It’s the annual king crab fishing season again, where are the friends who love crabs?
(Picture source: alaskankingcrab, copyright belongs to the original author)
Their huge body, plump meat, and delicious taste after being steamed and fried with onion, ginger, and garlic make them completely worth the high price of nearly $100/pound.
What price is hidden behind this delicious food?
#1
Go to sea for 10 days and earn $200
(Picture source: alaskankingcrab, copyright belongs to the original author)
Every November, Alaskan king crabs migrate in swarms to shallow seas.It's the best time for fishing.
At this time, hundreds of fishing boats will gather in Alaska, and fishermen are gearing up to catch crabs in the Bering Sea.
(Picture source: fishex, copyright belongs to the original author)
Alaskan king crabs inhabit the seabed at a depth of 4-250 meters. Four types of king crabs can be caught in the Bering Sea. The most expensive species is Red King, which sells for about $70-100/lb.
(Picture source: businessinsider, copyright belongs to the original author)
Ordinary Alaska crabbers,You only need to work 7 days a year to earn about10 milliongenerous rewards.Sometimes, after the crab fishing season ends, you can receive a "red envelope" from the captain when you get off the boat, which is about $1k-2k US dollars.
(Image source: ASMI, copyright belongs to the original author)
And the captain who recruited crab fishermen made a lot of money.
However, the work you have to go through is this👇
#2
Dangerous sea storms, strong winds of 26 kilometers per hour and huge waves exceeding 10 meters...
Sometimes huge waves push water onto the deck, knocking crew members to the ground.
In front of nature, ships are like toys...
If a big wave comes, people may be gone...
The temperature in Alaska in winter can drop to -5°C to -10°C, and the crab pots and boats will freeze, making you slip if you are not careful.Sometimes you only get minor injuries, and other times you slip off the deck and fall into the sea...
Frozen crab pots may cause the front deck to be overweight, causing the crab boat's center of gravity to become unbalanced and the boat to capsize.
Alaskan crab fishermen are called "the most dangerous profession in the world."According to statistics, in the Bering Sea during the crab fishing season,On average, one crab fisherman dies every seven days, the mortality rate is 50 times that of ordinary workers...
Behind the high salary and delicious food isCountless crab fishermen fight for life and death again and again in this strange ocean..
Once a ship capsizes, crew mortality is extremely high. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor,80% of deaths among crabbing crews are caused by drowning and hypothermia.
In addition to the harsh natural environment, the crew also faced long working hours of 20 hours a day.Cold weather, boring work, fatigue, seasickness... Even strong young people can hardly bear this intensity.
Some friends may think: The captain earns the most, he only needs to sit in the cab and command, and it is not that dangerous, so wouldn’t it be enough to be the captain?
The possibility is extremely small, because in order for a vessel to go fishing, in addition to having a boat, you also need to spend a lot of money to purchase a fishing quota from the Fisheries Bureau.
Today's fishing boat captains will basically inherit their fishing boats to their descendants.If you become a crew member this year, you may have to work for different captains on this ship for the rest of your life...
However, even if it is a job that involves exchanging lives for money, there are always people who want to make a profit.
As old sailors disembark, young sailors will once again stand on the deck of the crab boat, sailing through the strong winds and high waves of the Bering Sea, bringing cage after cage of treasures and delicacies to the world.
Even a small fishing boat with a load of 150 tons can harvest about $180w with a full cargo hold.Excluding labor, fuel consumption and other expenses,On one trip to sea, the captain can earn $100.
And those captains who have rich experience in finding crabs and carry larger loads can earn far more than this...
Back in 2017, there was a captain (first from left in the picture above)Set a record of 7 tons (approximately 276 pounds!) of king crab caught in 608475 days.
A captain in the discover documentary "Crab Hunting in the Evil Sea",A total of 12 pounds of king crabs were caught in 213000 days, and the purchase price was $11.2/pound. Not counting other expenses, it was enough to earn$238w...
(Picture source: businessinsider, copyright belongs to the original author)
I don’t know if anyone has noticed this important point:The purchase price is only $11.2/pound.But after the king crab entered the market and was brought to the table, why did the price increase several times, making it impossible to afford it? ?
In June of this year, in Seattle, the city closest to Alaska in the United States, red king crabs on the market reached a high price of $6/pound. Even the boss complained that it had never been so expensive.
(Source: komonews, copyright belongs to the original author)
Moreover, compared to the king crab itself, people actually like to eat their crab legs more...
For example, Costco sells 10 pounds of golden crab legs for $499.99.
Red crab legs on Amazon cost $4 for 349 pounds.
In addition, king crabs are actually very delicate and have extremely strict requirements on transportation conditions. The transportation cost of air transportation + temperature control is already very expensive...
Netizens said:After reading this, I understand why king crab is so expensive...
If given the chance, would you be willing to try such a high-paying job that comes with dangers?
(Friends who are interested in king crab fishing can watch discover’s documentary "Deadliest Catch", which is currently in its 19th season)
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