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Although I had heard a lot of bad things about the Alaska commercial fisheries, when I got there I actually loved it. I loved my commercial fishing job so much, as a matter of fact, that I immediately dropped out of college. To say that my family was unhappy is quite an understatement, but they eventually gave in. They knew that once I make up my mind, I don't change it. I got a commercial fishing boat for sale and set off to start my own business.
Getting a commercial fishing business set up is much harder than you might think. Besides a fishing commercial boat, you need all kinds of equipment. You need commercial sonar, maritime safety equipment, Literally thousands of dollars of fishing equipment, and innumerable state and federal licenses . The fishing business is a very specialized business, and without the knowledge, skills, equipment, and licenses, there is no hope of succeeding.
Fortunately, I am a quick study. I hired some extremely experienced commercial fishermen to help me out, and within a year I knew the business inside and out. At first, they were hesitant to go commercial fishing with an inexperienced skipper, but soon I was one of the best of the lot. I don't mean to brag, but it is as if I was born to it. I almost grasped every single aspect of commercial fishing intuitively, and I think I was better at the business end than many of them were. I didn't have the local connections which was a problem, but once I learned the ins and outs of the commercial fishing industry, I soon got to know the right people. Commercial fishermen are secretive lot, and not always accepting, but eventually I was able to break into the community.
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