The Real Reason James Gallagher Became A Crabber On Deadliest Catch

Becoming a crabber isn't for the faint of heart. It requires the strongest of wills to head out into the open sea when conditions are rough, all for the sole purpose of catching as many crabs as possible. And some of the people in this profession don't even have the benefit of having a camera crew follow them around, as is the case with the teams featured on "Deadliest Catch."

The show certainly lives up to its name, as people's lives are literally put in the balance with each expedition. It doesn't take much to see why this is one of the most dangerous jobs to have in the world. But plenty of people, including James Gallagher, have willingly signed up for it.

It's enough to make one wonder what would compel a person to pursue this career path. The money might be good, but crabbers go through a lot for their livelihoods. It may be of interest to fans to hear what compelled Gallagher to pursue this line of work.

"Deadliest Catch" has been on the air since 2005, exposing new audiences to the realities of crab fishing. As it turns out, it's also inspired the next generation of crabbers to realize this is what they'd like to do as a profession, as James Gallagher revealed during a Reddit AMA. 

When asked why he became a crabber, Gallagher responded, "I grew up watching the show and my [dad's] from Alaska so I grew up salmon fishing the Kenai river. I graduated high-school from Soldotna and hung out for a couple years before I got a job in the industry. Eventually starting salmon fishing in bristol bay and eventually one job led to another and I ended up working on the Seabrooke for Junior, a lot of luck, hard work, and being in the right place at the right time."

It's impressive that the show's been around for so long that it's gone on to influence people's career paths. Surely, Gallagher isn't the only one who's gotten into crabbing from the show, and as evidenced from the series, he's become respected by the crew in the process.