21 Helpful Resources When Your Partner is a Commercial Fisherman

Back in the day, when Chris and I started dating, there were no resources online about being with a commercial fisherman. Simple things, like how to send a care package and what communication would be like during a fishing season. But, most of all, there was no community, no one to commiserate with when it gets emotionally tough. Family and friends don’t get this lifestyle, and that’s ok! Because how could a person unless they’ve lived it? Also, there wasn’t a Fisherman’s Wives group in town, plus, I wasn’t a wife yet. I was a dedicated girlfriend, going through the same challenges as a wife, so I wondered, “What about me?”

It all goes back to YOU! After receiving questions and encouragement from this one post, there was no doubt what was next.  Together, we’ve Partner of Commercial Fisherman community with this blog with *many* posts to navigate the unpredictable lifestyle. Since then, your comments on Instagram, our Private FB Group, and personal emails have helped shape this blog into being a safe place where POCFs can relate to one another and feel less alone – thank you for that! The resources guide below is a “best of” list, sort of like CliffsNotes specifically for the POCF in mind. These tools have been helpful to maintain my sanity over the years, and I hope you love them too! Let’s dig in:

POCF Resources Guide

1. The basics of dating a fisherman: here
2. When you need a supportive community that gets it: here & here
3. When you don’t know what to wear on the fishing boat: here
4. Emotions to expect when your fisherman is away: here
5. When you want to send a care package and don’t know where to start: here, here & here.
6. Your sex life when dating a fisherman: here
7. When you have no idea what commercial fishermen are talking about: here
8. When you’re frustrated because your fisherman talks too much in the boatyard, harbor, etc.: here
9. When you just need some advice: here
10. When you don’t hear from them and start doubting your relationship: here
11. When the satellite phone cuts out when a conversation doesn’t end well: here & here.
12. When you really miss them during a long season: here & here
13. When you don’t know what gift to give your fisherman:
14. When you’re worried if they’re partying in Alaska: here
15. A fisherwoman explains the party vibe in Alaska: here
16. If you or your fisherman struggle with addiction: here & here
17. When he’s gone for a long fishing season: Diary of POCF
18. When you’re grieving the loss of a fisherman: here
19. When you don’t know what to cook for dinner: here & here
20. When you don’t know what to get him for a present: here & here
21. An incredible book about a POCF’s life in the early 1900s: here

I hope this resources guide is helpful for you! If you have any questions or need advice about managing the POCF lifestyle, I’d love to hear from you! You can email me here or slide into my DMs here. There are no strangers here, only family. Hope to hear from you! 🐟

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