NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: Northwestern Captain Sig Hansen (center) and his crew (l. to r.) Deckhand Jake Anderson, Deckhand Matt Bradley, Deckboss/Engineer Edgar Hansen, Deckhand/Engineer Norm Hansen and Deckhand Nick Mavar, Jr.
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NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: Captain Sig Hansen (right) and his brother Deckboss/Engineer Edgar Hansen. The two brothers carry on the family crab fishing business in the boat built by their father back in 1977.
Image Credit: Rick Gershon/Getty Images DCL
NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: The boat moves through heavy rollers on the Bering Sea as evening falls. In this profile view, Sig's boat shows the characteristic features of a crabber including the lowered starboard rail section where all crab pots are dropped and raised as well as the stern-mounted "knuckle" crane that moves pots around aboard the deck.
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NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: Deckhands drop a pot using the hydraulically-powered platform launcher. Pots are placed on the launcher which is then tilted to slide the pots into the water.
Image Credit: Rick Gershon/Getty Images DCL
NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: Deckhand Matt Bradley throws out a hook to snatch a pot's buoy line so the pot can be hauled in. Landing a hook in rolling, heavy seas is one of the many skills that seasoned crewmen must master.
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NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: A deckhand leans out to give his hook line the extra distance to make a grab. This is one of the most exposed positions on the boat and deckhands must keep a watchful eye on wave action before tossing a line.
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NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: Exhausted deckhands grab some sleep before going back out on deck. Since they're still halfway in their waterproof suits, they're not expecting much of a break.
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NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: Deckhands Matt Bradley and Nick Mavar work to get the pot line fed onto the "block," the term crabbers use for the powered pulley head that takes up the lines of pots being hauled in.
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NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: In the final stage of "pot pulling," a crane is used to bring the pot onboard. Deckhands will then manhandle the pot onto the launcher platform that will be tilted down to drop the crabs on the sorting table.
Image Credit: Rick Gershon/Getty Images DCL
NORTHWESTERN — 2009 King Crab Season: Deckboss Edgar Hansen shows off one for the record books. King crabs, like lobsters, probably have "indeterminate growth" meaning there's no real upper limit on how big they can get as long as they keep molting and don't get eaten.
Image Credit: Rick Gershon/Getty Images DCL
