Fishing In The Extreme: Alaska And The English Channel | Catch

it's one of the most dangerous jobs in the world and yet despite the risks most fishermen would never change their jobs nor their lifestyles what motivates these men what makes them challenge nature and the elements some of the answers may lie in the hunt for the shoals of herring in the cold waters of the northern hemisphere the techniques may vary from one part of the world to another but the physical and mental efforts unite this Brotherhood of the Seas in Alaska the sailors onboard Shadowfax need to catch the greatest number of herring in the shortest possible period of time in Europe the men of the sand Ettie trawl the North Sea in the channel in a huge factory ship you here just for the money you wouldn't stay long her sailors are here for weeks at a time often facing extremely hostile seas [Music] [Applause] the journey into the heart of this unique universe begins off the coast of Alaska in the Sitka archipelago each spring hundreds of thousands of herrings heads towards the bay of Sitka to reproduce and spawn the fishing banks are preceded by an impressive flotilla of fishing boats from every port in Alaska Jamie Ross the captain of the Shadowfax is trying his luck once again after five days at sea his young crew will soon enter the fray as they take on their rivals and the rules we need to make money here so it's it's a that don't get me wrong it's very important in that regard to you know we all are in kind of tough financial straits about this time of year because the last time we made any money was back in September you know it wouldn't be spring without coming to Sitka and I guess I personally feel very privileged to be part of this fishery it's a very it's the smallest fishery in Alaska as far as numbers of participants [Music] in the Sitka sound the regulations for fishing herring are very strict before heading out to sea the fishermen are subjected to a scientific ritual organized by the authorities everyone is waiting for news from Dave Gordon the marine biologist he is the man in charge of fishing in this part of Alaska and has a nickname he's known as God Almighty because he is the one who makes the decision when to open the fishing season as well as how long it should last uptime for the Fisher up in the shallows you can't see that from the vessels so the airplane gives you the opportunity to see those fish give you a better handle on what the volume of fish is in the area so that's obviously a big determination that determine where we fish that there's a not too many fish where you might exceed your harvest goals or also the other side of it is too few fish and mobilizing this massive fleet and it'd be very painful if you put them on too little fish I'd say there's about 10 20 30 40 50 50 sea lions there yeah we got running water through there so fast hey bad mom and dad seeing the sea lions been [Music] with marine mammals beginning to arrive to feed off the herring Jamie isn't the type to sit idly by in port he is already at sea and looking for fish wow that's surprising the fish were over there yesterday now they're not so he's looking in a spot where we were hoping with some good fish that's very strange huh so that's what's cool about the fish they're just in this mode they're just swirling all over the place trying to find where they want to he orders the Nets up briefly to catch a few herring to judge the quality of the fish specifically of their eggs something the Japanese are particularly fond of the eggs known as a crow are what are of real value in the catch that's about a hundred and forty grammar 140 gram and then green green green very immature row this is a white sea the white color this mature row so see the difference in the two the golden color the sticky this is hard and this is sticky so this is good this is [Music] [Applause] biologist Dave Gordon appears satisfied with his flight over the bay the entire fishing fleet has set off for the north of the archipelago the official starts to the Sitka herring season will begin off there in about one hours time there's a lot of pressure on the crews as they will have at most an hour or two at worst just minutes to cast their nets the duration of the fishing depends on the number of herring in the bay and also their age [Music] after the greenlight is given its whoever's first around the fishing banks or 50 or so fishing boats hire a pilot to steer them to the fish and Jamie the skipper of the Shadowfax there's no exception there's a potential for that okay it looks like some boats are definitely over there huh Billy small sea plane is taking off and the pilot will quickly spot the tell-tale dark patches just below the surface I love because no my boat that's got what my boat's designed and built for speed this will just come flying in for just totally on robot mode and just do exactly what he says and know that's where this boats really shined in the past is just have the pilot say Jamie Jamie Jamie get over here just wall beat no racing and passing everybody [Music] [Applause] the throttles on full aboard the wild horses but deep-sea diver mich Koval is behind schedule [Music] we didn't come here to play Scrabble sixty miles an hour yeah well horses I