Fishing for Rockfish in Alaska

“Duuuude! That’s awesome! So he’s like one of those Deadliest Catch guys?!” 

Well, not quite, but this is the reaction I always seem to get when someone finds out my dad is an Alaskan fisherman. I grew up in a small fishing community in the Pacific Northwest, so it never occurred to me that commercial fishing wasn’t the norm until I went out-of-state for university. Commercial fishing may sound like an intrepid career choice, but in reality it’s much more; time-consuming, dangerous, and physically demanding are only a few of the realities to identify this unique trade.

I didn’t have a sound understanding of my father’s job until I was fourteen when I joined him in the Gulf of Alaska. Instead of “Take Your Daughter to Work Day,” I got to join in on the ins and outs of midwater trawling for two weeks. Deadliest Catch focuses on crabbing vessels in the Bering Sea, but they share these waters with midwater trawlers like my father’s F/V Excalibur II, depending on the season. 

Overlooking Kodiak

Capturing the scenery before fishing.

American Bison enjoying the sunshine.

Rugged coastline is everywhere.

Papa standing on a WW2 gun turret.

Alaska is known for its wild beauty and wilderness.

In the summer of 2006, the F/V Excalibur II prepared its nets and equipment to catch Pacific Ocean Perch (aka Pacific rockfish). My dad’s boat catches other species as well including sablefish (black cod), Alaska pollock, and Pacific cod. POPs are thorny little guys and can easily poke through your gloves and boots. I discovered this the hard way while learning how to maneuver them into the holds (cargo hold under the deck of the boat). The holds are full of seawater and act as a freezer while also maintaining the equilibrium of the boat before fish replace it.

©NOAA

This particular summer was the last open season for rockfish before quotas were given to each individual vessel. Our two weeks consisted of three trips, each being a few days out at sea before unloading. I was immensely proud of myself for beating one of the regular crew members in a seasickness contest he was unaware of. The Gulf is rather “calm” during the summer months ~ unlike the wild, windy seas of the Bering Sea in winter. Nevertheless, my determination to keep the contents of my meals down throughout the trips earned me some great bragging rights as a rookie.

Pretending to know how to navigate the ocean…

We caught POP and sablefish the first two trips and Northern/Dusky rockfish and sablefish during the third trip. Sablefish could only count as 7% of the species of species caught, which is why we collected them little by little. A fisheries observer collected samples of each species and oversaw that gear was in compliance with regulations. If you’re a biology major, this may be a career path for you! The Excalibur II is 92′ long and normally has one captain and two crewmen on board at all times (with an observer here and there). Our ’06 trips were unusually large with my dad as captain, three crewmen, an observer, and myself.

El capitán holding a prowfish and a Dusky rockfish with a POP off to the side.

After hours of waiting, electronic equipment notified us when the net reached full capacity and was ready to be reeled in. Midwater trawlers drag a cone-shaped net through, you guessed it, schools of fish in midwater. One full net of POP on the Excalibur II can hold up to 100,000 lbs! This completely blew my mind and I earnestly asked, “Aren’t we full YET?!” as the first load was being shoveled into the two holds. The crewmen laughed and said, “We’ve got a long way to go yet!” Approximately 2.5 net loads will fill the Excalibur II.

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You can get a better idea of how the reels wind the net back on board in the following pictures. The net is so densely filled with fish that you can walk on it. Many ropes and lines help lift the net up so the fish can fall onto the deck. Part of my job was helping guide the fish into the holds using either my hands, a shovel, or a hose.

Net out at sea.

Seabirds admiring their fishy buffet.

Full load!

Getting ready to lift the net.

Closeup of POP.

Part of my job was also sorting through and releasing the bycatch such as this heavy skate.

Sorting through thornyhead rockfish and black cod (sablefish).

Holding a shortracker rockfish.

Me being super helpful, obviously.

After returning with a full boat load, a deck worker would fearlessly jump into the holds using a huge vacuum pump to transport the fish to the plant. During these trips, we delivered our fish to Trident Seafoods. 

Fishing is smelly, slimy, and often uncomfortable work. It involves a great deal of calculation, patience, and perhaps a bit of luck from Poseidon. Fishermen are farmers of the sea and put in many hours of watch duty, engine maintenance, deck cleanup, net repair, fish transport, and more. The next time you enjoy a fresh fish fillet, think of the men and women who risked their lives bringing that food to the table. This trip exposed me to the behind the scenes of my dad’s once mysterious work. I am proud to be the daughter of a responsible fisherman and captain and I intend to document more of this intriguing industry, as time allows.

Some of my rockfish inspired artwork.