He was 20 miles from shore in the freezing ocean, checking his traps. Then he heard a cry that didn't belong...
Alistair is a crab fisherman, used to the harshness of the open sea. He and his deckhand, a young guy named Finn, spend their days in a battle with the cold water.
They were three hours into their run, the boat rocking in the gray swell. Alistair was at the winch when he thought he heard it鈥攁 high-pitched squeak, almost like a bird, carried on the wind. He signaled to Finn to cut the engine. The boat went quiet, save for the slap of the waves. He heard it again, weaker this time.
Alistair grabbed his binoculars and scanned the water. About 50 yards off the port side, he saw it: a tiny, dark speck, floating alone. It was a baby sea otter, separated from its mother, likely in a storm. It was weak, and the cold was clearly setting in.
Alistair knew the rules about interfering with wildlife. He also knew that pup would be dead in an hour. He couldn't let that happen. He steered the boat slowly, leaned over the side with his long-handled net, and gently scooped the shivering, terrified creature out of the water.
It was freezing and crying. Alistair ran to his cabin, grabbed a clean towel, and wrapped it tightly. He wasn't a vet, but he was a dad. He remembered he had an old baby bottle and some emergency milk replacer on board for stray cats at the dock.
He warmed the milk with water from his kettle and sat down, cradling the otter like a newborn. Finn, moved by the sight of the rough fisherman so gentle, quietly took out his phone. "Easy now, little one," Alistair whispered, his rough voice softening as the tiny creature finally latched on. "Gotcha. You're safe now."
Alistair cut their trip short, losing a day's pay, and radioed the coast. A marine wildlife rescue team was waiting for them at the dock, ready to take the pup to a rehab center.