| No it isn't Bill Gates. It isn't the
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| | industry crashed for no apparent reason.
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| diamond merchants of South Africa or the
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| | The worst slump in fishing history, it
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| oil barons of Saudi Arabia either. The
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| | forced fishermen to look into alternative
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| world's highest paid job is crab fishing
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| | fishing sources. Thus Alaskan commercial
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| in Alaska. The frigid waters off the
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| | fishing branched out either to salmon and
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| Alaskan shoreline house a veritable
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| | halibut or bairdi and opilio, two types
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| fishing goldmine and crab fishing in
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| | of tanner crabs.
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| Alaska has been aptly dubbed the last
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| | Since then the Alaskan crab fishing trade
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| great gold rushes on earth.
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| | has looked up a little with the year 2001
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| Crab fishing is the most significant of
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| | bringing in 23.2-million pounds of
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| the Alaskan commercial shellfish
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| | fishing stock worth US$36-million. But
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| industries. The waters of Alaska, notably
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| | crab fishing in Alaska still continues to
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| the Bering Sea, Bristol Bay, Dutch Harbor
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| | command the highest pay packet in the
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| and the Kodiak and Aleutian Islands are
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| | world.
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| home to rich bounties of crabs: tanner,
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| | But this is only the rosy side to the
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| Dungeness and the famed Alaskan King
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| | job. Crab fishing in Alaska is one of the
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| crab.
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| | most perilous of all jobs in the world.
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| The different varieties of the Alaskan
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| | To fish for crabs in the glacial waters
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| crabs possess immense commercial value
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| | of the Arctic Ocean in sub-zero
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| and the Alaskan King crab in particular
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| | temperatures, with pounding waves
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| is a prized dish in the culinary world,
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| | thrashing on the deck and tossing the
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| valued as highly as caviar or vintage
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| | fishing boat treacherously and icy winds
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| French wine. US and Japanese restaurants
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| | howling continuously, needs a stout heart
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| are the primary importers of Alaskan King
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| | and an able body. Furthermore, your work
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| crab in the world.
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| | will involve negotiating the enormous
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| An idea of the valuation of crab fishing
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| | crab pots and coils of line along the
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| in Alaska can be garnered from the fact
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| | slippery deck.
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| that a seasoned fisherman can hope to
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| | Each and every muscle and sinew of the
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| rope in US$50000 worth of catch in an
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| | body is stretched to the hilt and
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| eight-week period.
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| | exhaustion to the point of breakdown is
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| The commercial crab fishing industry in
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| | common. Crippled limbs, crushed fingers
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| Alaska had its beginning way back in
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| | and ribs, broken legs are the staple fare
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| 1950. The returns were promising from the
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| | in the grueling 20-21 hour daily
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| very start and the region quickly
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| | schedules, while men toppling overboard
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| attracted hundreds of US fishing boats.
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| | are not uncommon incidents either. In
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| The 1980s were the heydays of crab
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| | fact, every year there are some
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| fishing in Alaska. During this period of
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| | casualties in these fishing trips.
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| king crab boom, the fishing boat captains
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| | However, in spite of all the hardships,
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| regularly earned US$150000 in a season
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| | there is no dearth of men seeking
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| and the crab fishing boats boasted of
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| | employment in this fishing trade. Crab
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| saunas, music systems and microwaves.
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| | fishing in Alaska remains a haloed job to
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| But by 1983, the Alaskan King crab
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| | land.
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