hope….my dream will fuilfill…regards ramesh↵ -
hola bueno dias as todo como podria yo costacta con anguiel que me ayude ay para alaska quiero trabaja yo vivo es españa pues mucha gracias por todo
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Get a job first on a processor,it’s a great way to get your feet in the door.Work your butt off and then get a deckhand job,that way your out on the boats pumping them and talking firsthand to the fishermen and the captains….I just painted a garage for a ship yard manager here in Seattle and he’s hooking me up on one of three boats.2 are draggers ( trawlers ) and the othe ris a top of the line catcher processor.He told me that the guy that I’m replacing hasn’t paid taxes since 04 which is over 240 grand.Tell me what kind of chunk of change he was making….Get to Seattle and with a passionate faith in God and wanting to work on a boat,it’s almost inevitable that you won’t make it….It’s called fate !!! Try Icicle or Trident seafoods,which are bottom of the barrel traing grounds but it’s a start.That’s how I did it….Good Luck.
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I would like to get on a processors boat in jan 2010 can you help me here my no 916 868-8231
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