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It's red king crab season
on the Bering Sea.
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These intrepid fishermen
will battle foul weather,
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00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,000
rogue waves,
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00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,000
and treacherous working conditions
in a 21st-century Alaskan gold rush.
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00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,000
Look at the money coming out of there.
I've never seen this before.
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00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:29,000
The season is competitive and short,
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00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,000
less than a week.
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The risk? Enormous.
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00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,000
The Bering Sea claims an average
of 12 fishermen each year.
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00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:41,000
Crab fishing is the most deadly of all.
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00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,000
- Coast Guard, Coast Guard...
- This is fishing vessel...
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00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,000
It may be the most dangerous job
in the world.
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00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,000
- Mayday, Mayday, Mayday...
- Sister ship went down.
14
00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:53,000
- I hope they're all right.
- Let's get them back home to their families.
15
00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,000
- No, I can't see them.
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00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,000
- We're looking for debris
and any survivors in the water.
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- Don't want to think of the worst-case...
- Scenario, right? Not yet, anyway.
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00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,000
Why do they do it?
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Alaskan king crab is one of the most
lucrative catches in the world.
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This is what it's all about!
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00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,000
Some men will return with a year's pay,
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some with little to show for their labors,
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others may not return at all.
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00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,000
Alaska is the last frontier in America,
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and Dutch Harbor is a frontier town.
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Most of the men who arrive here for the
short October season have already been hired...
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...to work on specific boats.
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But a few are in the job market.
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Competition is fierce for the few
deckhand spots that remain unfilled.
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Yeah, I heard that you might have
a full-share spot available down there.
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Scott Gibb is a job seeker
from Spokane, Washington.
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I'm down to the last two days here
as far as getting a job,
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and I really need to go ahead and grab
something while I still can.
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Took a little too long to get here.
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And anyways, they gave up on you
and just hired a guy five minutes ago.
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- Really?
- Yeah.
37
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You got to be kind of quick with these
crab jobs, man. They just really go...
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...right out the door so fast.
39
00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,000
There's a couple of other spots that I've
been prospecting for today, so...
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...I'll get back to that.
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Crabbers have their own rookie class.
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They're called greenhorns.
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Most of them have no idea
what they've signed up for.
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Greenhorn Bradford Davis is a 19-year-old
university student from Southern California.
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He's come to Alaska for adventure.
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00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,000
I don't really know what to expect,
but I know I'm the lowest man...
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00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:36,000
...on the totem pole here, so...
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00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,000
...trying to make the best of it.
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00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,000
It's inherently dangerous,
I know that as a fact, but...
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00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,000
...I just think if I keep my head
o straight, as long as I do my best,
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00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,000
do 100%, I should come back
alive and okay.
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00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,000
And that's all that matters to me.
53
00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:55,000
Bradford has been hired to work
aboard the Northwestern,
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a family-owned boat whose crabbing
history goes back four generations.
55
00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,000
It's been in our family as long as
I can remember. It's a way of our life.
56
00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,000
You know, your great-grandfather,
your grandfather, your dad...
57
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...it's just kind of instilled in you.
I never questioned what I was going to do.
58
00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:15,000
Sig was born in Norway.
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He started fishing with his father
at the age of 12,
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00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:23,000
and became captain of the Northwestern
when he was just 22.
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00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,000
Sig isn't the only Hansen
aboard the family boat.
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His brothers, Norman and Edgar,
are both deckhands.
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00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,000
We're fortunate in a way that we've
done this since we were kids.
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To us, it's second nature.
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Three ways to do things on this boat:
the right way, the wrong way...
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00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,000
...and the Norwegian way.
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In this tight-knit family crew, Bradford
Davis couldn't be more of an outsider.
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00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:51,000
- Real?
- Yeah.
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I'll shake your hand after the season
if you do a good job. All right.
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00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,000
A handshake from the captain
must be earned.
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00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,000
This greenhorn will have to prove
himself on the Bering Sea.
72
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,000
As far as the greenhorn's concerned,
I'd rather have the kid on edge...
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00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,000
...so he doesn't get too comfortable
too soon,
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00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,000
...so that he realizes how serious
we are about it.
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I don't know him, and we don't have
a lot of time to teach him.
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So he's a threat to me right now.
77
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Moored just 100 meters away
is the Fierce Allegiance.
