Overtaken by Frigid Seas, Hours From Help, There Was Little Chance of Survival - The New York Times

Overtaken by Frigid Seas, Hours From Help, There Was Little Chance of Survival - The New York Times
by Mike Baker
As the 156 foot boat headed into stormy weather, the conditions were nothing the Scandies Rose could not handle — or had not handled before.

The captain was Gary Cobban Jr., from a well-known fishing family in Kodiak, Alaska. His son, David Cobban, was also in the crew. The other men who signed up to go — Brock Rainey, Seth Rousseau-Gano, Arthur Ganacias and Mr. Lawler — were also experienced fishermen.

Looking for a final crew member in the days before departure, Mr. Lawler had called Mr. Gribble, who traveled up from the Seattle area to join them. Mr. Gribble had also grown up in the world of fishing. Like the others, he knew the risks. During one of his first seasons, he and his father helped find the body of a fisherman who died in the Bering Sea in 2005 in the sinking of the Big Valley — a tragedy immortalized in the reality television series “Deadliest Catch.”

The efforts to make the industry safer, and to help preserve threatened fisheries in the Bering Sea, have included an overhaul of how many boats are licensed to fish. That has meant that there are now fewer ships at sea at any one time, leaving those who fish in the Alaska winter much more alone.