erve the Tongass national rainforest.
             My homeport of Petersburg is basically just a fishing village. But it's nothing like the traditional perception of a typical fishing town, which is almost always poor and behind the times. I suppose most fishing communities in other countries are still poor and behind the times, like the town out of Earnest Hemmingway's "Old Man and the Sea." But not Petersburg, Huge catches and big prices have left the town of thirty-five hundred people with a thriving economy, and, all of the modern technology that the rest of America enjoys. What makes it so different from the rest of the prosperous city's in America is that the money is being made by young able-bodied people who don't have the time to go get a college education. The only qualifications you need to make a whole bunch of money as a commercial fisherman is a strong body and a really strong mind. You have to be willing to sacrifice your personal health, and even risk death on a daily basis in order to work harder than you thought possible, for longer than you thought possible. People do it for the money, and pride. However, all that risk and hard work doesn't guarantee a thing. (Mark Severson)
             Fishing is a big gamble, you go out put it all on the line with hopes to score big time, but if for any reason the fish don't bite the hook, come onto the boat, and get sold to the buyer, you don't make any money. There are a million things that can go wrong on a boat, and it only takes one to turn a fishing trip into a completely fruitless venture, or even a fatal catastrophe. More often than not however, the fish get caught and the fishermen are rewarded with huge checks. It's not like a normal job were you get a salary or a weekly or monthly paycheck for a specified amount, you get one check after the trip or season. If it was poor fishing or a bad price, a small check is what you get. But if all was go...