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00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,000
At 50 meters, she's one of
the largest boats in the fleet,
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00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,000
also, one of the top money makers.
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Captain Tony LaRussa and his six-man crew
are waiting for their own greenhorn...
81
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...Erik Abrahamsen.
82
00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,000
Erik has more life experience
than Bradford,
83
00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,000
but he's still a first-timer
to the crab fishery.
84
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A greenhorn can be a mixed blessing.
85
00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,000
It's nice having a guy that's new
and eager to learn and work, but...
86
00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,000
...if the seas get rough, you also want
people with experience out here.
87
00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,000
You don't want to have to watch out
for somebody else...
88
00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:08,000
...you want to have someone else
watching out for you.
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00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:14,000
Because crab fishing is so physically
demanding, it's a young man's game.
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00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:19,000
Most greenhorns are teenagers
or in their early 20s.
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00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:24,000
At 42, Erik Abrahamsen
is the exception.
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But he's no stranger to the ocean.
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Erik worked as a deep-sea diver
for 11 years.
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He was also in the Navy,
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even trained Navy SEALs.
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He has to prove something to himself.
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The chance to challenge the belief of
the man that I think that I am inside.
98
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And I like to think I'm good
on the ocean, good around machinery...
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00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,000
...and I'm a good team player.
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00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,000
I think he's going to do all right.
Hopefully, he doesn't cry out there.
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The guys I have around him will
definitely direct him the right way...
102
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...and they'll turn him into a fisherman,
whether he wants to or not.
103
00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,000
Erik Abrahamsen and Bradford Davis
may be eager to succeed,
104
00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,000
but fishing for crab in the Bering Sea
takes a lot more than a good attitude.
105
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In less than 24 hours, the Alaskan
king crab season will officially begin.
106
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The crews are starting to feel the pressure.
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Oh, it'll be big time. Because, I mean,
the boys don't make nothing on red crab...
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00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,000
...they got to find a bar job
or something.
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The season used to be longer,
when there were more crabs.
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This year's government-mandated quota
is just over seven million kilos.
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25 years ago, it was 45 million kilos.
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00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,000
As soon as the quota is reached,
the season's over.
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00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,000
Last year, it lasted only four days.
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00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:11,000
To maximize profits, preparation is key.
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Crab pots are stacked and secured.
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Engine rooms checked and rechecked.
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Weather conditions studied carefully.
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00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:27,000
On the Bering Sea, mistakes and oversights
can have appalling repercussions.
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00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:34,000
Aboard the Fierce Allegiance, Captain Tony
LaRussa directs his crew as they stack...
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00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:37,000
...the 245 crab pots
they'll carry out to sea.
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00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,000
The Fierce Allegiance's greenhorn,
Erik Abrahamsen, is finding out...
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00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,000
...what tasks come with his lowly rank.
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I think a lot of it for me is going
to be about chopping this bait up.
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So, I got to take them big fat cod,
smash them down into this thing.
125
00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,000
But, believe you me,
I'll be an expert at it...
126
00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:03,000
...by the time we're done.
127
00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,000
As the fleet leaves Dutch Harbor,
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00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,000
these fishermen are aware
that they're part of a continuum.
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00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,000
The waters of Alaska and the Aleutian
Islands have been fished for centuries.
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Originally by native tribes
in sealskin canoes.
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Modern fishing came to Dutch Harbor
in the 1800s.
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00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:39,000
Today, this tiny village, 1,700 miles
northwest of Seattle, Washington,
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is the number-one port in America for
receiving, processing, and transporting...
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...seafood around the world.
135
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,000
But that distinction comes at a price.
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Overlooking the harbor
are dozens of maritime crosses,
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grim reminders of those
who didn't return.
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00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,000
The Bering Sea is harsh and unpredictable.
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00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,000
Storms occur every three to five days.
140
00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:18,000
- Wind 45 knots...- ...seas 24 feet.
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00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,000
Powerful storms spring up
without warning.
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00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:25,000
And with them come gale-force winds,
rogue waves, and killer ice.
143
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,000
Not surprisingly, many crab fishermen
are deeply superstitious.
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Superstitions? There's a ton of them.
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I always put my left boot on first.
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Never open a can upside-down.
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- Potted plants.
- No suitcases.
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00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,000
- And women on board.
- And no cats on a boat. I've heard that.
149
00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,000
Always put your right foot
on the boat first.
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00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,000
You can leave at 11:59
on Thursday night...
