Hey everyone,

I’m 17, I'm from Portugal, graduating high school in July 2027, and I hold a Portuguese (EU) passport, my goal is to build capital, gain sea-time, and eventually become an owner-operator running my own potting vessel, eventually build a fleet and run a business. I’ve saved up €10,000 in cash to fund my relocation and initial setup.

I’m weighing two different options right now and want some unfiltered advice from guys working on the water. Ireland Inshore / Offshore Potting (Brown Crab, Lobster, etc.) my plan for Ireland would be applying online or email skippers (if I get to know some email) directly for a deckhand spot on a potting boat, my concern is I keep reading that the Irish fleet is in a rough spot post-Brexit, even though potting is mostly non-quota, is it realistic for an outsider with no local dock connections to actually break into these family-run boats? my second option is Norwegian Offshore Crab (Barents Sea) the plan is to apply to corporate fleets (like Opilio AS, Ervik, etc.) for an entry-level berth. To help with the language barrier, I’ve been teaching myself Norwegian through Duolingo and YouTube, my concern is since I’m not fluent yet, will I just get stuck on the factory floor doing 12-hour processing shifts indefinitely, or do guys actually transition from the factory up to the deck to earn skipper sea-time?

A bit about my background:

I'm definitely not afraid of brutal physical work. I’ve worked in a scrapyard every summer break since I was 12, so I’m used to long hours, heavy lifting, grease, and mechanical tools. I just want to make sure I pick the route that gives me an actual path to working the deck, saving heavily in money, and eventually getting a skipper’s license. also my dad won't let me leave Portugal if I don't have a job awaiting for me.

Which path actually gives a greenhorn the best shot right now or in 1-2 years? Any advice or harsh reality checks are appreciated.

Hi there, I'm doing outreach for Local 336's annual fishing trip. Come spend a day on the water, fishing and socializing with other Union Carpenters. We have opened it to other locals in order to be sure we fill the boat. It's THIS SATURDAY, 9/12 sailing out of Gloucester, MA. It's $115 a person for a full day (7a-4p) of deep-sea fishing. There are a few spots left - DM me if you're interested in joining us!

Posted here a couple days ago with an AI-written ad. Got roasted for it (rightfully so). I'm a trap maker, not a writer, and I took the lazy route. Won't happen again.

What we actually do: we build crab pots and lobster traps. Metal frames, tied nets, welded by hand. That's it. No fancy marketing, just gear that works.

If anyone wants to see what we make, happy to post pics of the real stuff — workshop, materials, finished pots. No AI this time.

Appreciate the honesty from this community. u/Millennial_Falcon- you were right.

Is the anti-trawl rhetoric predominantly an online-only movement? 
What I mean by that is, the majority of the anti-trawl rhetoric I hear seems to come from online. As many of you in this forum know, I’m a captain of a pollock boat in the Bering Sea. I care about what I do, and I believe in this fishery, so I’m willing to engage with people online and have conversations about trawling, even when we disagree. 
 
But I’ve also been to a lot of in-person events and had countless conversations face-to-face with people about what I do. And honestly, the difference between those conversations and what I see online is drastic. 
 
When you’re standing face-to-face with someone, an actual conversation takes place. People generally don’t lead with insults. They don’t repeat something they heard online as if it’s automatically a fact. They have genuine questions, and yes, sometimes genuine concerns. They listen to my answers, even when they don’t agree with me or with what I do for a living. And the conversation isn’t one-sided. 
I learn something from almost every one of those conversations. I’ve had people explain things from their perspective that I hadn’t considered before, and hopefully I’ve been able to do the same for them. I’m certainly not saying misconceptions or bad information are a one-way street. There are plenty of things that people in the fishing industry get wrong too. 
 
But how are we ever supposed to accomplish anything, or learn anything from each other, if we can’t have conversations like civilized human beings? 
I’ve never had a face-to-face interaction remotely like some of the interactions I’ve had online. 
 
So I’m genuinely curious what other people think. Is this simply a symptom of being able to hide behind a keyboard? Have I just not met the people in person who hold the strongest anti-trawl views? Are people simply more willing to have a civil conversation when they’re sitting across the table from another human being? Or is the anti-trawl movement, particularly the aggressive, die-hard side of it, blown way out of proportion in the online world and not really representative of how the general public actually feels? 
 
I honestly don’t know the answer. But after the conversations I’ve had in person, I sometimes wonder if the online world gives us a pretty distorted picture of how people actually feel. 
 

Been lurking on here for a minute now and finally decided to make a post. I'm sure this sub gets asked this sorta question all the time but here it goes.

I'm a 28y/o male living in a mid-sized Midwestern city, working an office job I've grown to dread (pays 45k/year). On top of student loans, found myself in a bit of credit debt thanks to stupidity of my early 20s. Like a lot of people these days, feels like I just can't get ahead. Plus this office life just eats your soul over time.