don't think anybody have passes sure of that [Music] we're just catching up Mitch is in charge of safety and he is on standby to deal with any emergency his presence will soon be required thousands of kilometers from Alaska whether strictly regulated fishing is about to start another crew is readying to get out to sea [Music] on the bus from Brittany in western France are 27 sailors from ports such as San Malo fake ham and Boulogne 27 men some of whom like their fathers and grandfathers before them are known as Terrapin way of us [Music] these men spend more time at sea than on land up to 300 days a year in the North Sea the channel and the Gulf of Gascony following the shoals of herring and mackerel [Music] their large vessel is this on dirty registered at fear camp it's a 90 meter long deepwater trawler that flies under the French flag but its homeport is on the North Sea coast this trip like most others will last for three weeks [Music] to some it's painful to be away for others like Frank it's a relief [Music] [Music] it's workin for me Percy I'll be covering do you may proceed watch my sufficeth back here me it's a pain to leave but here we're fine that's a sailor's life that's all the thing you're looking for on land you can get it here where you wouldn't ever talk to your wife about something here you talk about it to your mates little things like that sailor's life like I said is there any now sailors on the high seas often talk of freedom or adventure when asked why they do this job they certainly go to places few others visits and witness sites that can take the breath away but few mentioned the challenges of living together in cramped conditions and always at the mercy of a temperamental ocean on the bridge one of the Sun daddies key crewmembers is getting ready his name's Eric he's the ship's number two the bosun when upon kathleen all those you see dear this isn't like being on land it's a different society here people's true characters emerge very quickly in this environment you need to mark out your own territory and then not let people walk all over you [Music] honestly man la diversión supposedly the captain could see what's going on even up from the bridge but he can't get directly involved so it's up to me to intervene if there's a problem to warn the guys to avoid certain places and stuff my clients mainly the biggest risk is to be washed overboard and then you need to wait for the boat to turn around and get you or not the long fishing nets are in the water and the schools of fish are starting to show up on the ship's radar the captain Vincent little it's a crucial moment with an easterly wind gusting at over 50 knots about a hundred kilometers an hour getting the Nets into the water is difficult convict to steer five five [Music] that was my official right under the boats at this time [Music] yes and at this time at the end of the day that should be fine on board the sand Ettie once the fish has been hauled up onto the deck the sailors work day and night in 6-hour long shifts in a few minutes Eric the bosun will know whether the catch is a good one while the French fishermen are preparing to hoist the large net on board off the Pacific coast of Alaska the show is about to begin [Music] the pilots do a last sweep over the ocean to spot the herring Shoals and on the water the crews are standing by to spring into action [Music] the Department of Fish and Game vessel has arrived and now it's marine biologist Dave Gordon who takes the lead [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is your last apartment fishing game six down sacral fishery will occur and approximately one minute you can't ready guys I might do this dinner over here you ready the countdowns begun nine eight seven OMA Shadowfax Jaime's in the starting blocks [Music] open open jamie has been following the instructions from Billy his pilot he's managed to spot a large shoal of herring in shallow coastal waters [Music] [Music] [Music] that's a again Billy [Music] [Music] scare the fish punch the bubbles scare the fish makes a crackling sound in the water see where all the corks are down that means fish slow down I'm over the top of the boat okay go okay [Music] to get in here turn-turn got the job so I can use my bat breath to turn off my job so I can use my bow thruster watch [Music] okay don't let me get in here Highliner pull it up do not go to get the drop get the strap now get them on the towline towline the boat are [Music] okay now get the highlighter bin now get the highlighter what happens okay there we go in the rush to complete the manoeuvre the shadow faxes fishing nets have snagged on the ocean floor the herrings have escaped and the net could be damaged [Music] okay go [Music] for the crew this might turn into a catastrophe [Music] given the extent of the damage Jamie decides to leave the fishing banks to look for another net of the French coast the sailors of the Sun dirty are about to find out whether the first catch is a quality one we call it the doorman because you can walk on it there must be 70 tons I'd say mind the tube go any second now [Music] I always say that if you were here just for the money you wouldn't stay long it's a choice there's a little adventure of course but also the pride