“If You Like Jail, You’ll Like Shrimping”

Moving the shrimp from trawler to dockside freezers

The smell of diesel, engine oil and sweat was strong on the hulking, 80-foot steel ship called Big Daddy.  Steve, the owner and brother of a friend, helped Glen and me climb aboard. Designed for rough seas rather than convenience, boarding required lunging from the dock to grab a thick rail, straddling a high freeboard, then jumping four feet down to the steel deck. This was after all, a working boat, largest of the owner’s  fleet of 13 shrimpers plying the rich waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  Climbing up and down narrow ladders from the steel deck to the noisy engine compartment then on to the navigational bridge, Big Daddy seemed even larger than its 80-foot length. It made Star Dust, our 36 ft Great Loop boat docked in nearby Ft Myers seem shrimp-sized in comparison.

“Shrimpin’ ain’t for the faint of heart,” said Wayne, a salty crew member on the Big Daddy.  Wiry, skinny, and skin reddened by decades of Florida sun, he effortlessly hefted 50lb sacks of frozen shrimp from a cavernous hold in the shrimp trawler.  Frigid air wafted up from the deep freezer well — a relief from the heat of the metal deck.  Hand-sorted by size when caught, the shrimp were the largest and pinkest I had ever seen.

Watching the bounty come ashore I thought about all the seafood markets with signs touting “fresh shrimp”. Is freezing the shrimp a problem for sales?” I asked.

“When the sign says “fresh shrimp”. That means it’s only been frozen once—at sea. Shrimpers large enough to sell to wholesale markets freeze them at sea. We do it fast and at 3 degrees below zero so they don’t loose their flavor and texture,” said the owner.

One engine did not seem enough for such a beamy, 80 foot steel ship plying the Gulf of Mexico. “We don’t need to go very fast, and this 740 horsepower engine is powerful enough. Remember, the less fuel we burn, the more money we make. It takes a lot of fuel to power the generator 24/7 for the freezers. Fuel costs money. We have to make good profits or the crew won’t come back.”

Sacks of frozen shrimp had been riding by on a conveyor since before we arrived—at least an hour. I asked, “Is this much shrimp normal for one trip?”

Shrimp fleet in Ft Meyers Beach, Florida

“Our goal is to fill the hold every time a crew goes out. The captains would stay out as long as that takes, but 40 days seems to be the limit for the crew. The captain supplies his own 2-man crew so he can’t complain if he picks a dud. It’s hard to find experienced men and sometimes they have to train guys as they go, with mixed results.”

I asked how so few people were able to haul so much shrimp. “Like everything else, motivation for money. Only three to each boat means more money. But it’s hard, hard work.  Trolling all night, mending nets in the day…sleeping when you can. Somewhere in there they have to cook their own meals and clean up after themselves.” Steve’s voice trailed off and he shook his head thinking about all the work.

Trawler nets on each side of the ship

Things quieted down once the sacks of frozen shrimp were safely stowed within giant freezers in the warehouse. During the lull, a crewmember proudly showed us photographs on his phone, pointing out what he described as bull sharks jumping up to attack a net full of writhing shrimp.  “It’s not just finding the shrimp, it’s getting ‘em aboard. Sharks follow us for easy supper… A lot of days you spend more time mending those nets than trolling.  It’s good money when it’s good, but not when it’s not. Either way you’re out there for 40 days and 40 nights.  Like Jesus in the Bible.”

Shark groupies follow shrimp trawlers for easy meals

Most of the shrimp are trucked off and some are sold at this dock market in Ft Myers Beach

I wondered how big of a paycheck was earned for the isolation, long hours and hard work. Steve explained that using a time-honored system, the owner supplies the boat, the gear, fuel and ice in return for 70% of the catch. The crew’s food comes off the top, then the captain splits the rest with his crew.  “On a decent 40 day trip, a boat like Big Daddy can make as much as $100,000.  In a good year, this ship brings in as much as a million dollars.”

As someone who has never made a living from the sea, I remarked, “That’s great money for someone willing to work hard.”

A toothy crewman overheard my comment, snorted, and said, “The hard part is being cooped up in a boat with two other guys for so long. Like a floating prison cell. If you like jail, you'll like shrimping."

Sacks and sacks….

A good haul

The freshest you’ll find anywhere

 A big thanks to friends Karl, Carol and Trico Shrimp for your generosity and time.