Looking for Job

[fishinkidd]

I am in the sebastian area and im 15. i love to fish and my dream job is to work on a commercial fishing vessel. I really know how to fish and am looking for expierience so when im older i can get a job with my uncle in alaska. if anyone needs anyone or knows someone who does please refer me to them.

[dancingetard]

I dont now kid. It is rally hard for even experienced commercial fishermen to find boats to work on. I dont want to totally disuade you, but I would stay in school. if your school has a welding program or some kind of mechanics program that will all help you when you become a fisherman. I would walk the docks & maybe try to get a mate job on a charter fishing boat, or ask to help lumping out boats & or help doing gear/dock work(cleanng/painting) etc to get to know the captains & owners.  Maybe just hanging around the ocks & grabbing the lines when the boats get back from fishing & being seen. I had a family friend of the captain do a few offshore fishing trips once & he worked ok once you told him what to do, but mostly he would just sit there & wait to be told what to do. He was a big farm kid & luckily he didnt get hurt, because unsure if the boats insurance would cover a minor being hired on as crew. You could always try to get a land based job within the fishing industry that may help you. Or if you are really serious get any job, save your money & get a cheap boat off craigslist & a permit from fish & game start fishing. In maine kids your age own their own lobster boats by this age & are alreay starting their fishing careers. I would try to get a muh fisig experience within the lwe 48 before thinking about Alaska, the skills you gain from fishing will be interchangeale in different locations & fisheries. Focus on what is around Florida, Shimping, bandit,rod/reel,charter, boats, grouper longlining, spiny lobster/crab.

[daybreak]

I agree that learning related trades such as welding, diesel engine maintenance, electronics will give you a leg up when it comes time to go fishing full time. Of course a high school diploma and perhaps some secondary education is always a worthwhile thing to achieve FIRST, before starting a full time career.

One aspect of commercial fishing that makes it so tough is having to have basic knowledge in so many areas. These include safety, weather, navigation, electrical, electronics, hydraulics, maritime law and other fields.

No doubt all this takes patience....

[fishinkidd]

oh yeah im deffinately going to stay in school i was looking for somethig over break and weekends.
I just want to be expierienced before i go work with my uncle

[dancingetard]

What fishery is your uncle involved in AK? Salmon, groundfish, longliners, crab? Does he own is on boat?

[c.austin]

hello fishin kidd i agree with kevin but dont give up i started fishing when i was real young and definitly hanging around the docks and netshed made a difference i learned alot from the old timers i have now fished the whole west coast so hang in there and it will happen   capt. chuck austin

[fishinkidd]

i know for a fact he does salmon. i dont know wha else. I think he might do herring and crab?

[dancingetard]

As your uncle has probably told you, it can be difficult for even experienced fisherman to land jobs. If you are still serious in 4-5 years when realistically you could fly out to Alaska to go fishing I would have as much experence on boats & in fishing as possible. I would be savng my money for that very expensive flights to seattle/AK & then other smaller flights/boat rides to the sometimes small remote port your fishing out of. There is also a deckhand license you need to get from the state of AK for somewhere around a hundred bucks, & then the $300-$500 or so bucks you need for skins,boots,gloves,liners,knife etc. Its a big undertaking & I would want to see as much of the gulf/south atlantic fishing before freezing my ass of in AK. Salmon season is in the summer so its not that bad but its still AK & not Fla so it wont be a 100 degrees of sun.

[dancingetard]

I just spoke with someone at the USCG sector Boston command center about a 17 year old possibly working on an offshore lobster boat. They said that it would be ok to hire them but they could only work as a deckhand & not as captain/master. This clears up the legailty from the coasties point of view. They did suggest that the minor should proabably have a letter of consent from his/her parents/guardians. Hope this helps.