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00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:53,000
...or you can leave at 12:01
on Saturday morning...
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...but the superstitious don't leave--
don't leave port on Friday.
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00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,000
Sig Hansen, the captain of the
Northwestern, is no exception.
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00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:10,000
He's leaving Dutch Harbor
a half day early...
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...and navigating a dangerous channel
just to reach the tiny port of Akutan.
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It's been lucky for him in the past,
and so that's where he wants to embark...
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00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,000
...on this year's quest for crab.
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Come hell or high water,
that's where I was leaving from.
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00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,000
We've been fishing out of Akutan
for the last 20 years, so...
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00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:30,000
...that's got a little bit to do
with superstition on my part.
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I didn't want any voodoo.
I didn't want any juju, so to speak.
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I just wanted to leave from where
I first thought I was going to leave...
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...and just stick to my game plan.
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00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,000
While the Northwestern steams ahead...
165
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,000
...Sig Hansen's crew takes time
for a meal together.
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Only hours remain before
their grueling ordeal begins.
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00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:58,000
Sig's younger brother, Edgar,
doesn't let up on his hazing...
168
00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:02,000
...of the Northwestern's
new deckhand, Bradford Davis.
169
00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,000
Hey, Big Kahuna, bring a knife.
170
00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,000
Bring a knife belt out here.
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00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000
- Dry-shave me?
- Shave you with this razor blade...
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00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,000
...and give you something
more manageable...
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00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:19,000
...until you're used to one of those.
174
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,000
If there's any piece of hair
you need handled, I'm here.
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Team effort.
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Bye-bye, knife.
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00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,000
Being tough on the greenhorn is all
part of getting him prepared.
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00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:38,000
And family members aren't exempt.
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00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,000
Edgar Hansen endured his own
initiation some years earlier.
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00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,000
I was probably the worst, worst greenhorn
you've ever seen in your life...
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00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,000
...at least first two,
two and a half years.
182
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:49,000
I hated it, couldn't stand it.
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00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,000
First time up here, nobody told me
what to wear, what to bring...
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00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,000
...came up here in my jeans,
working on deck. It was miserable.
185
00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:00,000
One pair of gloves, holes in my boots.
I had to borrow boots.
186
00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,000
Too tight, cold, freezing.
187
00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,000
Your own family didn't tell you
what to bring?
188
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,000
No, that's the whole point.
Why should they?
189
00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,000
They're my family. No one's going
to tell you what to bring up here.
190
00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:13,000
Learn it on your own, dummy.
191
00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,000
The Northwestern arrives in Akutan
just after 1:00 in the morning.
192
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:22,000
The crew settle into their berths for the
last good night's sleep they'll see in days.
193
00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,000
Back in Dutch Harbor
the next morning...
194
00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,000
...the fleet anxiously countdown the final
hour and a half before they strike out...
195
00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,000
...into the Bering Sea.
196
00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,000
Ready to go. Like a kid
waiting for Christmas.
197
00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,000
The pots are stacked on board
and made secure.
198
00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,000
The fuel tanks are topped off.
199
00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,000
Captains continue to check
their electronics.
200
00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,000
Aboard the Fierce Allegiance,
new deckhand Erik Abrahamson...
201
00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,000
...has been assigned a critical
greenhorn task.
202
00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,000
A clean ship is a happy ship.
203
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,000
With little more than an hour left...
204
00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,000
...phone calls are made to loved ones.
205
00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,000
Once the men leave Dutch Harbor,
they're cut off from the rest of the world.
206
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:25,000
We'll see you.
207
00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,000
Said baby girl about 12 hours ago.
208
00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,000
Hi, Amy. I love you.
209
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,000
Give her a big hug for me.
210
00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,000
- I will.
- Say a prayer for us.
211
00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,000
- Okay.
- Okay, babe. I love you.
212
00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:56,000
- Bye-bye.
- Bye.
213
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,000
See those rascals?
214
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,000
What you got, Daddy?
215
00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,000
Oh, look at that.
216
00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000
Who is that?
217
00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,000
- That's Nick Senior there.
- That's my dad.
218
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,000
- That's a good-looking baby there.
- Mister.
219
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,000
- Okay, man.
- All right. Get back to work.
220
00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,000
The gamble is about to begin.
221
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,000
In as few as four days, they may
return $40,000 richer...
222
00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:32,000
...or not at all.
