Commercial fishing is one of the worlds’ most dangerous occupations in part because contending with unpredictable weather, frigid temperatures, icy waters and high winds are a part of the job description.
Listen as a fisherman talks about how fishing is a lifestyle more than just a job. One year around Thanksgiving he and some other fishermen decided that rather than spend the holidays with their families, they’d go fishing. However a monstrous storm came through, knocking out their radio, and they had to “lay” (stay tied to the boat lying down) for four days, while 5-6 story waves came crashing down on them. This storm caused the men to realize how their careers truly affect their lives.
Regulations have also made winter fishing more dangerous by having a smaller allotment of time in which one may fish. When the fishermen face a storm in the winter, and had to "lay", they would have to do their best to chip off the ice that would be accumulating on the boat.
Listen to the commentary about storms at sea.
See also: Working Waterfront Series – Immigration and Ethnicity,
and Working Waterfront Series – Longshoremen,
and Working Waterfront Series – Lumpers,
and Working Waterfront Series – Changes in Technology.