Capt. Sig Hansen of the fishing vessel Northwestern is back in the snug harbor of Seattle after finishing yet another dangerous fishing season on high seas. The vessel have finished an autumn season of fishing for Alaskan king crab and a winter season going after opilio crab. Hansen said that he has been home for a week now and opined that there was a lot of ice this year and the weather was chilling.
He witnessed that there were boats that got damaged from some of the storms they had. The ice blocked some people in, so there’s always that concern. It was very close, admit Hansen. He explained they put a few dents in the side of the boat trying to get through it. But they could barely make it though.
Hansen, along with Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand of the Time Bandit, Keith Colburn of the Wizard, and Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie, spent the previous summer sinking thousands of dollars into boat repairs, betting on large hauls to help recoup the investment. On top of money issues, storms and ice, two captains have more personal concerns.
As if financial and health worries weren’t enough, tragedy befalls the fishing vessel Katmai in October, and Discovery’s cameramen are there to record Coast Guard search-and-rescue efforts. Since the fourth-season premiere of “Catch,” the economy has taken a nosedive. A good chunk of the economic woes comes from individuals and companies taking financial risks in hopes of getting big gains but instead winding up deep in a hole.
