It wasn’t quite Deadliest Catch, but Bryan Palen’s days as on the Chesapeake Bay as a crab fisherman were far more difficult than his days are now hunting pests.
Bryan Palen fishes for Maryland blue crabs for fun.
There aren’t too many creatures that pest management professionals (PMPs) come into regular contact with that can be classified as deadly. Sure, there are challenges and moments of danger, but usually the most lethal part of the profession typically involves the technician killing bugs and rodents.
Palen now spends his days as a termite technician for Activ Pest Solutions, Lewes, Del., but before joining the industry, he spent his days laying pots (crab traps) near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
“We used to pull 400 to 500 pots a day,” he recalls. “It gets pretty rough out there, with 5- to 8-ft. swells.”
Palen was searching for Maryland blue crabs, which are smaller than the king crabs hunted on the popular Discovery Channel TV show, Deadliest Catch. A good haul would be 30 to 40 bushels, with about 50 crabs per bushel.
Life in peril
PMPs have their own worries, but usually they’re not concerned about losing their lives. Not so on a crabbing ship.
“I went overboard a couple of times,” Palen admits. “I got hit in the head a couple of times. If you don’t have your sea feet, it’s hard to stabilize. When you’re younger, you can shake it off easier. When you’re almost 50 years old — that’s a little too much.”
Palen grew up near the Chesapeake Bay and wanted to spend time on the water. He spent time as crabber from the age of 18 until his late-20s. But as he aged, Palen recognized crabbing wasn’t going to be his future. Crabbing meant getting up at 3:30 a.m. and working until about 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., and then taking the crabs to market. All that meant 12- to 14-hour work days.
Since Palen wasn’t getting any younger, he decided to look for a new line of work.
“I had a friend involved in the pest management industry,” he says. “It comes natural to me.”
While Palen makes a living as a PMP, he hasn’t completely giving up his first love. He and his wife, Bonnie, live near the Indian River, where Palen sinks 4×4-ft. crab pots during the summer when he feels a need for fresh crab. Of course, he’s only allowed one bushel a day.
When he’s not crabbing or killing pests, Palen and his wife run a non-profit animal rescue group called Feral Friends of Millsboro (Del.).
You can reach Jacobs, a Cleveland-based freelance writer/editor, at jacobs3927@gmail.com
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