Hi everyone, time to inquire… I am a 37 year old single guy and have always been interested in an offshore fishing stint; I wanted to look in to possible long lining or lobster fishing. That being said, I know the work is grueling and I have absolutely no at sea experience. I have built myself a career in the automotive industry and have been a Master Technician for many years now…I am truly sick of the job and have always had an absolute fascination with deep water fishing…the boats, the life, the ocean. Trust me, I am not an ignorant landlubber…I know this is serious stuff.
I currently live in Upstate NY but am willing to re-locate or travel anywhere for an opportunity.
Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks all!
Do you get seasick? A friend of mine spent many semesters of classes to study oceanography, and found it was not possible for him to overcome motion sickness.
In all reality I’m not sure…I’ve only every been on ferries an 25ft runabouts. It would be something I would have to test, and no doubt have thought about.
IMHO, walk the docks and ask for a job is the best way to get one.
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Can I ask why fishing ? Right now the industry is kind of slow but tugs are more consistent, most out of NY are equal time, another option. The company up in Troy adds boats on sometimes when it gets busy, go in, be decent and offer to ham for 1-2wks, see if you like it before you make a huge career move.
Commercial fishing and/or being on the ocean has always been an interest of mine. I thought I might see if I could give it a shot for a summer to see if it’s something I would be in to long term.
With fishing, absolutely.
The OP’s best bet is to head to his nearest fishing village somewhere in new england and pound the docks and visit some bars.
Sounds like a plan to me!
I would look into some of the factory trawlers and groundfishing boats out of Dutch Harbor, AK. They are actively hiring for all sorts of positions. You being a technician by trade, I would say go the engineering route and get your basic QMED oiler certification and go from there. The pay is pretty good, 70k-80k I think off the top of my head, and you get a lot of time off. The pollock boats have two seasons, and they’re roughly June-September, and January-March. Most companies will pay for the travel expenses between their main office (usually Seattle) and Dutch Harbor. Companies such as Trident, Arctic Storm, American Seafood, and Glacier Fish are the ones I can think of. Working hours for engine department are usually 12/12 whereas on deck they work 16/8.
In this day and age, if you are looking for a serious career change, walking the docks doesn’t get you that far so I would recommend researching companies and applying directly.
I worked on lobster boats growing up and still keep up with the industry. Unfortunately, bait prices and cost fluctuations due to China have caused a downturn and I don’t think that it will be getting much better. Plus, the federal government is putting more equipment restrictions on them due to Right Whale deaths (mostly from Canadians).
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Being good with your hands around engines is an asset. Fixing stuff on the fly in a rocking,rolling boat is a desirable trait. Hit the docks