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

This book is a semi-autobiographical tale of the dangers and rewards of fishing in both the Gulf of Alaska and the Bearing Sea. Spike Walker recounts his 8 years of fishing for crab, as well a touches on some of the cod and other fish caught in these cold waters. Walker talks about both the highs (the ability to earn $100,000 in four months, in the early 80's) and the lows (stories of death, missing fishermen, and rampant drug usage). The book starts when Walker is between jobs and is broke. He calls a former classmate from College who encourages him to travel up to Alaska and "pound the docks" to look for work as a "greenhorn". The work is hard and you must be able to go without sleep for a numbers of hours, days. Spike talks about the reality of getting hired. Many Captains do not like to take out "Greenhorns" as they are not sure what will happen if the person can't take the mental stress that goes with days at sea, while sleep deprived. He mentions one story where someone got into a fight in a galley because they didn't' like the way a guy chewed. As the Captain you are responsible for the safety of all on your boat. You are also responsible for getting the best price for your catch. Walker goes into details on some of the more prominent accidents during the era of his fishing. He spent time interviewing survivors and coast guard personnel to try and determine what was happening and how things went wrong. These stories are portrayed to the reader as some of the ways that make this job one of the most dangerous in the world. You have frigid seas, rogue waves, mechanical malfunctions that are all working against your success as well as mother nature which may cause more than a foot of ice to form on a boat, or hit the boat with a more than 60' wave. Walker breaks the stories down by the time he spends on different boats, fishing for different types of King Crab (red, blue as well as Tanner Crab). I thoroughly enjoyed this non-fiction book. For those who love the Discovery Channels "World's Most Deadliest Catch" this book is a must. You will even recognize the name of some of the ships that came by accidents. It is also a great look into the over fishing that happened in the 80's and how it came about. Well written and interesting.

I was glad I got an opportunity to read this book before watching the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch. I had long heard about the Alaskan Crab fishery and was very interested in learning more. This book did a great job in describing the process, people, and equipment used in catching crabs and much more. It gave an overall picture of what the crabbers go through, in a deeper way than the TV series did for me. I loved the Deadliest Catch too, but I feel that this book did a better job of educating you about what was going on than the show did. The book is a first person account of what it was like to be in the boots and rain gear of an actual crab fisherman. Also, in the style of books like a perfect storm, Walker steps out of his narrative into other related subjects to help fill out the picture. The book is well worth the time. I definitely respect those that choose this career more after having read this.

If you love outdoor adventure, survival, nature, human interest books, do yourself a favor and order this book right now. This book written by Spike Walker is the finest first-person account of the extremely dangerous job of crab fishing in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska that it would be possible to write.These brave men and women were making $50,000.00 to $100,000.00 or more per year crabbing in the late 70s' and early 80s' and they were earning every cent they made as the odds were pretty much certain that they would get injured or killed on the job.I only wish I had read something like this when I was younger as I would have gone to Alaska to try and get one of these jobs instead of throwing my life away, working at a job I despise just to pay a few bills as most all of us do.

Incredible! Having lived in Alaska for 3 years, serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, I can attest to the authors gripping portrayal of working in this profession. Spike Walker delivers a gritty, real and inside look at king crab fishing in the Bering Sea. I have never read a book that was more in depth on the job as well as the off boat life of a fisherman. Having seen what he describes in the book first hand, with the tragedies and glories, this is one book you will not want to pass up. I would reccomend this to anyone who enjoys stories of the sea. I have owned this book for 2 years and still read it often. This is one novel that won't sit on your shelf for long. The Alaskan king crab fishing fleet is an example of brave men and women, at their finest, and sometimes their worst. Laden with success and sorrow, you will definately get a better understanding of America's most dangerous job, and develop a deep appreciation of what these men and women do every season to provide for the rest of us.Don't hesitate any longer, get this book today.

Walker brought me right into the skin of a youthful, 245-pound man with an oil rigger's and lumberjack's experience, who arrived in Kodiak in 1978 with $20 in his pocket, drawn by the lure of high adventure and easy money. When the crabs were running there was almost no sleep, backbreaking labor, and constant danger in sub-zero temperatures and storms at sea.Rewards for the hearty were steep, however. Crewman had shares in the ship's profits and, if the crabs were running well, could pull in $40,000 or more in a single 29-day stint at sea. No wonder Alaska was attracting all these young men and a few courageous women.There's hardships and joy, elation and despair, physical feats of survival and courage more exciting than any fiction. The detailed descriptions of the beauty of the land and the realities of nature pulled me right from my life in New York City and set me down next to Walker as he worked with fellow crewman pulling 2000 pound pots of crab from the sea. I felt the frigid wind, the tossing deck, the constant icy spray of seawater. I reeked with seasickness and fatigue and the camaraderie of the crewmen. I celebrated my new found riches in the one bar in town, and mourned the tragic deaths from the whims of nature.This is also the story of the fishing industry itself. It's the story of greed. And massive investments in technology which plundered the seas of their resources. Its the story of boom and bust and human endurance. And it will forever add a new dimension to my perception of the world.