Al McGrath\u2019s life was heading in the wrong direction, until a friend told him about a deep-sea fishing opportunity on Sealord vessel, the Willwatch.<\/p>
\u201cRegardless of your past, you can still achieve and succeed. It\u2019s an opportunity to turn your life around,\u201d Al says of his decision to give the job a go.<\/p>
He moved up the ladder from freezerman (freezing and boxing fish), becoming a deckhand, factory supervisor and then becoming factory manager, responsible for the vessel factory and relevant crew.<\/p>
In 2022, Al has worked at Sealord for 30 years, with a few breaks in between. Career highlights include helping to set up Sealord\u2019s state-of-the-art fishing trawler Tokatu when it was being built in Norway and filling up vessel Rehua in 21 days with 720 tonnes of fish \u2013 a record at the time. His workplace training as a medic 12 years ago has also given him the opportunity to volunteer with St John, which he finds very satisfying.<\/p>
\u201cIt\u2019s great giving back to the community and is something that wouldn\u2019t have happened without my career at Sealord.\u201d<\/p>
He also enjoys his role as a people leader.<\/p>
\u201cIt\u2019s been super rewarding helping people achieve their goals with my support as a manager and by sharing my knowledge. I\u2019ve met hundreds of people and they\u2019re all like family. It becomes just like a home away from home. If you\u2019re really committed, you can go a long way at sea.\u201d<\/p>
Al is especially fond of his Filipino crew. \u201cIt\u2019s been really great. They\u2019re hard-working and happy to be here. And it\u2019s been really cool to learn about their life and culture.\u201d<\/p>
Al encourages people to think about what they could gain with a steady job with Sealord.<\/p>
\u201cFor me, the job is about the opportunities regardless of your schooling. You can make good money at sea, and you save money because it\u2019s free food, free accommodation and you don\u2019t spend anything while you\u2019re earning.<\/p>
\u201cYou get lots of time off. It can be a bit challenging working away from home, at sea, for long periods but you adjust and you have your crew to lean on. Sealord has been great \u2013 you know everyone really well and I\u2019ve built really good relationships.\u201d<\/p>
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