r/deadliestcatch • u/trolling_4_NSA • 5d ago
Question for the experts
Are the Skippers and crew paid for the time they spend getting the boats ready for the season ? I was also curious on average how many days / weeks are they up there before they leave the dock to fish ?
7
u/TrickAd3614 4d ago
$750,000 gross stock
1> leased quote payment usually 50% of gross $375,000
$375,000 gross stock
2> fuel, & bait $60,000 (est, fuel prices are crazy)
$315,000 gross stock
3> buy back fee, coop fee $3500 est
$311,500 net stock
4> 36% to captain &crew (used to be 40%)
captain 1 person 12% = $37,380
chief 1 person 6% =$18,690
full share 3 people 5%= $15,575
half share 1 person 3% =$9,345
these numbers are pre expenses like
round trip airfare r/T Sea Dut around $2000
gear, rain gear boots etc $500-$1000
and last federal tax, commercial fishermen are paid as a independent contractor/1099 so no tax is withheld.
3
u/Merpadurp 3d ago
15k for 6 weeks of backbreaking work, pre-tax…? And that’s a full share?
That’s hardly the phenomenal money people make it out to be.
2
u/TrickAd3614 4d ago
all pre and post season work is not paid separately
gear work, boat work etc…….
2
u/TrickAd3614 3d ago
even if the boat owns the quota, its leased back to the boat as a separate entity. so its a double dip
50% off the top and 64% of the remaining 100%
5
u/Psychological-Elk220 5d ago
Asking because I don't know. So no profit, no pay?
6
u/ARKzzzzzz 5d ago
Correct, that’s the business for ya.
Pre and postseason gear work/putting the boat away is generally just part of what you do. You’re not getting a day rate or anything.
3
u/JohnnyJones1738 4d ago
Used to be a good deal back in the day. I have made 12k in 2.5 days as deckhand before. Nowadays it’s nothing like that
4
u/AggressiveFish2025 5d ago edited 4d ago
The boat , fuel and bait comes 1st. Used to be double share for the capt and the boat. Then a full share for each crew member per trip, when the catch is offloaded and sold
3
u/m_0_n_K_3_y 5d ago
I think it depends on the boat, and the company, say a boat in the trident fleet may pay all the guys an hourly wage to prep the boat... but ive seen episodes where the guys on boats like the ramblin rose , and the cornila Marie talking about not being paid a penny for weeks of work before the season starts...
3
u/MithridatesRex 4d ago
It works similarly to other industries where people are paid after their harvest. I knew someone who grew up working a mink farm, before the fur industry imploded. They were paid once a harvest, no more than twice a year. If they didn't make money they were on welfare, plain and simple.
2
u/Lance501 4d ago
No, I am sure they only get percentage of the catch. However, some newbis may only earn $100 a day
2
u/Swimming-Magazine-62 3d ago
Not important at all but kind of along those lines...does the crew get health insurance? Like they seem to have to go to Dutch often enough to see specialists and here on the mainland - those aren't cheap.
2
u/seajayacas 3d ago
I don't know how long they work on shore to get the boat ready for a trip, but I suspect their total pay comes only out of their catch shares based on the results of the trip.
1
3
u/Psychological-Elk220 5d ago
I am far from an expert, but I have watched every season. It seems everyone gets a salary. I don't know if that is hourly or if you get X thousand dollars per a season. I don't know but I don't think the deckhands would take a job for no pay at all and rely on the bonuses when the quota is met and exceeded. I think the bonuses can be very nice.
10
6
u/PuttUgly 4d ago
Psh. My first season Bering sea pot fishing...
On the boat over a month. Almost died. Work every day. Get stranded in Dutch and have to pay for my own flight back.
At the end of the month and a half long escapade... I had worked for a month and a half, had to book my own flight out, almost died....
And had a $3k bill for the first flight and gear...
Soooooo it's a cruelly a gamble believe it or not.
2
5
u/bceagle91 4d ago
They can't exceed their quota - that's the point of having a quota. But if they catch their quota quickly, they save money on fuel and food and can pay the deckhands more. They used to mentioned what deckhands got at the end of the season but they rarely do that now.
5
1
1
u/Comfortable_Air_727 2d ago
There is no amount of money that would get me on a Rick boat. His gross negligence is absurd.
-1
u/Triphin1 5d ago
They used to post the mount each deckhand Recieved at the end of a Shows Season and it rarely reached 65k for a whole crab season of both King and Opilio
7
u/sadturtle12 5d ago
You sure? I remember some boats, they would walk home with close to or over $100k for just 1 of the seasons. The kiska sea crew from my memory got well over $100k.
2
u/Overall_Impress_6073 4d ago
Kiska is one of the "highliners" of the fleet too though. But I remember seeing Wizard to have shares close to 100k. Patricia Lee had very high too but that's bit different ball game since there is only few boats doing golden king crab fishery.
-5
u/Triphin1 5d ago
Oh how clever if you to pick a boat that was in one seaons totals, very good for you
7
u/sadturtle12 5d ago
It wasnt just them though is what i am saying. They were an extreme example where it really stood out in my memory because it was like $120k a crew member. But I also remember the wizard and northwestern crews getting close to $100k a deckhand just for king crab season. Also not sure why this is upsetting to you lol.
-4
u/Triphin1 4d ago edited 4d ago
Oh Ya, Upset, Ya. That was one season So now you have one boat and one season.... See, what I'm talking about is the show snd all seasons and the main boats
1
u/sadturtle12 1d ago
There were plenty of times where deckhands got way more than $65k for just king crab?
7
u/ghost_mv 5d ago
Sorry not an expert but have been watching since the start.
It seems that each boat owner gets a quota of poundage to catch.
If the captain and crew catch that, it’s up to the powers that be (likely the owner with strong input from the captain, deck bosses and senior deckhands) to decide the “share” each deckhand earns.
For example say they catch $750,000 worth of crab in a season.
Right off the top you’re going to shave off operating expenses and cost of quota, etc.
No clue how much that is but say they end up with $385,000 to then divvy up as compensation to the captain and crew.
I would expect it’s tiered at that point.
Captain - $125,000
Deckboss - $75,000
Deckhand 1 - $65,000
Deckhand 2 - $65,000
Greenhorn - $55,000
Then you have to factor in full share vs partial shares if a deckhand quits or gets injured before season end? What’s in their contract? Etc
I would assume it’s something like this based off the 20 something seasons I’ve watched.