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Working on the Edge: Surviving In the World's Most Dangerous Profession: King Crab Fishing on Alaska's HighSeas

por Spike Walker

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1255216,987 (3.56)1
No profession pits man against nature more brutally than king crab fishing in the frigid, unpredictable waters of the Bering Sea. The yearly death toll is staggering (forty-two men in 1988 alone); the conditions are beyond most imaginations (90-mph Arctic winds, 25-foot seas, and super-human stretches of on-deck labor); but the payback, if one survives can be tens of thousands of dollars for a month-long season. In a breathtaking, action-packed account that combines his personal story with the stories of survivors of the industry's most harrowing disasters, Spike Walker re-creates the boom years of Alaskan crab fishing--a modern-day gold rush that drew hundreds of fortune-and adventure-hunters to Alaska's dangerous waters--and the crash that followed.… (mais)
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You get just what you think you'll get. A bloody lot of spray in your face and permanent tension!
But enough King Crab to last a lifetime!
  Kindlegohome | Jul 9, 2015 |
To maximize the sensation of coldness and wetness while reading Spike Walker's Working on the Edge you should really listen to Ralph Vaughn-Williams Antarctic Symphony. It captures the loneliness, hard work and intense cold of the crab industry off Alaska's Bering Strait shores. Walker's book is about the meteoric rise and precipitous fall of an industry which has an occupational mortality rate 20 times that of the coal mining industry. Working conditions were frightful. Crewmen had to muscle 750 lb. crab pots over icy decks in 40 – 80 knot winds with seas often running over 30 feet. They were constantly drenched with frigid water for periods of up to 40 hours with no rest. The rewards, however, were extraordinary. During the late 70's the king crab population simply exploded. In the peak year of 1980 the 130,000,000 lb. quota was filled in 29 days by some 230 crab boats (a record high.) A regular crewman pulling the standard full share of 7% of the boat's take might top $50,000 for those 29 days. He (or she) could then go on to fish for tanner crab and pull in additional enormous sums.

Walker was lucky. He had been working in the timber industry, got tired and heard they were hiring up in Alaska. He was a strong worker and despite a predilection for seasickness Learned to love the hard work. In fact, when back in the "lower 48" for a visit he was disgusted to find people whose only desire was to get out of work. He couldn't wait to get back to Alaska and its raw living on the edge. Raw living it was. Bar house brawls were common, and the vast amounts of cash attracted enormous amounts of cocaine. By the 1981 season, however, only 28,000,000 lbs. were taken, and in 1983 the season was totally closed. It was determined that crabs had succumbed to a disease that was making the majority of females sterile.

In between descriptions of how one baits a crab pot and the relative merits of various crew mates, Walker peppers his book with vivid descriptions of calamities and near deaths at sea. He interviewed many of these survivors for the book, and his retelling is spell-binding. From September 1982 through September I983, 68 vessels sank in Alaskan waters with 46 crewmen killed. Storms were ubiquitous and particularly vicious. You gotta be nuts. Great account for us Walter Mittys. ( )
  ecw0647 | Sep 30, 2013 |
Walker's book provides a first-hand insight into the Alaskan crab fishing industry in the late 1970s and early 1980s, long before "The Deadliest Catch" Discovery documentary series. Personal tales are mixed with survival stories from fellow fisherman who crewed other boats during the crabbing seasons. Walker is very likeable and his writing comes across as authentic. Walker doesn't glorify the industry, nor does he exaggerate the heoric stories - he doesn't need to. I'll read more of his books in the future. ( )
  kenno82 | Oct 23, 2012 |
Working on the Edge is a true tale written by a commercial fisherman who worked his way up through the ranks, during the epic King crab seasons of the 1980’s off the Aleutians in the Bering Sea. We all know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, or certainly the author by his picture. From the picture of the rough-looking, mountain-of-a-man author, I admit that I expected simplistic sentences, heavy on action and minimal on character. It was an unfounded bias, as I enjoyed his vivid descriptions of the people, the feelings, the unbelievable weather and of course, the spirited adventures that he endured.
However, there are some books that become even larger than they are because of the moment in time you receive the book, who gave it to you, even the circumstances that surround the physical book itself. Having recently toured Southeastern Alaska, on a boat chartered from two commercial fishermen, I happened to meet another transplanted Alaskan fisherman as a patient in the hospital where I work. He said, “If you love Alaska and are interested in the commercial fishing trade, you’ll love this book. I’m even mentioned in it! I know all those guys!” I sought out the book, and though I couldn’t clearly identify my new friend in it, I found it to be a well-written book about a wild time in our recent past. Over the years, I kept in touch with my friend and his family, and was sorry to hear recently that he ultimately succumbed to his illness. My copy of this book, passed around my coworkers, with his kind inscription to me inside the cover, has grown new meaning and has earned a precious spot on my bookshelf. ( )
  Pamela110 | Sep 4, 2008 |
Now that we are in the era of "Deadliest Catch", this is one mans account of the king crab rush of the '80's. An inside look at the trials and tribulations of "Working on the Edge", in the most dangerous situations. ( )
  DGrivetto | Jun 30, 2008 |
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No profession pits man against nature more brutally than king crab fishing in the frigid, unpredictable waters of the Bering Sea. The yearly death toll is staggering (forty-two men in 1988 alone); the conditions are beyond most imaginations (90-mph Arctic winds, 25-foot seas, and super-human stretches of on-deck labor); but the payback, if one survives can be tens of thousands of dollars for a month-long season. In a breathtaking, action-packed account that combines his personal story with the stories of survivors of the industry's most harrowing disasters, Spike Walker re-creates the boom years of Alaskan crab fishing--a modern-day gold rush that drew hundreds of fortune-and adventure-hunters to Alaska's dangerous waters--and the crash that followed.

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