Before our lunch-rush began, I mentioned to some of the guys at work that I enjoyed the Discovery Channel’s “The Deadliest Catch.” If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a reality-tv-show which follows the crews of several fishing trawlers as they venture into Alaska’s Berring Sea for the short King Crab season.
Our discussion — brief as it was — centered around the risks run by these boat crews. It’s very dangerous work — deckhands work around the clock in rough water, they’re often freezing and exhausted. And, of course, people die doing this — the opening of the show’s third season ended with the Coast Guard responding to a distress call: a ship was going down and her crew was abandoning the ship. The Coast Guard, at the end of last week’s episode anyway, had only rescued one survivor.
But the rewards are incredible — the crew of the Cornelia Marie had, at the end of the 2nd season, fished enough crab so that the ship’s deckhands, who work on a “share” pay schedule, each earned nearly thirty-thousand dollars for a few weeks worth of work. Not a bad pay-off, if you’re willing to accept the risk.
Gary said he wouldn’t. I don’t blame him - he’s got kids, and an active sex life with his wife (I know this because a customer got angry about some supposedly-poor-service and came in and told him he needed to “get fucked” and Gary said “Twice last night!” while his wife chuckled). But I wonder how much more dangerous King Crab fishing is as opposed to pizza delivery? It isn’t exactly like driving a motor vehicle for a living is the safest occupation. And I sure as fuck don’t make $30k in three weeks.
