Sunday, July 18, 2010

Articles about Crab Fishing jobs (1)

Alaskan Crab Fishing Jobs Are Highly Dangerous
By Wendy Pan


Although no job is completely safe, Alaskan crab fishing jobs are far more dangerous than other types of summer jobs. The entire Alaskan fishing industry was named "most hazardous job in America" by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Fishing jobs in Alaska pay a high enough wage to tempt many college students for having a unique addition to their resume.

Roll Out The Numbers
Alaskan work related deaths are five times greater than the national average, mainly due to fishing jobs. For every 100,000 workers in Alaska, 35 will die in a year, while in almost every other state, only about 7 will die on the job. This makes about 195 deaths in the Alaskan fishing industry per year. If you are considering taking one of many Alaskan crab fishing jobs open, you need to do a lot of homework to be sure you will survive to collect your paycheck.

How Do They Die?
Because of the dearth of employment opportunities in many parts of America, some college students feel that they have no choice but to head to Alaska for a job on a fishing boat. By looking at how most of the fishermen died (or the theories as to how they died), you can help lessen your chances of sharing their watery fate. You want to be getting crabs for food - not be food for crabs.

First off, you need to physically look at the boat offering up the Alaskan crab fishing jobs. Don't be put off by a boat's age - it's the condition of the boat you need to pay attention to. The most important things you are looking for is a life boat, a working GPS navigational system and an ample supply of survival suits and not just life jackets. Life jackets will not be enough to protect you from the frigid waters of the Northern Pacific.

When On The Boat
Experienced fishermen may take some teachings about basic boat safety for granted. They've been doing their jobs for so long that they can wrongly assume that boat safety is common knowledge on dry land. Every time you are on the deck, you need to have a life line tied to you so that if you fall overboard, you can be towed back to the boat. You also need to be wearing a floatational vest of some kind.

If you know absolutely nothing about boats, then you really need to rethink getting a job on an Alaskan fishing boat. You are stuck out on the ocean for months. No one is going to turn the boat around just because you're seasick. You need to at least have some experience on a boat (not just a rowboat or canoe) in order to have a much better chance of not only surviving, but thriving at your job.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

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