From the latest issue of “Outdoor Life“, Captain Johnathan Hillstrand of the F/V Timebandit speaks a bit on being a Bering sea crabber…
CAPT. JOHNATHAN HILLSTRAND
COMMERCIAL FISHERMANYou want high-paying danger? Work a Bering Sea crab boat.“There’s like a ninety-nine percent injury rate,” says Captain Johnathan Hillstrand, 45. “We’ve got a guy onboard who already broke an ankle. I hurt my arm really bad. There’s so many ways to get hurt out here. A lot of ways to die, too.”Based out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on the Aleutian Islands, Hillstrand captains the Time Bandit, a 115-foot crab boat that has a crew of six and was featured on the TV show Deadliest Catch. They work in any condition-roaring seas, wicked winds, snow squalls-to haul up and empty crab pots, steel cages about the size of a collapsible camper that, when full of squirming king crabs, can top 1,000 pounds. It’s treacherous work. But on a good boat, a crew member can make $20,000-a month.Broken bones? Real common.
“We’ve lost fingers, too,” Hillstrand says. “But nothing big. No broken backs, anything like that.”
Great story and pictures! Thanks – it’s probably not a publication I’d normally be looking at! All those guys are amazing at what they do! I wish that poor dog had a bullet proof vest too! Aloha & a hui hou!
Those fishermen. They show off those scars like a badge of honor. Well, at least my ex fisherman does. LOL.
The men and women, well men, featured in the February 2008 issue of “Outdoor Life,” all have incredible stories to share. Sheer determination, passion, and guts, appear to be underlying factors to all these courageous individuals. Capt. Johnathan got my vote for enduring extreme, dangerous, and potentially deadly conditions most of us can only imagine!
I’m a 44 year old man 6’2′ 260 pounds and I grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan in Two Rivers Wisconsin. What does it take to get a job on your ship?
Thanks.
Joe