As a captain-in-training, life for Sophie “Bob” Nielsen has been far from smooth sailing.
The 23-year-old, a third-generation “fisher,” has inherited her family’s 74-foot wooden hull vessel, the F/V Victory. In the new season of “Deadliest Catch” premiering on Tuesday, Nielsen is joining Captain Jake Anderson on the F/V Saga to learn the ropes of the family business — and she’s eager to make a splash.
“My father was a fisherman — that’s all I could remember,” Nielsen told Fox News Digital. “And from a very early age, I knew that I was going to be inheriting this business and this boat. When I was a kid, I didn’t realize how hard my family worked to keep the boats going… But shortly after I became 18 and the businesses were mine, I started working really hard and putting my sweat and tears into the business.”
Sophia “Bob” Nielsen is a third generation fisher who lost both of her parents in a quick succession. (Discovery )
“My pride for the boats naturally grew,” she shared. “And between my community and my family, I just take a lot of pride in working on [my] boat. And a lot of people are really happy to see me keep the boats alive… I want to stick with it.”
Discovery’s reality TV series has been airing since 2005. The show follows fishermen braving the icy Bering Sea during the Alaskan king and snow crab season. Its star, Captain Sig Hansen, comes from a long line of Norwegian fishermen. Over the years, he and other captains have put their lives on the line in the hopes of catching enough crab to make their living and feed their families.
Season 19 chronicles how Alaskan crab prices have reached an all-time high, prompting veteran captains and a wave of newcomers to sail the high seas to earn big bucks quickly. But illegal fishing and rival crews have presented unexpected tensions. In banding together, longtime captains and new crabbers alike educate each other on how to avoid returning home empty-handed.
‘DEADLIEST CATCH’ STAR SIG HANSEN EXPLAINS WHY HE DIDN’T WANT HIS DAUGHTER MANDY TO PURSUE FISHING
Captain Jake Anderson serves as Sophia “Bob” Nielsen’s mentor during her journey in leading the family business. (Discovery)
Anderson told Fox News Digital the biggest piece of advice he’s given Nielsen is to “never quit.”
“It just keeps one foot in front of the other, you know?” he explained. “That’s the biggest piece of advice, I’ve given her — never quit, no matter how tough it seems.”
Before embarking on her journey, Nielsen was faced with a personal tragedy. The show explores how Nielsen lost both of her parents “in a quick succession.” Nielsen admitted that growing up, she didn’t envision herself following in her family’s footsteps.
Sophia “Bob” Nielsen admitted that at first, she didn’t see herself fishing. (Discovery)
“It’s funny because when I was really young, I didn’t really want to be on a boat and I didn’t want to… fish or things like that,” she said. “My brother Brett… we got into an argument one time, and he told me that I would never be able to make it on another boat with the attitude that I had. So when Jake threw this opportunity at me, I decided to run with it. I proved to myself and everybody else that I could do it… When I did get on the boat and I was working, I felt like the greenhorn. I was the least experienced with pot fishing.”
“Luckily, there were great teachers [around] and they took me under their wings,” she continued. “I was thrown up into the wheelhouse and I didn’t know what I was doing… I didn’t know how to drive Jake’s boat. But everybody was incredibly patient with me and very encouraging…. He told me to never quit. And he told me how to adapt and to just keep on trying.”
Nielsen is in good company this season. Linda Greenlaw, the only female swordfishing captain and survivor of The Perfect Storm, is bringing in her experience as she joins Captain “Wild” Bill Wichrowski’s F/V Summer Bay.
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Nielsen acknowledged that fishing continues to be a male-dominated industry. However, she’s determined to prove herself.
“I was really fortunate to be working under people who wanted to see me succeed,” she said. “I experienced that working with Jake. He wanted to beat the odds. Honestly, the only mistreatment that I received is that most of the time, people just think you can’t do it. And more often than not, they’re surprised that you can. People [do a] double take when they see me in the wheelhouse, when they see me running my own boat, when I’m the one answering the phone calls regarding the business – people are just shocked. I think, as the industry goes on, and it’s ever-advancing, you’re going to see a lot more faces like mine… It’s just inevitable. The industry is always going to be changing.”
“There’s going to be new fisheries and there’s going to be new faces,” she added.
Anderson warned that fishing isn’t for the faint of heart. The biggest challenge is “trying to stay alive,” he stressed. Still, it’s a profession that continues to intrigue those ready to embark on a new adventure.
Captain Sig Hansen comes from a long line of Norwegian fishermen. (Getty Images)
“A lot of people love fishing,” he said. “But with crab fishing especially, it’s an extreme version… You have people that like to climb mountains, but then you have people that like to climb Mount Everest. Well, crab fishing, that’s what it is. It’s climbing Mount Everest…. You have these adrenaline-fueled days when it’s just intense… It’s a younger person’s game. From the wheelhouse perspective, a lot of it is strategy. It’s intense in that way, but it’s also intense with the grueling days and hours.
“So, it’s all about the strategy and the game of it. From the wheelhouse perspective, it’s the money. It’s the extreme nature. The Bering Sea offers the most violent, worst conditions Mother Earth can provide. So when you survive that, there’s a feeling you get from it. And you can get addicted to it. That’s kind of what happens to us.”
The two-hour season premiere of “Deadliest Catch” airs April 18 at 8 p.m.
