Bering Sea Strong

“Laura Hartema is a woman made of steel navigating the rough waters of life on and off the Bering Sea. Good read.” —Edgar Hansen from the Discovery channel documentary series, Deadliest Catch, cocaptain, chief engineer, F/V Northwestern

“Lock a beautiful, young woman up with a couple dozen of the most testosterone-burdened men on the planet for a few months and what could possibly go wrong? Apparently quite a lot. Over the years I’ve worked with a few female fishery observers, and I’ve often wondered what went through their heads; now I know. This book should be required reading for any woman thinking about shipping out to sea or living and working among a group of men.” —Jonathan Allen, captain of F/Vs Arctic V, Glacier Enterprise, Lilli Ann, and Blue North, author of The Big Bucks Guide to Commercial Fishing in Alaska

“After working many years in the industry, I enjoy reading books about Alaskan commercial fishing. This is one of the good ones—informative and fun to read.” —Eric Dunn, deck boss, F/T Alaska Ocean

“Laura Hartema found her strength on the Bering Sea. Through her beautifully written book, we can discover adventure and strength in our own lives.” —Barbara Oakley, New York Times bestselling author of A Mind for Numbers and Mindshift

“It’s exciting to read a no-bullshit story that captures the genuine Alaska experience. Laura Hartema’s unique memoir is as engrossing as it is seaworthy.” —Chuck Thompson, author of Smile When You’re Lying and To Hellholes and Back

“Bering Sea Strong is sure to become a favorite of all those who’ve challenged themselves to do more than they once believed they could and those who are preparing for such a challenge. Laura Hartema writes with honesty, wisdom, and not a small amount of humor.” —Theo Pauline Nestor, author of Writing Is My Drink

“Bering Sea Strong is at once disarming and savvy, funny and hard-hitting, deep and wide. Laura’s story of being a female fisheries observer on a boat full of male fishermen at the far end of the earth is, finally, an intimate coming-of-age story, and a reckoning with her past: only by getting as far away from herself as she can will she ever really find herself. This is a wonderful read, vivid and heartbreaking.” —Bret Lott, author of Jewel

“Bering Sea Strong is not only one woman’s grand, gritty, and sometimes absurd adventure among some of the fiercest waters and wildest men in the world, but it leads to the deep questions of who we are and how we find and make ourselves. Dive shallow or deep—either way, it’s a terrific read!” —Leslie Leyland Fields, author of Surviving the Island of Grace

“Hartema’s personal account of her time at sea is thoughtful and packed full of fascinating details about the seafood we eat, and the lives of the men (and rare women) who bring them to our tables.” —Kalee Thompson, author of Deadliest Sea

“This gripping odyssey through the Bering Sea is like no other. Along the way Hartema shares the ferocity of nature, fickle men, and her love of fish. She navigates the rough spots of life with humor and a big heart, showing us how to wring happiness from sorrow and hardship.” —Anne Biklé, author of The Hidden Half of Nature

• This book would appeal to viewers of Deadliest Catch—now in its twelfth season and aired in over 150 countries—with a multitude of spinoff shows and books, which shows the world-scale interest in the insider’s view to Alaska’s fishing industry and associated adventures.
• There is also evidence of interest in Alaska in the tourism, as almost 2 million tourists visited Alaska, the setting for Bering Sea Strong, between 2014-2015, and over half of them by cruise ship.
• Commercial and recreation fishing is integral to the nation’s social and economic fabric: In the U.S., about 1.8 million jobs are associated with the seafood industry. People are eating more fish and what to know where it’s from and how it’s produced. Bering Sea Strong will provide readers with a look at this process.