Well, we all made it back to our homes without any further weather issues. (Sorry this final posting is coming so late). Even though it was shortened by one day (due to weather), Kurt and I felt the trip was a great success. Our primary objectives were to understand the risks involved in the crab fishery and to gather some anecdotal evidence on the how captains have changed there behavior since the fishery changed from a "Total Allowable Catch" (TAC) to a quota system in 2005. As far as risk is concerned, vessel instability seems to be the greatest concern of NIOSH, the USCG, and the crab boat captains. The crab pots are heavy and, when loaded on a vessel with an empty hold, cause the boat to be top-heavy. This can be made worse in the winter when the pots may fill with snow. Ocean spray freezing on the vessel can also create instability (see photo of spray frozen to gear), so crew spend a fair amount of time at sea breaking up and removing the frozen spray with bats and sledge hammers. Once a boat is top-heavy it doesn't take much to tip it. Once you hit the Bering Sea waters in February it doesn't take long to find yourself in Davy Jones' Locker. (In fact, your only hope is to grab and put on a "survival suit" before you hit the water.) Yo-ho-ho...
The second greatest risk concern seems to be fatigue. Under a TAC there are incentives to fish without rest, as the vessels "race for fish." One captain noted that under the quota system he might be inclined to rest the crew for 4 hours. Another captain noted that their quota of fish will always be there, so taking one's time fishing was feasible under the quota system. These points resonated with me (us).
That's all for now. We are hoping to get additional NSF funding to conduct crew surveys in Dutch Harbor in October 2009. Looking forward to visiting Dutch when the weather is a bit more agreeable. Cheers.
1 comment:
It's cold out on the Bering Sea, but with only one episode left-- the heat is on! Don't miss the season finale of Deadliest Catch as the captains race to catch the last of their remaining quotas while battling ice and equipment issues. Also, Time Bandit's Scottie makes a near fatal mistake working the hydraulic system. The wildest, hardest, and roughest season ever is about to come to a close-- and you don't want to miss a minute! The Deadliest Catch season finale airs tonight at 9PM on the Discovery Channel. http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/deadliestcatch/deadliestcatch.html
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