F/V ALEUTIAN BALLAD
The Aleutian Ballad is a 100-foot house aft fishing vessel. She carried 120 pots during king crab season and fished with 180. The boat can pack 150,000 pounds of crab in its holds. For the 2005 king crab season, the Aleutian Ballad's quota was 320,000 pounds.
CAPTAIN JERRY "CORKY" TILLEY
Jerry has been a fisherman since he was 13 years old, when he went commercial tuna fishing with his father off the coast of Washington state. He has been a captain on the Bering Sea for 22 years, running the Aleutian Ballad for the past two. He is part owner of the Aleutian Ballad; part owner of another large crabber, the Watchman; owner of a 50-foot crabber, the Terry F; and owner of a 30-foot gill-netter, the Dotty. A third-generation fisherman, Jerry has three sons: Jesse (age 24), Matthew (age 22) and Jerry Jr. (age 16). He also has a daughter, Nicole (age 27), who was working on the Aleutian Ballad during the 2005 king crab season when a 50-foot rogue wave put the boat on its side. Jerry was born and raised in Westport, Wash. Single and available, he enjoys basketball, hunting, riding his Jet Ski, snow skiing and riding motorcycles with his youngest son, Jerry Jr.
SCOTT TEMPLIN
Scott has been fishing the Bering Sea for 17 years. Born in Tacoma, Wash., he is a first-generation fisherman who now resides in Roslyn, Wash. In addition to earning money at sea, Scott cuts timber and fights fires in the state of Washington. As a single man, he enjoys the outdoors by surfing and snowboarding in his free time.
NICOLE TILLEY
A fourth-generation fisherman, Nicole is Capt. Jerry's daughter. A seasoned deckhand, she has been fishing commerciallly with her father since she was 12 years old. When she's not out fishing, she earns a living tending bar in Westport, Wash., where she grew up. When she's not working, Nicole enjoys spending time with her family and doing outdoor activities, especially snowboarding, surfing and riding four wheelers.
CLAYTON CUSTER
Clayton is 18 years old and a first-generation fisherman. Born and raised in Anchor Point, Alaska, he started fishing when he was 14 years old and finally tried his hand at king crab in 2005. When not at sea earning a living, Clayton enjoys snowboarding, hunting, snowmobiling and living it up as a single man.
CARL POWERS
Carl lives in Kodiak, Alaska, with his wife, Sarah, and two sons, Daniel (age 2 1/2) and Kyle (age 1 1/2). He is a first-generation fisherman who has been fishing for 19 years, with only two years off due to a broken kneecap. With a father in the U.S. Coast Guard, Carl has lived all over the country. When he is not fishing for crab, he is fly-fishing and sport fishing. The fishing industry is said to be his second family. Carl came aboard the Aleutian Ballad to fill in for a deckhand who unexpectedly quit. However, he worked aboard the Cornelia Marie for nearly eight years.