With cod sales prices at an all-time high, Bristol Wave Seafoods is seeing crew compensation climb, and we love it when our crew makes good money!
Crew income averaging over $15,000/month:
Taxable compensation (after any pre-tax travel and food charges) for deckhands and factory processors from the start of A Season in January through mid-September has ranged from $5,098 per month on the low end to a peak of over $26,000 per month on the high end, with an overall average of $15,765 per month.
What impacts crew share:
Numerous factors can impact crew share. It starts with each crew member’s crew share percentage, which ranges from a “half share” for new hires with no fishing experience, to a “full share” for highly experienced employees. Progressing to full share requires not only gaining skills, but the right attitude and the motivation to learn and succeed. Trip expenses can also influence the net sales total: faster catch rates mean less fuel burned, less bait used, less expense for provisions, and bigger paychecks. Typically, the fastest catch rates occur in “A-Season,” which runs from January 1st through early June. 40% of net sales for all product sold goes to the crew and is divided up based on each crew member’s share. 100% of crew share is paid out within 21 days of offload after each trip.
Cod market outlook:
Brody Pierson, Director of Sales for Bristol Wave Seafoods, had this to say about the Alaska Cod market:
“The price for Cod, both Pacific and Atlantic species, is currently at an all-time high. Driven primarily by huge cuts to the Atlantic cod catch in the Barents Sea over the last few years, the global supply of Cod is at an historical low. Alaska is in a unique position to benefit from this shortage, and we expect Cod prices to continue to climb further in the coming few years.”
2025 fishing operations:
A Season 2025 started on January 5th with the first vessel to depart Dutch Harbor, the Clipper Endeavor. A total of 26 trips were completed in A Season, resulting in a total harvest of over 11,000 metric tons of cod. Five vessels fished straight through into B Season, opening on June 10th, including the Blue North, the Clipper Epic, the Frontier Explorer, The Frontier Spirit, and the Clipper Endeavor.
As of September 18th, a total of sixteen trips have been completed in B Season, with over 4,000 round metric tons of cod already offloaded, as well as over 400,000 round pounds of Sablefish. All seven Bristol Wave boats are still fishing, and an additional 1,000+ metric tons of quota has already been harvested by trips in progress. We anticipate most of the Bristol Wave fleet will fish into late November or potentially early December, depending on the closure date of the Bering Sea to longline cod operations, which is set annually by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
2025 recruiting:
So far in 2025, a total of 185 deckhands and factory processors have worked one or more trips for Bristol Wave, including 56 crew members who were hired in the current year. We project the total number of crew members to reach 200 or more by the end of the year, and the total number of new hires for the year to be over 70. Of our 56 new employees in 2025, 77% are either still working or on the list to return for a future rotation.
We expect this hiring trend to continue into 2026 and beyond. If you think you’re up for the challenge and adventure of working in the Bering Sea, now is a good time to consider a career with Bristol Wave Seafoods. Our boats operate year round, and with prices at a record high and projected to keep climbing, positions will be going fast.
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