in being different to hear people say you have an extraordinary job it warms your heart to know that there are people who wonder what it's like to do what we do then there's adventure lots of things the scenery the things that we see the day's catch allows the factory to finally get up to speed with each expedition more than 1,000 tons of fish are refrigerated packaged and then stored in the sand eTI's enormous hole [Music] [Music] [Music] for now the ship's belly is relatively empty the expedition is just beginning and the man who will be stuck in minus 30 degree temperatures is Frank who with four other sailors will take it in turns in the hold to stack sixty thousand boxes each weighing 25 kilos eventually all the frozen fish will find its way to Africa sometimes we feel a little sad we think what am I doing here it's like that everywhere I tried to settle down on dry land because I had a girlfriend who didn't want to leave anymore but I tried that for a while and then got bored boring it's not the same pace and here we have a second family our buddies our habits you might think it's the same old thing but it's not we wouldn't say we were unlucky to be on land but then later it becomes routine I'd get bored after a while I get messed up too so I went back to see up on the bridge then suddenly Britain has been told about an incident in the engine room savvier can I come down and take a look at the compressor [Music] the chief mechanic has noticed some freon gas is leaking and a part of the cooling system is no longer working there's a leak inside the compressor well when it's positive it means there's freon so we will need to resupply it the factory has to shut down its losing freon and if it goes on we'll need to refill it the chief mechanic has just a few hours to find the leak if he doesn't the captain will need to steer to the nearest port for repairs some members of the crew make the most of it and take some downtime if you're obviously bro my goodness now there are times when the mood on board isn't great time to time but there's one thing I've noticed and that's what's important at the end of the day that is that this is a trawler and to get through this we need to fill it with fish it's that simple or minimis you know that's how we get out of this get up and running again when things go badly it's often because the fishing is poor and therefore it makes everyone think about it but when the factory is up and running well then there's no time to think of anything else and that's important that's how we get out of this [Music] in the hold the mechanics have at last found the problem and can start repairing the refrigeration system the factory ship can get underway again and on the bridge the ships maneuvers can resume if there's a passion for the job there also some things we need to face up to go testicle job in some ways to us it's interesting because it's something we like to do but then again we won't be popular because of what we do from time to time Eric the bosun like most other professional fishermen questions his career and the reaction of someone dryland to what he does he can't understand why fishermen are still considered to be pillaging the sea and scraping the oceans clean deep-sea herring fishing takes place just below the surface in the nets remain underwater just long enough to catch the daily quota it's nothing like the trawlers that used drag nets to graze the ocean floor for hours at a time another trawler the Prince Bernhardt joins the Sun dirty alone the two ships will scour the area and split the huge shoal of herring at Sitka however it's a lot more hectic Jamie weaves in and out of the other boats that is heading to port to repair the torn Nets these [ __ ] idiots god damn it get out of the [ __ ] way watch she skips judge L tell him on the radio that he's in for miss youla Bay my [ __ ] steering is all [ __ ] up so I have to use this name fine ain't a long ways away bad I don't know where the hell it is it's all the way in prison is till we're 20 minutes away sorry but I just don't know I just I gotta concentrate here this [ __ ] thing is all over the place just destroyed a freaking hundred thousand dollar saying for nothing and caught zero by the [ __ ] is he and per miss youla bag god damn the [ __ ] [ __ ] pardon my language I'm sorry Jamie and his crew hope to get shipshape before Dave Gordon shuts down the fishing for the day the other fishermen continue their harvest so far some 5000 tons of herring have been caught [Music] [Music] everyone agrees this year's yield is meager so far but it's still good enough to celebrate and spend money in the local pubs [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] on board the Shadowfax they're doing what they can to ensure the next 24 hours won't be another wasted day at sea they not only tore their nets but also broke one of their hydraulic engines this is a hydraulic pump which is required to bring our net in and the shaft to the seal on the shaft blew exploded and so a steady stream of the hydraulic oil is coming out and we need to have this is very important we can't bring the net in we cannot bring the net in without this I always say just do it that's kind of my motto so I've actually have not been taught I've