Keith Colburn Biography

Keith Colburn was a Lake Tahoe ski bum searching for a change in the winter of 1985. Colburn boarded an aircraft with his lifelong best buddy Kurt Frankenberg when he was 22 years old. They arrived in Kodiak, Alaska, with no prior expertise, a tent, and just $50 in their pockets. Colburn was determined to attempt something new and adventurous, spurred on by the romantic idea of working at sea and the rumor of large payoffs. He began his career aboard the Alaska Trader, a 135-foot crabber/tender, as a complete newcomer. The hook was immediately set. He was immediately drawn to the fishing lifestyle and the camaraderie of being part of a crew that worked in and against the weather. While Colburn was initially seeking excitement in Alaska's uncharted seas, he also discovered something unexpected: a career. He joined the Wizard as a full share deckhand in 1988. In 1990, he received his USCG 1600 tonne Mates license and moved from the deck to the pilothouse. He obtained his 1600 tonne inspected Masters (Captain) license in 1992 and has been the skipper ever since. Colburn bought the 100-foot crabber F/V Sirene (pronounced Sea-Wren) in 2002 but kept the Wizard in service. They surrendered the Sirene's fishing rights in the Federal Buyback, a fleet reduction scheme, in 2004. When the fleet was cut from 250 crabbers to 80 in 2005 as part of a new Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) system, Colburn and Florence bought the Wizard, but not the lucrative IFQs.

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