H επικίνδυνη και απίστευτη ζωή των ψαράδων στην Αλάσκα

H επικίνδυνη και απίστευτη ζωή των ψαράδων στην Αλάσκα

Τετάρτη, Νοεμβρίου 18, 2015
Το 2002 ο φωτογράφος Corey Arnold άφησε τη φτωχή οικονομία του San Francisco και έφυγε στην Αλάσκα για να δοκιμάσει τη τύχη του στο ψάρεμα που ήταν η μεγάλη του αγάπη.

Ο Arnold, που είχε δουλέψει κάποια καλοκαίρια σε ένα καράβι για σολωμούς στην Αλάσκα όταν ήταν φοιτητής, εντάχθηκε σε ένα καράβι που ψαρεύει καβούρια σε επικίνδυνα μέρη της θάλασσας εκεί.

Καθώς δούλευε εκεί, ξέκλεβε κάποιες στιγμές με την άδεια του καπετάνιου και άρπαζε τη κάμερα και φωτογράφιζε το προσωπικό εν ώρα εργασίας.

There are two annual crabbing seasons in the Bering Sea, King crab and Opilio crab. During each one- to two-month season, Arnold went on numerous trips crabbing. He went on one or two trips during King season, and three to five during Opilio season.

The Bering Sea, located between far east Russia and Alaska, has a unique interaction of strong currents, sea ice, and powerful weather patterns. It is one of the most dangerous places to fish in the world. Arnold calls the sea "a continuous storm."

The 107-foot f/v Rollo is equipped to handle tumultuous seas. Average seas in the Bering Sea have around 10- to 20-foot waves, but Arnold has witnessed massive 50-foot waves and the Rollo's captain, Eric Nyhammer, has witnessed 80-foot waves. Arnold rarely saw his captain get nervous, but when he does, the crew knows it's time to worry.

Arnold was never comfortable with the "constant barrage of storms." "It’s nauseating, and you can’t sleep because you can’t hold yourself in your bunk without constantly getting rolled back and forth by the waves," Arnold said.

Trips last five to 12 days, and it usually takes one to two days to get to and from the fishing area.

Before heading up to Alaska, the ship loads up with three months' worth of food. Even so, it's hardly necessary. The ship's cook is constantly steaming fresh crab legs and seafood caught during the day. The hard labor of fishing requires a diet heavy in fat, protein, and omega-3s. Here, a sea lion gets a bite of the grub.

Once in the fishing area, they fish until the boat is filled with crabs. On a good trip, it could take three days to fill the boat. A bad one could take eight or nine days.

Commercial fishing differs based on what you are fishing. When crabbing, fishermen drop cages, called crab pots, in areas that are known to be filled with crabs.

There’s no way to know exactly where crabs are, so there's a lot of trial and error. “You never know what’s going to come up in the pot,” Arnold said. “It could be stuffed or it could be empty. You can go for days pulling up empty pots.”

The massive crab pots weigh approximately 800 pounds when empty. A crabbing expedition involves dropping pots in strategic areas and then periodically picking them up. If the pot is full, the crew empties the crabs and then lowers the pot in the same place. If it is empty, the crew loads it onto the deck of the boat so it can be placed somewhere else.

After a full crab pot is pulled up, the crew loads it on the deck with the help of a crane. Then they sort through the crabs at the crab-sorting table. Anything that isn't a legal-size crab (crabs must grow to a certain size before they can be caught) gets thrown back.

The crew relentlessly baits and dumps crab pots, maintains the ship, and sorts crabs.

The crew must work 20-hour days for between three to seven days straight, a relentlessly exhausting schedule.

Arnold likens commercial fishing to gambling. "You never know if you are going to hit the jackpot. If you land on a big school of crab, you can make a lot of money. I liked the idea of making a lot of money working long hours over a short period of time, rather than spreading those hours out over the year."

"There are a lot of near misses even on the safest of crab boats," Arnold says. One time, a crane was lifting a crab pot onto the Rollo's deck when it went over the crab sorting table, where Arnold and other crew members were sorting. As the pot went over, the cable on the crane snapped. The 800-pound pot fell on top of the table, just missing Arnold and his crew members. Here, we see the crane in happier times, as a crew member hits a pinata.

The ship heads home after it's filled up. The f/v Rollo could hold as many as 200,000 Opilio crabs or 150,000 King crabs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deXE2bgzeo4

 

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