Introduction

Hi!

My name is Lynn Goodman. I consider myself to be something of a Renaissance grrl, holding degrees in both studio art (sculpture) and biology, as well as being a writer.

I work as a fisheries observer in Alaska, though as of this writing I have been off work for over a year due to an injury sustained on the job and the willful incompetence of the people at the Federal Office of Worker's Compensation Programs. I hope to get back to it this winter.

What is an observer? Quite simply, my job is to monitor catch and bycatch (anything not being targeted by the vessel), weigh and measure a lot of fish, and sometimes sex the fish and take samples - either genetic samples and/or otoliths, which are fish ear bones that grow in rings like trees, allowing the age of the fish to be determined. I have also worked in the crab fishery, where most of my job consists of identifying, sexing, and measuring crab, as well as monitoring bycatch.

The goal of all this, in the end, is to provide data to those managing the fishery in order to allow them to make better management decisions to keep the fisheries sustainable.

I also document any violations of the law and report these to my superiors for action (if it is deemed necessary). This can, at times, put me in a rather awkward position in relation to the captain and crew.

I live on whichever boat I am working on at the time, and am often bunked in with one to three or four of the crew, who are almost universally men. A certain level of harassment goes with the territory, although it is illegal and I am supposed to report it. The reality is that almost none of us ever do so, and only in the more extreme cases.

Since I mostly work in the Bering Sea, the weather is frequently nasty, with big seas. I generally won't stay in regardless of the weather - if the guys are fishing, I'm taking my data, unless the captain orders me off deck because he feels that it is not safe for me to be there. This almost never happens. Usually I have a reasonably safe place to work on deck, and eyes on me.

I love my job. I miss it like crazy. Most of all, I miss the sea. It is the only place where I have ever really known peace, and being landlocked, as I am now, is hell.

As stated, I also write and make art. I've been doing some freelance copy writing and blogging of late, and will continue to try to grow that business. Additionally, I am working on a novel that I started on one of the last boats I worked on, and at any given time I usually have at least one short story in the works. I'm just starting to shop some of my work around. I've actually been writing since I was a child, but have only recently gotten serious about it.

I'm making a little bit of art, too. Unfortunately, I lack good space to work in, and have a limited number of tools, so I can't necessarily produce the kinds of pieces that I'd really like to. But I enjoy creating, nonetheless.

This blog will talk about a great many topics - adventures, writing, art-making, and whatever else may be relevant to me at the time. If you enjoy it, by all means invite your friends to stop by.