New Training Program to Fish Salmon in Alaska Available

Alaska is known as “The Last Frontier” for a reason. Far removed from the continental United States and sparsely populated, the wilds of Alaska present nature in all of its untouched glory. As its waters are also bountiful with fish, Alaska federal commercial fishing can be a lucrative line of work. If you have ever watched “Deadliest Catch”, however, you know that it can be a physically demanding and mentally exhausting trade as well. 

Recently, a new course was launched that aims to prepare the uninitiated for the rigors of Alaskan salmon fishing. Read on to learn more about this training program and some of the necessary permits you need to commercially fish on federal waters.

Getting Trained for Alaska Federal Commercial Fishing

Are you in the Pacific Northwest and pondering a move north to Alaska for the furtherance of your fishing career? Well, a new 6-day training program may be right for you. Starting in April 2022, the Washington Sea Grant and the GigHarbor Boat Shop will be offering the Purse Seine Vessel Crew Member Training Program. This program, also called “Crew School” for short, can show newcomers some basic practices and skills needed to work on an Alaska federal commercial fishing vessel.

Prospective commercial fishing boat crew members will spend six days learning foundational knowledge about working on purse seiners. Some skills that will be taught include line handling, net-mending, navigation, as well as how to set and haul a purse seine net. After the completion of the course, trainees will receive a certificate demonstrative of their knowledge. The program, which costs $100 for enrollment, will also assist crew candidates by matching them with boat captains working the Alaskan waters.

This program is conducted on the scenic Puget Sound of Washington. While the conditions of these waters are not identical to those of Alaska, they are similar enough for instilling important purse seine principles. The course will also include Coast Guard-approved First Aid and Sea Safety instruction.

Alaskan salmon purse seiners have a maximum length of 58 feet, and typically feature a skipper and three to four crew members. The crew will live onboard these vessels during the fishing season, which runs from mid-June through September. If this sounds like a line of work that interests you, enrolling in this course is a great first step in your career.

Acquiring an Alaska Fishing Permit

Outside of the knowledge necessary to fish for salmon in the Federal waters off the Alaskan waters, you will also need the appropriate permits. At the Commercial Fishing Permits Center, we offer a streamlined method for obtaining permits to utilize Alaska’s federal fisheries and much more. Take a minute or two to browse our website–you’ll see that we feature easy-to-complete forms for all of your Alaskan fishing permit needs. To learn more, contact one of our helpful and experienced customer service representatives today.