Modern Fishers
Fishing men and women in the Bering Sea come from all walks of life. Unlike the close-knit, land-based fishing towns of the 19th century, modern communities are made up of people coming together temporarily at sea and returning to far-flung homes at season’s end. Still, the bonds formed while working and living aboard a trawler are strong and people often return to work the same boat year after year.
Deckhand
Aboard the factory trawler Alaska Ocean, deckhands are mostly young men from places like Montana, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Eager for adventure and a healthy paycheck, they sign up for eight months of hard work in the cold waters of the North Pacific and the Bering Sea. They operate the deck machinery for launching and hauling in the nets, empty the nets, shovel fish into the bins, clean the decks, and repair the nets, among other tasks.
This gear was worn on the Alaska Ocean’s fish deck in summer 2007. In all there were six deck hands, a deck officer, and a lead fisherman working that season.
Gift of Alaska Ocean Seafood through Jeff Hendricks
Fisherman’s hard hat
Hard hat worn by deckhand Matt Prebezac. Deckhands personalize their gear for self-expression. Markings also help them grab the right gear at a moment’s notice. Prebezac marked his hard hat “Rock Star.”
Boots
Insulated boots with nonskid soles for safety on slippery fish decks
Fanny pack
Fanny pack that holds a radio for communicating with other crew
Life vest
Life vest with microphone and strobe to signal location in an emergency
Factory Processor
Both men and women work in the onboard factory of the trawler Alaska Ocean. Some are “drivers,” who place the fish in special conveyors for the filleting machine. Others check fillets for bones, and others fill pans with minced fish, or make surimi (used in imitation crabmeat). Still others work in the freezer, the quality control lab, or the fishmeal plant. Like everyone aboard, the factory processors work 12-hour shifts. Many aboard the vessel in 2007 were Filipino American men and women living north of Seattle.
Female factory workers aboard Alaska Ocean wore this gear in the 2007 seasons.
Gift of Alaska Ocean Seafood through Jeff Hendricks
Apron
Apron personalized by Thelma McFarland for identification purposes, but also to fit her small frame
Block pan
Block pan used for freezing fillets, minced fish, and other processed fish products
Aboard the Alaska Ocean
This video takes viewers behind the scenes aboard modern commercial vessels. See what life and work is like aboard a factory trawler in the Bering Sea. Footage was shot in August 2007.
Produced by the History Channel
