Ahoy captains!
So last time we get a good look at your very own vessel. It’s time to get familiar with all the fishing equipment on board and the purpose that they serve. All of the machines and items are essential to your work on the F/V. The better you’ll learn to use them, the more crabs you’ll catch and eventually sell back in the Dutch Harbour. So let’s get on with this!
Our first stop is the crane. It’s definitely the biggest (and highest) machine you’ll use on your F/V. It is hydraulicly lifted and helps you with moving the empty crab pots from the deck on to the launcher and back. At the end of the crane’s arm, you can see a tire, that prevents the crab pots from getting damaged while being moved by the crane.
With the crab pot set on the launcher, it’s time to prepare it before tossing overboard. First, you’ll need to take the rope with the attached buoys out of the pot (moving it on top of the cage) and place a bait bag inside. The set pot can be thrown into the water with the launcher - it is operated with a lever next to the machine. The crab pot will stay in the water for the next 24-48 hours, luring precious king crabs inside with the delicious bait (delicious to the crabs at least).
But, the said bait needs to get prepared first too. That’s when the fridge and the bait chopper will come in handy. In the fridge standing on the F/V deck, you’ll keep all the blocks of frozen fish that you bought before leaving the Dutch Harbor (they come in many kinds, but that’s a story for another time). You’ll throw those blocks into the chopper - better watch out for hands! - and take out the bait ready to get bagged and placed in the crab pot.
When the pot is full of crabs (or at least you’ll think it is) you’ll need to get it out of the water - and that can get a little complicated. First, you’ll need the throwing hook to get the rope attached to the pot out of the water and in your hands. It’s a moment to test your manual skills, as you’ll have to throw the hook between the buoys and pull it in your direction.
When you’ll get a rope, you should place it on the hauling system. With the crab pot close to the fishing vessel's board, you’ll need to grab it with the picking hook and use the picking boom to set the full pot back on the launcher. The launcher can tilt in two directions, so this time it’ll help you with throwing crabs on the automatic sorting table from the pot - so you can look closely at what got caught in your trap. All the big, tasty male crabs go down to the holding tank through the hatch. Uff.
So now you know what your everyday work at the deck will look like - or the basics of it, to be precise! Soon we’ll continue with our devlogs and take a better look at the crabs. In the meantime let us know what you think about our work and the devlog itself. And if you didn’t do it yet - don’t hesitate to add Deadliest Catch: The Game to your wishlist!
See you soon!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/838630/Deadliest_Catch_The_Game/