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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Cautionary tales (trawlers/guys)


I’ve had friends who owned trawlers and I would describe them as solid businessmen who can be trusted. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for everyone who goes to sea to catch fish.








There are some rough folk out there. So, before you take that exciting new job with promises of a share in the profits when the catch has been sold, check out the people you’ll be working for.

First, there’s the risk you won’t be paid. Working on a trawler is not a fun job and you’ll feel more than a little upset if you find your boat has vanished into the great blue yonder when you go to collect your money. As one guy said when booking back into my hostel: “All I got from two weeks at sea was fish-handlers disease and a badly cut arm.”. He was particularly vulnerable because he’d been working without a visa. That can get you deported so there was no question of going to the police. Unscrupulous operators know that.

Second, there’s the risk you won’t get along with your new mates. There are many tales of crew members jumping ship or being abandoned. One poor fellow was rescued by a friend of mine who has a cattle station in the northern gulf country (Carpentaria). He found the man up a tree surrounded by dingoes. The guy could have died of thirst or been torn to pieces.

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