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For my research topic I chose Alaskan deep sea crab fishing. I chose this because there's a a pretty well known show called Deadliest Catch on the discovery channel that follows boats while they crab in the Bering sea, and because of the show I'm pretty interested in it. From what I've found in researching my topic I've found that it is extremely dangerous and strenuous, and that it requires lots of hard work in a race against the weather and other boats to haul in as much crab as possible. What I would like to focus on is how Alaskan crab fishing as changed over the years, in terms of technology and regulations and other ways that were intended to make it safer for the fishermen, and if these changes have worked. I would research how the technology and regulations have changed and then compare it to safety and the amount of casualties before and after the changes had been made.

Public Speaking 10 Sources

 1) http://www.menatrisk.org/health/dangerousjobs.html

Deep sea crab fishing is an incredibly dangerous profession, as shown by this blog, where it is listed as number 2 most dangerous. It also gives information on the fishing season, saying that it is 3-4 weeks long and takes place in the Bearing Sea which is one of the most inhospitable places on earth. Ice is constantly being made with any of the moisture in the air and the wind and waves combined make the boats very likely to capsize. They can make up to one thousand dollars a day, but also pay the price for it with a very high death toll every year.

2) http://www.jobmonkey.com/alaska/html/crabbing.html

In this blog, it talks more about the actual industry of crab fishing and the role it plays in Alaska and the details in the business. It talks about the different crabs that are fished for in the Bearing Sea along with how they are fished for and how much each cost. It also notes the history of the industry, talking about how the business used to be before the population crashed and so did the popularity of crab fishing, leaving it to a small amount of fishermen hunting for an even more limited amount of crab in a short amount of time.

3)   http://www.corneliamarie.com/alaska-fishermen-battle-icy-winter/

In this blog, the environment of the crab fishing is focused on. They talk about how influential the ice is, and how easily the fishing season can end if the sea ice expands far enough into the Bering sea. It also goes over the prices of the equipment that is required in order to equip a boat to be fit to go crab fishing in the unforgiving waters of Alaska. They talk about the average harvest each year of crab, and how the fishermen have to work to fill these quotas.

4)  http://fox6now.com/2012/07/27/deadliest-catch-not-so-deadly-anymore/

In this blog, it focuses on the more recent Alaskan crab fishing industry, along with the show Deadliest Catch which follows a few fishing boats into the Bering sea as they rush to fill their quotas. It also talks about the safety regulations that have been applied recently to cut down on fatalities, going from an average of 7.3 deaths a year to only 1 in the past six years. The change in the quota system, from a competition to a shared one, has made the process less frenzied and rushed and because of that, has made it safer.

5) http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-photos/king-crab-fishing-alaska

This edu site is a shorter one and doesn't say much about the actual process of crab fishing. It has a lot of pictures on the site of fishing, the crabs, the crew and also of the boats which are cool to look at it. What it did say was that unlike previous times, there are new regulations that require the boats to determine the sex and size of the crabs as soon as they are pulled onto the boat and that the females and undersized ones are thrown back. This is done to preserve the crab population and prevent waste of life when the boats go back to port and have to dispose of the crabs that are too small or female.

6) http://seagrant.uaf.edu/factsheets/kingcrab/kingcrab091103-general-screen.pdf

This edu site focuses on the crash of the alaskan crab population. It went from the envy of the crab fishing world and then plummeted down to nearly nothing, with the Bering sea now the only place to get these crabs. They talk about how a foundation is working to bring the crab population back up and the science behind rehabilitating the amount of crabs that are in Alaskan waters.
7) http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=SPN.SP24&userGroupName=mlin_m_brookhs&tabID=T004&searchId=R3&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=2&contentSet=GALE%7CA165420455&&docId=GALE|A165420455&docType=GALE&role=

This source from the brookline website research database focuses on the show Deadliest Catch and the crew and captains to show insight into the world of deep sea Alaskan crab fishing. It makes th comparison to another show, Ice Road truckers to show how dangerous it actually is. As a comparison it demonstrates the danger in deap sea crab fishing, as ice road trucking has been established as one of the most dangerous jobs.

8) http://search.proquest.com/bostonglobe/docview/405064928/13981BDA88B5C44F448/7?accountid=36930

in this bhs research database source they interview a captain of one of the ships to give us a first hand account of the trips and lets us look into the lives of the people who are actually on the boat. They talk about the show deadliest catch and what happens during the show and what drove them to start to make the show. This is a very interesting article as it is the only one ive found where they actually talk to a fisherman.

9) http://search.proquest.com/bostonglobe/docview/405274195/13981BDA88B5C44F448/15?accountid=36930

this tells the account of two ships that went down while fishing in Alaskan waters. It is important to understand the real dangers in these waters and that loss of life is not only a reality, but a commodity. Although this is not entirely about crab fishing it shows how dangerous the same areas that the crab fishermen fish in, and gives us insight into what they deal with on a daily basis while fishing.

10) http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=PPPM&userGroupName=mlin_m_brookhs&tabID=T003&searchId=R4&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=4&contentSet=GALE%7CA192850474&&docId=GALE|A192850474&docType=GALE&role=

this is another first hand account of Alaskan crab fishing. It is an interview with the captain of the Time Bandit, which is one of the crab fishing boats that is followed during the show Deadliest Catch. He talks about how much money you can make, and what you have to do in order to be successful. He also talks about his life and what he does in order to prepare for the season.