Episode 661: The Less Deadly Catch

Published November 4, 2015 at 5:24 PM MST

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Alaskan fisherman David Fry and his baited hooks.

Jess Jiang

Halibut fishermen in Alaska used to defy storms, exhaustion and good judgment. That's because they could only fish in these handful of 24-hour periods. It was called the derby, and the derby made fishing the deadliest job in America.

Today on the show, the economic fix that made fishing safer. And why a lot of people hate it.

On the show we introduce you to David Fry, the owner of the Realist halibut boat.

Note: This episode contains explicit language.

Gutted halibut.

Jess Jiang / NPR

David Fry holds a hook, hoping for some halibut.

Jess Jiang / NPR

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