223
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,000
Every time, I worry if I'm going
to come back alive or not, you know...
224
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,000
...and you try to make last-minute
phone calls before you leave town...
225
00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:43,000
...and sometimes you're not able to,
so you get up here and try to make your call.
226
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,000
Which is next to impossible because
everybody's doing the same thing...
227
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,000
...you know. We're all
worried about our families.
228
00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,000
Finally, it's time to cast off.
229
00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,000
The days of preparation
and anticipation are over.
230
00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:01,000
251 boats carrying some
1,200 fishermen head out to sea.
231
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:15,000
The fleet is sent off with the
traditional Dutch Harbor blessing.
232
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:21,000
We have gathered to bless you
and pray for you...
233
00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,000
...for we believe that in the
beginning, God's Spirit blew...
234
00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,000
...across the waters of the deep,
and all life began.
235
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,000
We hold as truth that when Jesus began...
236
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:35,000
...His ministry, He went along the sea
and first called Simon, a fisherman.
237
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:39,000
Then He called Andrew, his brother...
238
00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:44,000
...or perhaps many of you believe in God's
Spirit that blew across the waters of the deep.
239
00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:48,000
And so today, it is our honor
to hold you in our hearts...
240
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:53,000
...as we ask that God go with you
and labor with you until we meet again.
241
00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,000
The boats have a long journey
to reach the fishing grounds.
242
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:08,000
Some will travel as far as 650 kilometers
into the Bering Sea to find the crab.
243
00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:12,000
Each captain has his own strategy.
244
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,000
The official season start time
is 4:00 p.m. tomorrow.
245
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,000
No one knows how long
the season will last...
246
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,000
...but probably for only around
four days, or 96 hours.
247
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,000
There is no room for error,
and no road map.
248
00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:30,000
Finding the crab is the
primary objective now.
249
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:34,000
At five dollars a pound, Alaskan king
crab, or red crab, as the fishermen call it...
250
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,000
...is worth $11 per kilo wholesale.
251
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,000
With this season's quota of
seven and a quarter million kilos...
252
00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,000
...the total catch is worth
70 million dollars.
253
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:50,000
How that jackpot is divided up
between the 251 boats...
254
00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:55,000
...will come down to the skill, experience,
and luck of each captain and crew.
255
00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:00,000
Danger is always on their minds.
256
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,000
Last year alone, the Bering Sea
claimed 45 boats.
257
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,000
Working on any boat in these
Arctic waters is harrowing...
258
00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:12,000
...but a crab boat is the
most dangerous of them all.
259
00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,000
Basically, everywhere on deck
is dangerous.
260
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,000
The crane swings wide over,
you know, to put it in the launcher...
261
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,000
...when we set the gear.
262
00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,000
There's two rules we learned about
the crane. Number one...
263
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,000
...is to never get underneath it.
264
00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:31,000
Number two is to never get underneath it.
265
00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:36,000
The biggest fear of any fisherman
is getting his foot caught in the line.
266
00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,000
The biggest danger that I see
on a vessel is fire.
267
00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:55,000
If you look inside here, this thing doesn't
care if you're a fish or an arm or a leg.
268
00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:00,000
And up on the stack,
that's a real threat.
269
00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,000
Man overboard. Man overboard.
270
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:11,000
The most dangerous part of this job
would have to be at the rail.
271
00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,000
No way!
272
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,000
One scenario that the fishermen
seldom even speak of is sinking.
273
00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:30,000
Aboard the Lucky Lady, a deckhand is
back for his second season as a crabber.
274
00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:34,000
Less than a year ago, Kevin Davis
almost paid the ultimate price.
275
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,000
During the January opilio
or snow crab season...
276
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:47,000
...Kevin was a 23-year-old greenhorn
working the rail.
277
00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,000
The crew of the fishing boat Saga were
hauling pots in the bitter cold of an Arctic storm.
278
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,000
The deck was slick with ice.
279
00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,000
The crew were tired.
280
00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:00,000
They had labored in grueling conditions...
281
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,000
...operations throughout the day
and into the night.
282
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,000
A TV crew were on board
filming at the time.
283
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:13,000
At 2:00 in the morning, Kevin lost his
footing and fell overboard into the icy...
284
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,000
...black waters of the Bering Sea.
285
00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:28,000
The captain and crew responded immediately.
286
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,000
Against all odds, he was rescued.
