F/V SILVER SPRAY:

A FAMILY BUSINESS

My two brothers, Sterling and Ashlan, along with myself, represent the third generation of Alaskan fishermen in our family, and the second generation of Bering Sea Crab fishermen. My dad, Bill, is the head skipper on our fishing vessel (denoted as F/V) the Silver Spray, and has over 45 years of experience on the icy Alaskan waters. My wife, Bailey, also works as crew aboard the boat. It is a true family business.

During crab season, we’ll be at sea for three to four weeks at a time, hustling every day in the cold, wet, and salty environment. The intense conditions, long hours, threat of imminent danger, and close quarters can make it challenging on relationships, but at the end of the day, it’s a special thing to share it with family — both the hardships and successes. We understand each other very well, and I have better trust and respect for the work my brothers and my dad are doing.

But we aren’t the only small business on the water. In fact, I would say 90% of the vessels that participate in the harvest are individual fishermen, and from there I’d say at least 25% have some type of family working for them during crab season. There are a few corporate boats that are owned by the processors (the same processors that purchase our catch from us), but by and large, it is individual small business fishermen out there.

BERING SEA TO D.C.

My first time crabbing on the Bering Sea wasn’t until the fall of 2016 when I participated in the red king crab season immediately after I graduated from college. The rough weather, long hours, and harsh environment made for a rude awakening after the cushy college experience of sleeping in, having real weekends, and not having a “boss.” While I was grateful for the experience, I wasn’t sold on being a Bering Sea crab fisherman.

My sister who worked on Capitol Hill in D.C., was able to help me secure a job far from the cold conditions I had just experienced. But during my time on Capitol Hill, I learned that I didn’t particularly like office work and I missed the challenge and experience of being on the water. It’s hard to get away from fishing when it’s in your blood. So I quit my D.C. job to work on the boat the following year as a full-time crew member.

But that time in D.C. gave me a lot of valuable experience. There’s a lot of politicking with the fishery with the regulations that go into conservation. Being raised in a fishing and crabbing family has taught me the ins and outs of the resource, the business, and the way of life. And now my experience in D.C. with the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers trade group is teaching me how to protect them.

JOINING THE ABSC

The Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers website puts it best: “We lean on sound science paired with on-the-water experience and fishermen’s knowledge to work proactively and collaboratively towards positive outcomes that keep crab sustainable, conserve habitat and ecosystems, and keep fishermen fishing.”

When I joined the family business, I still knew I wanted to get more involved in the political side of things so I became a board member of the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers trade group in 2019, and just recently they elected me President of the ABSC board.

I was a unique candidate for the board presidency in that I am an active commercial fisherman primarily focused on crab out in the Bering Sea, and also have experience on Capitol Hill. Plus not a lot of fishermen have a desire to put on a suit and lobby in D.C.

Working in both places, I get to see how the rules and laws I advocate for are implemented to protect this resource, and see the effects of our efforts on sustainability. The goal is to preserve this resource for the next generation of fishermen like myself.

Something the ABSC trade group is focusing on that will directly impact the consumer is that we are working on Country Of Origin Labeling, for not just crab, but seafood in general. We’re lobbying for that because consumers not only like to know where their food is coming from, but they have a right to know what their dollar is helping support.

When consumers can choose to support American fishermen through proper labeling, it helps get American fishermen a better and more fair price and also helps support sustainability by purchasing responsibly sourced seafood.

WATCHING THE (CRAB) POT

While the 2023-24 season had us back on the water for king crab, the work is not done. When a species’ population is in decline, it’s a complex issue with many factors in play – both naturally occurring and man-made.

Understanding how these intricate systems are impacted requires continued research and persistent efforts by all industry members to preserve the sustainability of crab stock when it is at low levels of abundance, regardless of the cause.

CRAB BOATS: THE NEW RESEARCH VESSEL

This year, the crew of the Silver Spray, including myself, were selected from a lottery to be part of a new research initiative from the NOAA and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Over a dozen vessels opted to participate in the program.

We went out on the Bering Sea from March 10th through April 10th to set some pots for survey and research and to understand the distribution of red king crabs. This was particularly special because during this time no one else is setting pots (crab harvest season starts October 15th and ends January 15th) and the NOAA vessels aren’t doing their survey for crab stocks until mid-May. So we’re researching at a time of year when no fishing activity occurs for them.

A study like this hasn’t been done in nearly 40 years, so this was a very exciting opportunity and a privilege to be part of. It’s also encouraging that NOAA and ADFG are putting up money for this type of research. This initiative also put essentially out-of-work crab boats to use as research platforms. The valuable data learned from this survey will help inform management decisions to protect all crab stocks within the Bering Sea and we will be putting our name in the hat again to be part of next year’s research.

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

The more we learn, the more we can protect this precious resource for the next generations of hard-working fishing families.

So, this moment in time holds both hope and curiosity. We have a lot to learn, both in and out of the water. But the return of the season tells us that our good conservation efforts are making a difference, and our return to the water is evidence of the crab populations benefiting from the measures in place, which is really encouraging.

I am happy to be part of the efforts to promote sustainability and better fishing practices so this resource can continue to be enjoyed and preserved for many years to come.

Gabriel Prout is a 3rd generation fisherman in Alaska and the president of the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers, a nonprofit trade association. He lives and works in Kodiak, Alaska on his family’s crab boat, the F/V Silver Spray. After crab season, he focuses his work on supporting ABSC and lobbying for fisheries resilience and sustainability in Washington D.C.