just kind of learned by the forced necessity to do things myself very good keep going go go [Music] we've got nothing up my jaw [Music] my wife before we had children she fished with me for many many years for nine years before we had children and she's always been my lucky charm so I I'm I haven't done so well personally the last couple years so my god I miss my wife she needs to be here so I don't know we're talking about maybe getting her down here but the rest the fishery she's my everything so I need my lucky charm so [Music] the Sun is out on the sitka archipelago [Music] [Applause] Dave Gordon is flying a game to determine where and when fishing can resume but what is happening below is strange that way to your left so that's not spot-on there is it just the sea is completely white it means spawning the period of reproduction is about to begin but if the egg-laying begins and the fish empty themselves of all their eggs then the fishing fleet might as well pack their bags this is our future right here the future of the fishery is the spawn coming back every year every year it's 10 o'clock we're gonna have an announcement in one hour and we could fish as early as 1 or 2 o'clock I would imagine so but we just need to we'll have to stay away from these fish and concentrate on other areas it's a really cool bit mother nature at its best right here very awesome to see the Shadowfax sets a northerly course as Jamie believes the fishing will take place in a creek he knows well well anyway the chain the situation has changed dramatically again there's a right off of this point in the middle Eric there's just a massive school right off this point holy [ __ ] but anyway so now now the frickin fish are spawning on mass ends inside a crow passed all south middle island they just 13% knows the harry went from nothing yesterday and now they're just going insane so look at these this is this is this is what we wrought this is what you want this is a perfect set because this would be if we get them this will be an enormous set and then you'll just have phenomenal footage look see so that's that's thousands of times it's awesome it's truly awesome that's what we want during the opening [Music] on board some are celebrating while elsewhere others have to cope with a bad weather that suddenly descended on the channel on the sunday the factory ship the infernal pace continues despite the awful conditions yo I'm covered okay yeah there's nothing better than a boat in bad weather somehow we're not exactly thrilled but I've got photos you see a boat it completely calm waters but it's just a boat but a boat that's being tossed about well that's beautiful anyway yes there's some pretty heavy seas over [Music] what are you go I see this Edo Tokyo square punch I'm listening to my rock music it's what I like [Music] [Music] Liuba school but she would need to be careful about the piles of boxes if they collapse well we need to be vigilant sometimes you get caught by surprise if you feel about going it's just too bad for the cartons even if they do fall off do anything about it goes it goes got you point-blank digital news hits you you'll feel it it was barber and his tooth he lost a tooth the car slipped out of his hands and back there goes this tooth jams the majority of accidents occurred the stern in high seas and stormy weather it froze the work and crewmen off balance it takes just a seconds carelessness and a large wave can sweep you away or a cable that becomes taut too quickly can slice through you it doesn't mean you keep bugging you in the child do them except that this is not man's natural habitat so there are some risks what I should never take you need to know the limit we're out in bad weather there will be some guys on this Ridge how much risk we take that's my decision is it risky to go quickly or turn maneuver up on the bridge in the ocean we're tiny you have to be humbled you must never feel more powerful than the elements this time however it's not above decks but below where an accident has happened with waves violently ramming the size of the ship one of the mechanics has broken his leg while repairing a machine in the factory ship [Music] when it can the ship will detour to the nearest port but to save time the captain turns to the French Navy's rescue helicopters for help [Music] [Music] his broken leg ample evidence of just how fragile humans are when the sea unleashes its power and a reminder to those on board to pay attention or risk even worse the hold needs to be filled and the fish offloaded as quickly as possible the fishermen have paid a percentage and losing time brings in nothing on the Sunday tea life is tough on the wage hard earned the crew make good money a simple sailor working the hold can earn as much as sixty thousand euros a year in Alaska to the fishing crews make a good living from the herring but only if they're the quickest [Music] they're trying to find us the school of fish there's a I think there's a pretty good amount of herring and this little go right here so if you can get us lined up on a spot that as uh not to rock you would build a set or saying one more time and I hope you get a good set it's debatable though towards this coast towards an ER point to see if there's