Have you ever thought about getting away from it all and trying your hand as an Alaskan longline fisherman?

Now is your chance. 

Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association (ALFA) is currently taking applications for its crew training program.

The program is an effort to attract younger entrants into an industry where the average fisherman’s age is 50. The goal is to initiate trainees to the ins and outs of commercial fishing while also emphasizing sustainable practices.

ALFA can arrange short-term placement (between a day and a week) or longer-term ones (weeks, months, or more.)

Since 2015, ALFA has placed over 100 apprentices on local fishing vessels in southeast Alaska. 

The crew training program is not ALFA’s first effort at ensuring the long-term sustainability of their industry. In 2010 ALFA brought together a group of commercial fishermen to create Alaskans Own, a not-for-profit community-supported fishery. The organization helps make Alaskan seafood more accessible to Alaskans while also making the industry more enduringly sound, through fair wages and by supporting ecosystem conservation projects.

If you are ready to trade in your laptop for a pair of fishing boots and join a crew, find out more here, or apply.