Released on = July 24, 2007, 7:51 pm

Press Release Author = Great Land FIsh News

Industry = Entertainment

Press Release Summary = (Ketchikan, Alaska) Fans of the Discovery Channel's
"Deadliest Catch" TV show can now experience life aboard one of the Alaskan crab
boats featured in the popular program.


Press Release Body = The Aleutian Ballad this week will begin taking visitors along
to show them first hand the real life of Alaska's fishermen. But instead of steaming
out to the Bering Sea, the boat will operate in calmer, protected waters near
Ketchikan, Alaska.
Aleutian Ballad owner Dave Lethin first conceived the idea 10 years ago to convert
a fishing vessel into a passenger tour boat so that people could learn about the
Alaskan fishing industry.
"I wanted to share with them the lifestyle and the allure that draws people to the
sea," he said.
Lethin has spent most of his years at sea, ten of those as captain of a Bering Sea
crab boat. After a 60 foot rogue wave capsized the Aleutian Ballad two years ago -
a horror that was caught by the "Deadliest Catch" film crew - he decided it was
time to change course.
Over the past year, Lethin has completely refurbished the 107 foot vessel to safely
accommodate up to 150 guests. In the heated comfort of sheltered observation areas,
they will watch the boat's crew launch and retrieve crab pots weighing 700 pounds
each. During the four hour tours, the crew will educate passengers about fishing
practices and share their stories of the sea as other types of gear are baited and
set out to catch halibut, octopus, rockfish and numerous other species. Certain
creatures brought aboard will be placed in a huge live tank before they are
released to the sea.
The Aleutian Ballad sets off from Ketchikan for its first Bering Sea Crab
Fishermen's Tour on Wednesday, July 25.
Find more information at www.56degreesnorth.com/ .


Web Site = http://56degreesnorth.com/

Contact Details = Lynn Langford Walton(360) 642-4935
greatlandfishnews@yahoo.com