Sig Hansen

The son of a Norwegian fisherman, Sig began fishing at age 14. His father came from a long line of fishermen and was one of the first to develop the King Crab industry in Alaska. While still in high school, Sig served as a deckhand on a salmon gillnetter and joined his father aboard the family boat Northwestern which worked the crab fisheries in Alaskan waters. Sig also had a chance during some summers to return to his roots and fish in Norwegian waters.

After finishing high school, Sig took up fishing full time, spending many months every year in Alaska. At the young age of 22, he was already enough of a veteran to serve as a relief captain on the Northwestern. Four years later, he became the boats full-time captain and one of the youngest ever to take command. From his earliest years at the Northwesterns helm, Sig has known that his position in the captains chair depends completely on results. Bring home the catch or go back to being a deckhand! Sig is a hard-driving captain who can push himself and his crew to work grueling hours under extreme conditions. Under that tough exterior, however, lies a fatherly and compassionate man who puts a premium on family responsibility. His wife, Juna, calls in weather reports (delivered in Norwegian!) and Sig keeps close to her and their three daughters back onshore. He extends his connection to family out to his crew; last year Sig kept deckhand Jake Andersons slot open when Jake had to go ashore after his sisters death something other skippers might have refused to do. And this year, Sig will be training his brother Edgar to take over as captain of the Northwestern.

For nearly two decades, Sig has seen to it that the Northwestern is one of the Alaskan crab industrys top producers. Sig considers this performance essential, but hell tell you that a greater accomplishment by far is the lack of any major accidents onboard the Northwestern. The best captains bring home the catch and boat and crew safely.