287
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:36,000
Six months later, Kevin is about to relive
the experience in the galley of his...
288
00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:39,000
...new boat, the Lucky Lady.
289
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:45,000
Here we go again.
Bam, gone.
290
00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,000
On January 20th, tragedy
strikes the Saga.
291
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,000
A video camera on the deck
captured the incident.
292
00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,000
- Man overboard! Man overboard!
- He went over the rail.
293
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:59,000
Twenty-three-year-old Kevin Davis
has fallen overboard.
294
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:03,000
Steve, head back with the life ring.
295
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,000
Dan, just stay right there.
Keep eye contact with him.
296
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,000
Don't take your eyes off him.
297
00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:24,000
Vince, go ahead and head back
and stand by with the crane.
298
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,000
Swing the crane over there
to lower the hook.
299
00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:33,000
I've got eye contact with him.
Hang in there, Kevin.
300
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,000
As every second goes by,
Kevin's body becomes more numb...
301
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:40,000
...and his chances of survival decrease.
302
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:44,000
Vince, go ahead and winch up slowly.
Nice and easy. Come on, Kevin.
303
00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:48,000
Amazingly, Kevin has used his last
remaining strength to grab onto the hook...
304
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,000
...and he is hoisted on board.
305
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:57,000
Move Kevin, move Kevin.
306
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,000
Okay, guys, let's just get him
inside right now.
307
00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,000
The odds against Kevin
were a million to one.
308
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:11,000
And I remember I was just laying there,
kind of backstroking...
309
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:14,000
...and I'm watching the side of the boat,
like six to eight feet of it...
310
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,000
...just coming out, back down.
311
00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:23,000
Only seeing about six, seven feet of that
boat that I don't ever want to see again.
312
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:28,000
I thank God first, then I thank
them boys out there. They saved my life.
313
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:34,000
Could have been a whole lot worse.
So we're not going to do that this year, right?
314
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:41,000
After narrowly escaping death
his first time fishing...
315
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,000
...Kevin is tempting fate once again.
316
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,000
This year, he is one of only
three deckhands aboard the Lucky Lady.
317
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,000
He'll be working the rail, the job
that nearly cost him his life.
318
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,000
Most of the crab boats
have reached the fishing grounds.
319
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,000
Deckhands scramble to get the crab pots
ready to drop.
320
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,000
Greenhorns chop bait for the pots...
321
00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:26,000
...and captains finalize
their fishing strategies.
322
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:34,000
The captain of the 50-meter Fierce Allegiance
has a hefty reputation to uphold...
323
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,000
...and he's willing to go out on a limb
to stay ahead of the competition.
324
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:45,000
Over the last four years,
the crab have moved west...
325
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,000
...and I will be going west.
It's further west than I've ever fished...
326
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,000
...and that is just on a hunch that I feel.
327
00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:00,000
The Northwestern is 50 miles
to the east of the Fierce Allegiance.
328
00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:03,000
Although nearer to the other boats,
it too is out on its own. Well, sort of.
329
00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:12,000
The crew are loading bait bags
with groundfish.
330
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,000
All aboard are anxious
for the season to begin.
331
00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:20,000
Hour and a half,
probably start dumping gear.
332
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,000
Hansen is going to take a chance and drop
two strings of crab pots here...
333
00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,000
...well east of the rest of the fleet.
334
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:32,000
We'll prospect with a couple of strings
this way just to feel it out, you know?
335
00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,000
But if I put too much gear
in this area now...
336
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,000
...and there is nothing,
that's a tough one to swallow...
337
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,000
...cuz you got to get it moved. So...
338
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:45,000
...we'll just spread them out a little bit.
I've already picked a direction, so...
339
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,000
...just hopefully hit something.
340
00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,000
While the captain sweats his decision
in the wheelhouse, the greenhorn is...
341
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:53,000
...just sweating.
342
00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:59,000
He has spent the last eight hours hooking,
chopping, grinding, and bagging bait.
343
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,000
Starting to smell like bait here. I don't
think my bunkmates are too appreciative...
344
00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,000
...of that, actually.
345
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:10,000
The smells are something
you cannot expect.
346
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:13,000
A couple of times, I had to kind of tilt
my head to the side and not blow chunks.
347
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,000
The season start is now just minutes away.
348
00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:30,000
Captains and crew alike are ready
for their shot at underwater treasure.
