Bottom Trawling is a "dirty" fishery.

This actually happened last summer in Kodiak. A local dragger picked up about 40,000 lbs. of Tanner Crab in one tow off of Kodiak Island while he was dragging for "Flats". As much as the dragging industry would have us believe this is an isolated incident, it is not. Unfortunately it happens far too often. As much as I hate to say it, I think it is way past time we instituted full time observer coverage on all draggers operating in Alaska's waters. It is my understanding British Columbia has 100% observer coverage and this type of wanton waste very rarely occurs.

Boats!

Now that I'm home and life has done it's annual end of season realignment, it's time to start looking at next years needs. Even though the boat and equipment are winterized and stored, the maintenance program never stops. When tendering in the Bay, I couldn't get enough buoy coverage on the side of the boat. So I had a set of "pipe rails" welded to the aluminum "cap rails" on both sides of the boat. Now I can tie as many buoys as I want, wherever I want, to protect the side of the boat from nicks and dings. You can "never" have enough buoys when you're tendering. The pipe rails should work great!

I think I'm home?

Wow, it's October already. It's time to settle in for the winter season. The 2009 Cod, Salmon tendering, and Salmon fishing season is in the books. Done! It was a good season. There were no injuries, there was a fair amount of fish to catch, the equipment performed well and I brought home a nice batch of Coho for us to peddle. There weren't a lot of Coho in Kodiak this year, but the ones that did show up were beautiful.

Time moves FAST!

June , July, and August just flew by. Salmon is all over except for Cohos. We are just finishing up the "09" salmon season. For some strange reason I am able to get a wireless signal on my navigation computer and an update is long overdue. Tendering in Bristol Bay this year was all done in the Egegik River and was over before we got used to the new company (more later). Salmon was pretty good to us this year. We were blessed with a good run and terrific tender service (more later). We have quite a few stories to tell and pictures to show. I should be home in a few weeks and that is when I will sit down at my computer and update this blog properly. See you in a few.

What happened to the time?

I can't believe it has been a whole month since I arrived in Kodiak. The boat wintered real well this year. Usually there are a dozen little problems associated with a boat sitting idle during the winter months, but knock on wood, there was only one this year. The pressure sensor on the fresh water pump developed a hairline crack and had to be replaced. Other than that, all systems were operational from the get go. Putting a new cargo winch on the main boom is going to be easy, right? Famous last words. Boats have a way of mistreating you which is way out of the realm of normality. Projects which are easy and should be done in a few hours take days and projects which are much more complicated and should take days are done in a matter of hours. It's just the way of a fisherman's world. There is always a wicked wrinkle in the mix.

Jigging for Cod is next, once I'm sure all systems are good to go!

Do I have to go now?

48 hrs. and counting down to "D" day. Which means it is time to get my sorry butt in gear, get on a plane, and make my "departure" for the far North once again. I hate "D" day. It means no more getting up in the morning with my wife and the kids... Having coffee and reading the paper... A ten minute (hot) shower every morning! Clean underwear and socks. The list goes on, but I think the socks and underwear bit was too much information. Yes, I know I'm being cranky, but now that it's almost time to go to work... I don't wanna go, so there. I can totally relate to how my kids feel on a school day morning. It's hard to crawl out of a nice warm bed, put on your game face and get after it.

I do love catching fish though, so maybe it will be OK after I get over the enormous culture shock of shifting from one life style to another. I will admit, that after 20 years with the girl, there's no place like home! Too bad she gets seasick or I'd take her with me. The first month is the worst. Nothing but boat work, and more boat work, and then even more boat work. It's at about this point where I start to remember why I hate boats (I come out of the engine room feeling like a human Q-Tip). But, then I get to go fishing and that's the payoff. That's what keeps me going.

It was last year in the middle of September on a beautiful, sunny, fall morning. We were towing on the seine, on the point of land, just outside of Ruth Bay. Tyler was sitting in the chair on the other side of the bridge from me. He was looking around at the mountains, trees and water when he turned to me and said, "dude I just love looking out of your office windows". That pretty much sums it all up.

The next post will be from the boat which is currently in the Kodiak Boat Harbor, Slip C8.

Best Laid Plans of Mice & Men

Departure day has come and gone thanks to Mt. Redoubt. I really don't mind very much. I will enjoy a couple more weeks with my family. This time of year they don't enjoy me as much as I enjoy them. Fishermen, in the spring, tend to get cranky, antsy, fidgety, forgetfull, distracted, ... well you get the idea.

It snowed two and a half feet in Kodiak a couple of days ago, so I'm in no hurry to fight the lingering winter weather either. Some real old timers said they hadn't seen this much snow, this late in the year, since the 1950's. Yuk! Deep snow and un insulated Xtra Tuffs aren't the best combo for keeping your feet warm and dry. And I don't really like being cold and wet. Bet you didn't expect that from a fisherman did you?

The Countdown Begins

It is officially countdown time for me. March 1st was here and gone so quickly I missed it. It's that time of the year for most salmon fishermen to start readying their operations for the upcoming season. Nets have to be repaired, skiffs gone through, boats hauled, bottom painted, and every system checked at least 3 times. I start about the first of April, in Kodiak, and use a small little fishery most people outside of the State of Alaska have never heard of to get my boat and equipment tuned up before the tender season starts. Cod jigging. It gives me a chance to actually go fishing, but do it at a very slow pace. That way I can monitor all the systems and make any mods or repairs without losing a lot of time or money.

The Icy Mist

I was very sad to read about the loss of the F/V Icy Mist the other day. I'm glad everyone got off safely. Big "High Fives" to the Kodiak Coast Guard Air Rescue group. You just can't say enough about these people. Their skill and dedication to all of us who venture out onto the water is legendary. My heart goes out to Bob & Jen and what they are going through right now. A boat isn't just a chunk of steel, it's the Blood, Sweat and Tears of a life time of dedication and sacrifice. The good ones like the Icy Mist are lovingly cared for by their owners and it always shows. She's the biggest, baddest and most beautiful limit Hansen there is. I know Bob and Jen will get through this, because there's just no quit in people of that quality and caliber. It just really sucks when crap like this happens to really good people.

Bristol Bay Blues

The new Bristol Bay processor capacity survey is out and it is no surprise to anyone. The canneries are telling the state they can handle every lb. of production for the 09 BB salmon season. The truth is they can't handle the influx of fish during the peak of the run. Why not let an outside processor or two in. The fact is, that for years processors from British Columbia and other places sent buyers to the Bay. The only thing I remember about that was higher prices for the fishermen. God knows that's not going to hurt anyone.

Freezer Burn

For most of us keeping seafood or any kind of meat in the freezer can be an exercise in futility. By the time we rediscover our lost dinner it has been dried out by the freezer's defrost cycle and blower fan. I don't know if anyone else does this at home, but I use this little trick when I don't have fresh frozen vac packed fish. I read somewhere you should empty out your freezer's ice machine about once a month. Evidently ice spoils? Anyway, first cut your fish unto meal sized portions and freeze it. Clean your sink thoroughly and put the plug in. Dump all the ice from the freezer into the sink and put enough cold water in to submerge those items you want to glaze. Dip the frozen fish portions into the ice water for about 5 seconds. Dip them 2 or 3 times. This will form an ice glaze and barrier around the fish which will prevent freezer burn. Put the now glazed fish into a zip lock bag, suck out the air, and into the freezer it goes. If you plan on storing your fish for an extended period of time, put the fish in a zip lock bag, put enough water in the bag to completely engulf the fish, seal the bag and put it in the freezer until you need it. Always remember, when you thaw out seafood let it thaw out in the fridge not on the counter.