The Most Dangerous Job - Commercial Fishing

How would you like to have the most dangerous job? It wouldn't, surprisingly, be that of a policeman or a fireman. The most dangerous job is on the high seas, and it's not being a pirate. Commercial fishermen hold the dubious title.

Part of the danger is understandable. Anytime you deal with Mother Nature, one on one, you have to handle her moods, and she is a moody creature. When she decides to behave, the sun shines on you, the breezes are gentle, and she offers up her bounty for your table. When she isn't happy about something, or perhaps when she's simply wildly exuberant, she has no consideration for anybody else.

It makes sense that Alaskan waters are generally the most dangerous. The water, in the winter months, can drop in excess of thirty below, Fahrenheit. It takes only a few minutes for hypothermia to set in once a man falls in. Waves routinely rise to twenty feet, making rescues even more difficult. Winter storms bring sleet, hail, and blinding snow.

Blood and slime-covered decks make working even more difficult. Fish need to be dragged aboard and gutted with razor sharp knives. Numbed fingers become clumsy, and are further hindered by gloves. In high running seas, everything must be done on a pitching deck, and things must be done quickly while the catch lasts.

It would make sense for the boats to stay docked during bad weather, but the law allows only a narrow window of time for catching much of the years' harvest. Some species might have as little as three or four open days. Once the government quota is reached, the fishing stops. If the weather is terrible, the fishermen have little choice about any decision of whether to go out or stay in. At best it's difficult to make a living from the seas nowadays. The men can't afford any loss of time or catch.

The Coast Guard boats have expensive equipment to aid them in rescues, but the cost can't be blamed only on commercial fishermen's needs. The Coast Guard is far busier rescuing other boaters, as well as patrolling the coastline, than it is spending its time and money on commercial fishermen.