The Sockeye High

The sheer power of nature is not to be overlooked. On May 25th, the F/V Bad Boy capsized and sank, leaving the captain to be rescued by fellow fishermen aboard the F/V Crown Royal.

A link to the Coast Guard report of the incident is located below.

Source: Coast Guard responds to capsized vessel on Copper River Delta near Cordova, Alaska

 

In theory, gillnetting is a very simple concept. You put a net out, fish get stuck in it, you bring the net in, take the fish out, and sell them. 

At one time, it was this simple. However, in the last few decades innovation and technology have changed the commercial fishing industry into what it is today.  

Hydraulic systems, fuel efficient and computer run engines, gps navigation systems, water jets, flush decks… the list will continue to go on and on. 

But this post isn’t about all the cool gadgets that make the job easier, it’s about the job itself and how it works.

There are three main parts to commercial fishing which do reflect that simple theory of gillnetting: setting the gear (we refer to the gillnet as “the gear”), working the gear, and picking the gear.

Setting the gear is the process of getting the gillnet off of the boat. When the gillnet is on the boat, it is wound on something called a drum. The drum is basically just a spool made out of aluminum that will spin in either direction to wind or unwind the net. So, to get the net off of the boat, the drum is set to free-spin and the boat is put into reverse and begins backing up. The end of the net is thrown into the ocean and the drag resulting from this pulls the net off of the drum, unspooling it. Sometimes the net needs a little help to get going, so we will pull it to get it started, with the rest of it following close behind. Once the entire net is in the water, we unclip the net from the drum and hook it onto the boat using a cleat. The gear has now been set.

Next, we work the gear. Depending on the time and location of where we are fishing, working the gear can entail a variety of tasks. However, in many cases, working the gear involves towing the net and running in the fish. 

Towing is pulling on one end of the net to keep it straight and fishing effectively. The currents and winds will often bunch up the gear or move it out of shape. Towing can also be used to make a “hook” in the end of the net. A hook is basically a trap in the shape of  a candy cane. The fish will swim down the net but the get to the hook and get confused and swim into it thinking that they’ve found an escape.

Running in the fish is using the sound of the boat and the bubbles it makes in the water to scare the fish into the net. When we run in fish, we drive down the net parallel to it on the side fish should be coming from. Fish are smarter than they are often given credit for and oftentimes, especially on calm, sunny days, can see the net and won’t swim into it. However, given a choice between the net and the huge, loud, bubbly, scary, unknown object coming at them, they usually pick the net. When we’ve made our way the the other end, we just pick up the end of the net with a tool called a boat hook, put it on a cleat, and then tow on that end. This process repeats itself many times in a day.

Lastly, comes picking the gear. Once the net has soaked for a good amount of time (usually 1-2 hours) it’s time to bring it back in and take the fish out. Luckily, hydraulics have made this job much easier by pulling the net in for us instead of having to do it by hand like in old days. This is where the drum comes back into play. It is set to haul mode and with the pull of a lever winds the net back on board. One thing that is not automatic however, is the action of removing the fish from the net. This must be done by hand and is the most labor intensive part of the job. 

There are four types of ways fish get stuck in the net: the traditional, the pull through, the easy-money, and the complete mess. 

First is the traditional. This is the way you’d think a fish would get stuck. They swim in headfirst, get stuck by their gills and are immobilized until removed from the gear. To get these guys out you have to shake them down until the mesh of net is stuck completely in their gills. From there you have to reach into one side of the gills, get ahold of the net, pull it out of the gill and around the gill plate, and then over the nose of the fish. Then you set the fish on the deck of the boat and slide it back into the fish hold.

Next is the pull through. This fish is small enough to have made it almost all the way through the net but gotten caught by their dorsal fin. For these fish, you just have to grab them by the head, get the net around the dorsal fin, and pull them the rest of the way out of the net. Sometimes the fish is just barely too big to pull through and we cut one mesh in the net and slide it out. In this case, we call the fish a “cutter”.

Our favorite kind is the easy money. This is a fish that is just barely in the net and as soon as it come into the boat falls out onto the deck.

Lastly is the complete mess. This fish has decided that its not gonna go down without a fight. They twist and wind and spin themselves into a ball of fish and net that seems inseperable. This usually involves problem solving, and as the rest of fishing does, a bit of luck.

While the industry has evolved over the year, the basics that make gillnetting what it is has stood the test of time.

Gillnets are 150 fathoms or 900 feet long (1 fathom = 6 feet).

Gillnet: A fishing net in which fish swim in headfirst getting stuck by their gills.

Bowpicker: A type of fishing vessel in which the catch is hauled over the front of the boat (also called a bow).

The snow has completely melted, uncovering these two essentinal tools used in commercial gillnet fishing. I have just finished my last year of high school and my Dad is wrapping up his winter job of teaching. Preparations for the season are in full swing. Engine room chores, fish hold sealings, patching up of the nets, and general polishing of the boat highlight the long list of maintence needed to keep the operation running smooth and efficient.

Currently everything feels chaotic, in shambles, a complete mess. It seems that there is too much to do in too little time. But as every other year has gone, it will all come together right before the season starts. The preseason stress will be relieved, but only to be replaced with the pressure of the need to catch fish. Soon the season will be upon us, but until that time, we will do everything necessary to prepare the boat, the tools, and ourselves.