An Alaskan crab catcher can earn nearly 700,000 in just 5 days a year, but this job is particularly short of people and is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. According to the study, the fatality rate from crab fishing is 30 to 40 times that of the average worker. During the crabbing season, an average of one crab catcher is killed every seven days in the Bering Strait.
There is a sea area called Bering Strait between the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia and the state of Alaska in the United States. This place is one of the most abundant sea crab resources in the world. There is an extremely domineering crab that lives here. It wears red armor and is very large. Some of its feet can be extended up to 1.8 meters. It can be called the king of the ethnic group. Therefore, it has a very domineering name - Alaska King crab.
Tender, juicy and delicious, king crab meat is one of the most popular delicacies and a very expensive ingredient. September-October is the fishing season for king crabs. Once they are caught, they are washed, cooked, and frozen. Then it is sent from the origin to all parts of the world through the freezer, and the time to arrive in China is generally around mid-November. Therefore, the king crab from the end of each year to the beginning of the second year is the freshest.
The weight of a king crab is usually around 3 kg, and some large ones can reach more than 5 kg, which is enough for 10 people to enjoy together. But few people know the huge price fishermen pay in catching these crabs, sometimes even their lives.
The United States once filmed a documentary that recorded these crab catchers who fought against the waves in the Bering Strait of Alaska and exchanged their lives for money. From October to November every year, more than 260 fishing boats gather in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, ready to chase the ocean's greatest reward for mankind - the king crab.
On the night before heading out to sea for crab fishing, fishermen gather in a local bar for a traditional farewell party. People drank happily, sang and danced wildly, and no one interfered even if they were completely drunk, because everyone knew in their hearts that tonight might be the last time these men had a good time.
Fisherman Arnold also joins the fight to the death at this time of year. During the two-month crab season, he often has to go out to sea several times. Arnold's fishing boat, 107 feet long (about 0.3 meters a foot), can handle the sea with waves. The average wave height in Alaska waters is 10 to 20 feet, but Arnold has also seen waves as high as 50 feet. Arnold said he never got used to the "constant, violent storms" that made him sick and unable to sleep because the waves had to keep rolling over his bed.
The boat is loaded with three months' worth of food before going to sea, although that's a bit too much. There will always be fresh crab legs and other things to cook on board. But Arnold's fishing boats will continue to replenish crabs until the cargo hold is full of crabs. If you are lucky, three days is enough, if you are unlucky it will take 8 to 9 days.
During the crabbing season, there will be hundreds of crab fishing boats in the Bering Strait. So, in a race against time to catch more crabs before anyone else, crew members need to work 3 to 7 consecutive days, 20 hours a day or more, and they are often exhausted. And high-intensity work brings more risks to the lives of seafarers.
Arnold likens commercial fishing to "gambling." "You never know when you're going to get lucky and catch a lot of fish or crabs." Despite the stressful work at sea, the crew can have a lot of fun. Arnold said he was deeply moved by the camaraderie among the crew.
A senior crab catcher said that the crab catchers are mainly faced with bad weather and dangerous crab fishing environment. The crab fishing season in the Bering Sea is in the winter of each year, the climate is very cold, and there are often arctic storms, and the waves are very rough. One wrong move on a crab boat can have disastrous consequences.
Crabmen usually work in sub-zero temperatures, usually the temperature on the sea surface will drop to minus 5 degrees to minus 10 degrees. The fishermen are prone to hand spasms due to long hours of toil in the cold wind. Coupled with extreme fatigue, the fishermen will gradually become unresponsive, and they may become unstable on the bumpy and slippery deck. It is common practice for crew members to fall or hit objects on board due to the impact of large waves.
In order to protect the limited marine resources, the Alaska state government has stipulated the crab fishing period. The crab fishing period is only two months per year. The crab catcher must put all the crab pots into suitable waters and then take them back within the time limit. If you miss it, you will get nothing. However, because the working environment is too dangerous, capsize and frostbite are common occurrences, so even if the boat merchants offer high salaries to rob people, there are still very few people who come to challenge them.
评论
发表评论