Deadliest Catch's Jake Anderson Explains Why The Wheelhouse Is Black
Few people know the ins and outs of crab fishing like Jake Anderson. And part of what the fan favorite "Deadliest Catch" captain has to keep on top of with his boat, the FV Saga, is its functionality, with each detail being carefully maintained to ensure its success out at sea. But not just the ship's exterior needs love and attention.
In a 2021 interview with the YouTube channel Boat Life, Anderson explains why the ship's control vessel, commonly known as the wheelhouse, is colored almost entirely black. "You notice everything around here is black. It's black for a reason because it's functional," he explains. "The maritime industry, when you're in the wheelhouse, all my information goes through the windows and the monitors, so if I have multi colors in here, especially shiny colors, they're going to bounce off and reflect ... so I go flat black." And it isn't only the main wheelhouse that has adopted such a dark dye, but also several items within it, from the wine cooler to the toothbrushes, are pitch black, as Anderson showcases in the video.
Such drastic attention to detail may seem a bit excessive to an outside eye, but Anderson, who's been on the hit Discovery Channel show since 2007, is more than aware of just how important such finesse can be in such a hazardous profession.
Every precaution is necessary to ensure safety
Jake Anderson's measures to keep his vessel in a such particular fashion may seem confusing to some. But with the constant danger present on the Alaskan waters, it pays to be overly cautious.
Before "Deadliest Catch" aired in 2005, there's a good chance that your average Joe wouldn't consider crab fishing all that dangerous a profession. However, this couldn't be any further from the truth. While the commercial fishing industry in general comes with its fair share of hazards, Alaskan crab fishing sees with it a whole new set of challenges. Due to the short length of the crab season, the ships that go after the creepy crustaceans must endure days of harsh conditions off the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.
The danger present from both the rough seas and the heavy machinery commonly kept on board were responsible for over 400 fatalities between 1991 and 1996. Top it off with the lack of sleep or good diet that most crab fishers experience and it becomes easy to see why the profession is ranked alongside logging and piloting as one of the most dangerous in the world.
In more recent years, government regulations have helped cut down on the fatality rate significantly. Nevertheless, it is up to a good sea captain to ensure the safety of their crew, even if it means going a little extreme.