How Crew Shares are Assigned – Where Skill and Experience Counts
New crew members with no fishing experience start out as “greenhorns.” Greenhorns typically receive a “half-share” or 0.5 shares. Highly experienced crew members who have learned all the key positions within the processing factory or on the deck can earn a “full share” or 1.0 shares. Processors and deckhands can also work their way up to positions like factory foreman or deckboss, earning as much as 1.1 shares. Each assigned crew share translates into a percentage of the profits.
At the end of each trip the captain assigns a crew share for each employee. This decision takes into account skill level, performance, attitude, and teamwork. A motivated crew member with a good attitude can see their crew share increase quickly, and every increase in the assigned crew share means an increase in their share of the profits.
How Crew Share is Calculated – More than Just a Percentage
Once the crew shares are assigned, the next step is determining the net value of the catch. That means starting with the sales value of the catch and then deducting the cost of the catch, which includes all the various operational expenses, like the cost of fuel, packaging, and bait, along with regulatory expenses like quota lease fees and fishery specific taxes.
Once those expenses are calculated, we have the net adjusted sales total for the trip. This total is then split between the company and the crew, with 40% going to the crew. The other 60% goes to the company to support the overall operation, covering vital expenses like insurance, biennial shipyard work for each vessel which, sales staff to sell and ship the product, HR staff to hire new crew members, accountants to handle taxes and process payroll, and operations staff to coordinate the purchase of essential items like bait and packaging, as well as handling essential functions like repairs and shipyard work.
Deductions from Sales – The Real Cost of the Catch
At BWS, there are eight specific expenses accounted for to arrive at the net adjusted sales. All of these expenses are accounted for before the 40/60 split, meaning the company absorbs 60% of the cost for all of them.
- Fuel: all BWS vessels run on diesel main and auxiliary engines. Depending on the catch rate and the boat, a single trip can require 15,000 gallons of fuel or more.
- Bait: you can’t catch fish without bait. BWS vessels use a mixture of small squid and mackerel as bait.
- Packaging: each finished case of roughly 40lbs is shipped packed in a fiber bag or sleeve. In some cases, products also require special liners.
- Observer Fees: the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requires that all vessels have a NMFS observer on board to monitor compliance and catch rates, at the vessel’s expense.
- Offload Costs: offloading the vessel at the end of each trip requires BWS to pay for dock space, shore power, and in some cases stevedores to assist with offload.
- Resource Landing Tax: a mandatory fee paid to the State of Alaska on all commercial fishing products caught outside state waters but landed within the state.
- BSAI Buyback Fee: a mandatory fee assigned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Quota Lease Fees: Throughout the year BWS will lease additional quota from other quota holders, for additional cod or sablefish quota.
Catch Rates and Sales Prices – The Variables that Matter Most
Naturally the sales price of fish has a massive impact on how much the crew takes home. In years like 2025 and 2026, with cod prices at all-time highs, crew payroll follows suit; on some trips full share crew members have earned well over $1,000 per day. Catch rates, however, also play a pivotal role. Faster catch rates mean a shorter trip, which means less days worked to achieve the check. Beyond that, a faster trip uses less fuel, less bait, and has less observer expenses. When good sales prices and good catch rates align, commercial fishing becomes a very lucrative career path.
Crew Deductions – The Expenses Fishermen Cover on their Own
Once each crew member’s crew share has been assigned, the net sales calculated, and each crew member’s share of the profits is determined, the crew also must cover individual expenses:
- Travel: crew members are responsible for the cost or air travel to and from Dutch Harbor, AK. BWS covers the cost of hotels and meals, when needed. Travel expenses are paid for and arranged by BWS and then applied to crew payroll pre-tax.
- Provisions: all BWS vessels have a dedicated cook. The cost of provisions is calculated based on a daily average and is applied pre-tax.
Gear: crew purchase their own waterproof gear for working in the Bering Sea. Most crew members will charge gear to the company account, which will later be deducted from their pay.
Getting Paid – The Timing of Trip Based Payroll
At BWS we process trip payroll within a maximum of 21 days from offload completion, with all payrolls occurring on a Friday. If offloading is completed on a Friday payroll will process in 3 weeks. If offload completes on a Thursday, payroll will process in 15 days – it never takes longer than 21 days for the crew to receive 100% of their payroll settlement. Each settlement payroll includes the details of the catch and the associated expenses.
With trip durations ranging from 2 weeks to a month or more, that can mean a long time between paychecks for commercial fisherman. To ensure our crew members can meet their financial obligations, BWS allows all crew members to take a draw against future payroll, once per rotation. Draws against future payroll are not collected back from the crew member until they depart the vessel and rotate home. Each vessel has a set limit for draws against future payroll, with the limit determined by the vessel’s capacity and average trip duration. These draw limits range from $4,000 to $10,000, effectively offsetting the potentially long wait for that first paycheck to arrive.
That’s a quick look at how crew share payroll works at BWS! Stay tuned for our next entry – Safety at Sea.