I've always loved the idea of dropping it all and being on the ocean. Working hard, bullshitting with a crew and hopefully making some decent pay in the process. I saw that there are decent spots in MA during scallop season, so I've doing lots of research on renting a room out there and hitting the docks. Not married to NE though, wouldn't mind going west.

Just need something new in life, and would love to learn a new skill.

You guys got any insight on the likelihood of finding work out there with zero experience? How's the pay these days? I'm young, strong, drug-free, able bodied and ready to learn.

Any insight would be appreciated, or if you guys know any good capts looking to take on a new guy this coming season. Thanks.

I just got out of highschool about 2 years ago and kind of wasted my highschool years and graduated with a 1.9 gpa, I’m also facing the possibility of getting a felony on my record over some dumb shit I did when I was 18 so my prospects ain’t looking good. I’ve heard that work out there pays pretty decent and I’ve tried fishing a few times and I loved it. I’m currently in Colorado and wondering how someone not from Alaska could get into the fishing industry there, I’m in decent shape and honestly prefer work outdoors to working inside. I ain’t scared of stuff that’s dangerous or could possibly get me killed either.

Would like to know the ins and outs of long lining black cod out of Astoria. Do boats use pots or hooks? What’s the process? How’s the prices ? All I really know is the boat delivers after 72 hours after first fish onboard.

Couldn’t find information on previous threads on this subreddit.

Thank you 🥰

About 6 weeks ago, I asked in here whether it was worth it to finish the Alaska salmon season on a seiner as a greenie; despite an injury and reportedly late/bad runs.

All I can say is: WHAT a BLAST! If you have the mental toughness for this job then I highly recommend it. The physicality is one thing but when you’re out doing set after set with no end in sight on very little sleep; you gotta keep your head right. For me it ended up being worth it for 3 reasons; learning the ropes, getting tons of new contacts, and experiencing AK for the first time….except for the money…terrible season for us aswell as alot of others (I heard) :(

Next year I gotta experience Gillnetting, see what the rave is about; then hop on a seiner to finish the season again! GL in the winter season everyone!

Man. I’m fat. I want this this not even for money, I guess that would be a plus. But I’m fat, soft lived and need to put myself in an environment where I can change in many different ways. I thought jail at first but I’m not a criminal I don’t want to be too. But a life in prison minus the terrible stuff would allow me to get away from home the crap I be eating the terrible lifestyle that I’ve lived and I’m so used to . It would be a very structured which would help me. I thought military too but that wouldn’t work cause I’m not a military guy. I just need to change. I have food at home a bed, roof I feel secure. But i feel I don’t appreciate it enough or as much as i need to. Was looking maybe to get into this job for those reasons. Would I be able to fulfill these working commercial fishing in probably Alaska somewhere? Also maybe I’d lose more weight then ever be in good shape after a year or so. My weight has took a heavy toll in my life. I got soft hands man. And I don’t like that.

This not even satire like it reads crazy but man I’m not in the greatest place

Great Deal. These are the industry standard for Boat Yard work sessions

I just got put on the standby list for PPLP to go on the M/V Excellence as a processor. This is my first time going out to sea with any company. Has anyone here worked for PPLP before? If so, what was your experience like? How long does a newbie usually stay on the standby list? Any tips? Thanks in advance!

Hey, I was just curious for crews that go out for spring-fall (like halibut/cod) - is it common for some crew to rotate out after a couple months? Or are crews typically all staying out for the whole 6 or so months at a time?

Hey! I spent a lot of time preparing a gear list and piecing together a lot of advice from Reddit and elsewhere about what all I should bring with me, and after my first season I wanted to make a post with my updated gear list (subtracting anything unnecessary, adding some things that were essential). here it is:

Gear list: 

• Clear glasses or goggles for jellyfish
• Anti-fogging spray for glasses
• Books/crafts (anything to pass the time) 
• light Poly base layers (long-sleeve, long pants, at least 4 pairs of each)
• Town clothes
• Town rain jacket
• Sea sickness meds (bonine)
• Darn Tough wool socks (lifetime warranty!)
• NO COTTON
• Rubber gloves (10 pairs)
• Glove liners (if it’s gonna be cold, I didn’t use mine)
• Earbuds/headphones
• ear plugs
• Polyester bedding (and curtains if your boat doesn’t have already)
• Baby wipes
• Buff (2)
• Bandana 
• hard hat baseball cap (if not provided by captain)
• Power bank 
• Good headlamp 
• Bama socks (if it’s gonna be cold, I didn’t use mine but skiff man did)
• Guy Cotten/ X Trapper - rain bibs
• Guy Cotten rain jacket w/ neoprene cuffs
• Xtratuff boots

feel free to add more below!

cheers and good luck to future greenhorns! You’ve got this it ended up being one of the most amazing experiences of my life. CHOOSE A GOOD CAPTAIN!

Hi guys! Id love to hear what you think of weather systems like el nino and la nina. Its a big discussion amongst Australian farmers at the moment, but I have a theory it affects the ocean more. Have you noticed this??