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Captain Sig Hansen is up for any challenge.
The 53-year-old star of Discovery’s Emmy Award-winning series “Deadliest Catch” is starring in a new spinoff titled “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline,” where they compete against the Russians in catching coveted king crab under deadly conditions at sea.
But these days, Hansen is back on land practicing social distancing during the devastating coronavirus pandemic, which has impacted jobs across the country. Still, Hansen is hopeful that blue-collar workers will ultimately be able to get back on their feet and thrive once again.
Hansen spoke to Fox News about what fans can expect from “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline,” how he’s coping with isolation and the sailing superstitions he takes seriously.
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Fox News: What advice would you give to the blue-collar workers who are being affected right now by the coronavirus outbreak?
Sig Hansen: Well, I hate to use an analogy with fishing, but I’m going to go there. We’ve had our seasons where it’s up and down. Honestly, I’ve gone for months without making a dime. We’ve done that to where we’ve been in the middle of nowhere and had nothing to show for it.
As far as being confined, we’ve been there. We’ve been confined for weeks or months, responsible for each other’s lives and the lives of our own. We’ve been out there for weeks and months, rationing food. We’ve had no communications with the outside world, back when I was younger. So as far as this corona, I lived the corona lifestyle.
That being said, I think that for us, we had a common goal and we would suffer through it and then we’d make it up on the next season. And this to me is far worse than what I’ve ever been through because this is a global pandemic, and I would just say you’ve got to keep your chin up. For those who are out of work, I shed tears right now for those people that are alone and out of work.
But you’ve got to just muddle through at this time. There’s no other answer. I just don’t know how else to explain myself, but just keep your chin up because it will turn around. I think patience is going to be your best friend. Just try to be patient, because I know people are climbing the walls and going out of their minds, and it’s not fair. It really isn’t.
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Fox News: You’ve talked about how crab fishing can be a very isolating job. How difficult is it to be separated from your family for such a long time out at sea?
Hansen: That’s the thing. With the virus floating around, I’m hearing a lot of complaining and I understand. I have sympathy for the folks that are out of work, I have sympathy for the folks that are home alone. I shed tears for those people right now. We were fortunate enough to just finish up our season, so at least we accumulated a paycheck.
Now I have to wait until summer for our next season to start. And so we have no guarantees ourselves if and when we can fish. That being said, if they’re sitting at home crying that, “I can’t go on a date,” or, “I can’t go to a restaurant,” or, “I don’t get to go to a movie,” well I don’t have a lot of sympathy for that right now. Being isolated on a boat for weeks or months on end is no different. We’ve rationed food, we’ve run out of food on these things.
I’ve gone for… What the heck was it? Two weeks without water. So, I don’t want to sound like a mean guy, but this is a small price to pay for the rest of your life. And that’s how I look at it. It’s like a real tough fishing trip. It’s a small price to pay when you look at the big picture. The big picture is you’ve got to get through it, and if you don’t get to go see your boyfriend or your girlfriend, suck it up.
Fox News: There are a lot of young guys out there who want to get into fishing. What would you tell them?
Hansen: Well, I think if you’re the type of guy that wants to make a quick buck up in Alaska, my hat’s off to you because that’s the right attitude. It really is. It doesn’t come easy. You can’t take it for granted and there’s much more than meets the eye. That’s the only thing. Getting a job right now is difficult because our fleet went from roughly 50 boats to 60, 70 vessels because we’ve been rationalized. We have quota systems now, so there are fewer vessels. And the vessels that do have crews, those guys really want to keep their jobs.
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For someone that wants to get up there, I would say go to Dutch Harbor, start in the processing factories. At least you have a roof over your head. You’ve got food in your belly. And then a lot of times when you’re there, timing. Right place right time. A lot of times, someone gets hurt or quits, you’ll be in Dutch Harbor and then you’ll be in that position to jump on board. So for the people that want to go up there and work, I just think it’s fantastic. I think more people should go up there and participate because the whole blue-collar industry is changing, right? And I love it when I hear that guys want to work with their hands. I love that.
Fox News: Was there ever a moment out at sea where things got so bad you honestly didn’t believe you would make it?
Hansen: There have been several times in my career and my life where I didn’t think I was going to make it, as far as surviving, especially with crab fishing. Over the years now or decades, I’ve put myself in some pretty scary situations. We’ve iced the boat down to the point where she was literally sinking under our feet. It took us roughly 16, 18 hours to get the ice off the boat, to get the boat right and upright.
We’ve had situations where I had jobs on other vessels, and then for whatever reason, I didn’t participate, and two days later the vessel leaves and they sank and were never to be seen again. And of course, I’ve had a heart attack at sea, right outside of Dutch Harbor and survived, so many more stories I could tell. I feel like a cat with nine lives. I just don’t know what number I’m on right now, but I’m getting close here. So I’m very fearful. The older I get, the more fearful I am to participate. And that’s honest. It’s getting close to where I’m about done with this whole business.
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Fox News: There are a lot of superstitions when it comes to fishing. Are there any that you actually take seriously?
Hansen: We take them all seriously. You’ve got to remember, I’m [a] fourth-generation fisherman, and my grandfather, he embedded this into my brain and I’ve thought about it many times. And it gets to the point where you’re fearful. One of the superstitions is, for example, if you set a coffee cup upside down or if you open a can of beans or anything upside down, it simulates an upside-down vessel. And I lose my mind if I see things like that going on the boat.
Ask anyone on my crew. They understand that it’s just like voodoo. You can’t do it. So superstitions are serious on a crab boat, just like in baseball, a lot of those guys are the same way. And you grow up with it and it becomes a part of your reality for some reason.
Fox News: When it comes to “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline,” how proud are you to represent America?
Hansen: [Back in] October, November, we were fishing king crab, and every year is different as far as the weather, the marketplace. And this year, we were battling the Russian market. We were the first ones to actually go to Russia, the American fishermen and supply vessels, supply workers to supplement incomes when our fisheries were down, and fish king crab over there.
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Now, we were fighting against the same guys that are competing against us. So for me, I really enjoy the fact that the people can see what we do, what we’re up against as far as establishing our price and what it takes in a global market to succeed where we’re at. So, go USA, because we gave the Russians a hell of a run for their money.
“Deadliest Catch: Bloodline” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.
