Aleutian Harvester

"At the dock, they look like small tugboats, while "Golden Alaska" in comparison resembles the Coastal Express. And it is aboard this larger ship that the 27-year-old Norwegian Kjell Inge Røkke reigns. He is the boss of the entire fishing operation, although all the boats have their own captains. It is Røkke who is the owner, it is his money that goes down the drain when production stops if the catcher boats do not deliver fish. So the signals from Røkke were clear: "Aleutian Harvester" and the other catcher boats had to go to sea. There was no plea. Røkke ran the fishing with a firm hand. Every pollock fish meant dollars in the register, and as a co-owner, Røkke was pleased that the money kept coming in despite the poor weather. Therefore, they defied the poor weather forecasts – a decision that was fine for everyone on board the large "Golden Alaska", but considerably tougher for the people on the small catcher boats."

"The trio on board the "Aleutian Harvester" had one of the world's most dangerous jobs. Statistics show that it is seven times more dangerous to be a fisherman in Alaska than a fisherman elsewhere in the USA, and a whole 70 times more dangerous than being an industrial worker. Zimny knew from personal experience that the statistics hid tragedies. He personally knew several of the over 100 fishermen who in the last ten years had lost their lives fishing off Alaska. In his family, it was not an adage that "the sea takes and the sea gives.""