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Dpinkys7465: Has global warming hurt the crop of crab, or would it in any way?
Keith Colburn: Absolutely. Water temperatures play a huge part in the life cycles of crab, predators of crab, and everything in the Bering Sea. But so far the climate change has only made the Bering Sea more unpredictable. In the last ten years we've had extremes in climate — very cold or very mild. Also, global warming has created larger and more intense storms that track up the Aleutian chain from Japan, making weather conditions more unpredictable and more severe, in my opinion. I believe in global warming.
Ftenelson: Captain Keith what do you think about Blake, and what happened with him and the Cornelia Marie? Also you captains and crews are braver men than I'll ever be or could be.
Keith Colburn: Blake is young and green, but possesses the ego and arrogance to be a crab captain. He's succeeding at this time using radio, but at some point if he wants to truly be a great captain, he's going to have to turn it off and find his own crab. What happened between the Cornelia Marie and the Maverick happens all the time with these guys that use the radio to fish. Radio fishing is something you can only do with an absolutely trusted partner. In my career, the only guy that ever made any effort to help me or repay me for helping him was my brother Monte when he had his own boat, and my current partner, Mark on the Pinnacle, and Tony LaRussa on the Fierce Allegiance — both trusted friends and partners.
Sharak68: Hi Keith. When you're setting pots, which do you rely on more - previous hot spots and tips or your gut feeling?
Keith Colburn: A lot of everything. Crab tend to be in the same spot year in and year out, where there are favorable grounds for them to live. I also do a lot of background research before entering the season: water temperatures, the annual crab survey, and the location of crab on that survey. These also help me make my decisions. Ultimately, it's basically by instinct.
Crabfans1234: If you weren't a crab boat captain what do you think you would be doing for a living?
Keith Colburn: Before becoming a captain I had worked in a French restaurant and had worked my way up to assistant chef. I started in a restaurant when I was fourteen, and once I started fishing never went back. If I were to try something else, maybe cooking might not be a bad occupation, just maybe not a fast food place.
SR5401: Capt. Colburn, one more question please. Can you give some insight into why you, your crew, and the rest of the fleet choose to work in one of the most dangerous and deadliest jobs in the world? Is it money, family tradition, or something else that draws you to it?
Keith Colburn: Well, it's not family tradition. My brother Monte and I are the first Colburns that I know of that are fishermen. Initially, when you start fishing, the money is a big part of it. Obviously, you need to have a big reward to participate in this type of work. Ultimately, I think anybody who goes to sea finds that there's something that keeps bringing them back, keeps drawing them back to the ocean. I can't explain it; I just know I feel comfortable there. I can't picture myself doing anything else.