anything the crew of the shuttle facts is waiting impatiently for the second round of herring fish and lots of it see I have I wear these the closer it gets yelping there those noise-canceling aviation headset and I can concentrate there could be a lot of noise around me no people talking et cetera and I don't even I kind of tuned in so I couldn't concentrate listen to what everybody saying and look at the stuff [Music] this time Billy Jamie's pilot has spotted a shoal of fish just a few hundred meters from the Shadowfax is Bao at 3:00 in the afternoon the fishing boats at Sitka at old vacant go again Mitch the deep-sea diver is in charge of safety in the fishing zone and has a bad feeling one open there's a fishery is now open [Music] this year with the herrings beginning to spawn early in the season could be compromised on the rear bridge of the trawlers nothing seems to happen as planned and there are an increasing number of problems some fishermen have used explosives and smoke canisters to steer the herring into their nets but without success [Music] [Music] divert Mitch covin is called in to help [Music] great good you the lady brenda has caught it's nets in its propellers look at the best are on the boat can you film this that is that is a total mess and they're gonna have to resync the net it could be gone for the rest today for a little over $600 Mitch frees the ship but for the crew above water the fishing is over the shudder facts however is homing in on the school of herring [Music] get happenin here a cover here Billy it's very good yes yes okay Mike [Music] [Music] according to the captain there are some 90 tons of herring wriggling around in the giant mass [Music] [Music] forgiving guys [Music] and this time Jamie lowers his net at the right moment today's fishing will only last one hour I think it's like a it's it's very similar to like a sporting event there's the team aspect you know the I have the three boats that I fished together I have the pilot and we have a long period of time that we've worked together so there's the team camaraderie just like any sport you know football soccer there's that there's that there's that aspect and there's there's the competitive aspect of the win I get nervous you see I'm American oh and a big big crash afterwards wiped out but it still is a great it it is it's an adrenaline rush I love it 4pn exactly marks the end of hostilities in the bay of Sitka Jamie seems relieved as all his efforts have been rewarded it's a very rough and rugged environment and I think because of that the things that people do tend to be rough and rugged a little more on the edge so you're taking a certain measure of calculated risk and it's just like fishing and fishing we're very used to calculated risk so I think it goes with the territory as we say you know we play hard work hard yeah it's very rewarding [Music] Jamie and his crew and the Shadowfax did all they could to salvage the herring fishing season this year the fish with the golden eggs began sporting too soon and so nature seems to come out on top [Music] [Music] before heading home to Homer to the north the sailors take advantage of the growing surge to ride the waves [Music] on the Sun dirty the end - along three weeks at sea is in sight in a few days the hold will be filled to bursting captain Vincent libera Tom can relax a little in these rare moments the crew say the captain is a great defender of birds the guys often see me take photos of the birds when we're turning there are always plenty of birds near the ship in fact they think I'm a member of a bird Society or something some of them bait the birds a bit which I don't mind too much but I do comment on it so that's why they think I'm a member of some club but I'm not it's just that I like seabirds this is their place out here they do the tour of the boats around the other side and the wind they glide as a break see something they die for it you cannot do but see how they're diving there are a lot for a few fish it's funny to watch them just like the gannets that try to find their balance between the wind and the pace of the trawler the men of the sound it he are also looking to reconcile life at sea and life on land [Music] the big trawler sails away and it's the end of a journey into a different universe for the men that work at sea in such extreme conditions nothing can ever be taken for granted their pay often matches the high risks they take but whenever the elements begin to go wild the sailors will have to content themselves with whatever the sea has to offer [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Catch

Views: 1,608,914

Rating: 4.4260969 out of 5

Keywords: fishing, fish, extreme fishing, deadliest cath, alaska, english channel, dangerous, fishing videos, fishing channel, deep water fishing, dangerous fishing, violent ocean, fishing crew, herring, herring eggs, japanese fish market, fishing fatalities, sendettie, factory ship, nature, travel, adventure, education, big fish, fish food, fishing with beasts, adventure is life, fishing is what i do, adventure culture, strangefish, documentaryphotography, fishingfriday, fishing2018

Id: 1Ek2BReVuBs

Length: 50min 38sec (3038 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 18 2018