349
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,000
I'm just hoping for the best.
I'm hoping first for safety...
350
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,000
...and just make some decent money.
351
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:40,000
The fishermen can catch
as much as the boat can carry...
352
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,000
...and a full hold can equal
well over a million dollars.
353
00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:48,000
The seconds tick over as the crews
wait for 4:00.
354
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:52,000
Regulations state clearly that not a single
pot can be dropped even one second early.
355
00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:58,000
Ten minutes till 4:00. I'm going to wait
till about 5:00 after...
356
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,000
...give those other guys a little chance.
357
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:08,000
In an instant, these men will embark
upon approximately 100 hours of hell.
358
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,000
There will be little sleep,
plenty of pressure...
359
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,000
...and extraordinary danger
for those working on deck.
360
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:20,000
But most wouldn't have it
any other way.
361
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,000
As the crew prepare to drop
the very first crab pot...
362
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,000
...the greenhorns suddenly come face to face
with the reality of life on the Bering Sea.
363
00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:45,000
There is no doubt that their first trip
could wind up being their last.
364
00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:49,000
This, after all, may be
the most dangerous job in the world.
365
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,000
And as every veteran crew member knows,
on the open ocean...
366
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:56,000
...death can come very quickly.
367
00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,000
- Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.
- I have five people still missing.
368
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:06,000
Oh, geez.
They're gone, son.
369
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:18,000
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one.
370
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,000
Game time!
371
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:28,000
It's 4:00 p.m. on October the 15th.
372
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,000
The official announcement comes
from Alaska Fish and Game.
373
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,000
Okay, here goes nothing.
374
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,000
The October crab fishing season
has started.
375
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:49,000
No one knows how long the season will last,
so time is a precious commodity.
376
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:53,000
Pots are loaded and launched
as quickly as possible.
377
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:04,000
The minute the fleet hits its quota,
the season is over.
378
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:09,000
But how the catch is divided between
the 255 boats is anyone's guess.
379
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:13,000
Captains drive their crews
to the edge of exhaustion.
380
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,000
The season has started without the smallest
boat in the fleet, the Lucky Lady.
381
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,000
She's got a problem.
382
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,000
Season's already started.
383
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,000
At only 17 and a half meters,
the Lucky Lady is equipped...
384
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,000
...with stabilizers to keep her
steady in rough seas.
385
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,000
The submerged metal wings are attached
to booms, which the crew...
386
00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,000
...is unable to lift out of the water.
387
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,000
Pull it, take a hook, put it in there,
reach out and grab it.
388
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,000
Pull the damn thing up!
389
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:52,000
Captain Vince Shavender is losing patience
with his three deckhands.
390
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,000
I'm going to go out there and get some
block shot on you, you hear me, Al?
391
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,000
Until the stabilizers are out of the water,
not a single pot can be dropped.
392
00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,000
Pull the damn thing up!
Season's already started!
393
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,000
With the season only four minutes old,
Kevin Davis is just inches...
394
00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:15,000
...from taking another deadly tumble
into the icy Bering Sea.
395
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,000
Season's already started!
396
00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:36,000
Lost minutes mean lost income,
as everyone on board knows.
397
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,000
Finally, the crew is able to wrest
the stabilizer out of the water.
398
00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,000
But one metal wing has fallen off
during the struggle.
399
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,000
There is no time to rig up a replacement.
400
00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,000
The stabilizer's out, let's go!
401
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,000
Now that we're gone, we got the chain up,
402
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,000
but the shackle had broke on the end of the
stabilizer, which happens.
403
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,000
It's going to make our ride
a little more rollier...
404
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,000
...but I'm not going to turn back,
being the first day of the season and all.
405
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,000
I'm just going to keep on getting with it here.
406
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,000
The Lucky Lady
now has two strikes against her.
407
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:20,000
She's late to the start and must fish
these rough waters pitching and bobbing...
408
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:22,000
...like a cork.
409
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:27,000
The crew launch the first pot,
knowing they've got to make up for lost time.
410
00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:34,000
Unlike the Lucky Lady,
the massive Fierce Allegiance...
411
00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:37,000
...can handle the waters
of the outer Bering Sea with ease.
412
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:43,000
The Fierce is looking for crab ar to the west of the other boats.
413
00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,000
She's three times the size
of the Lucky Lady...
414
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,000
...and carries more than eight times
the number of pots.
415
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,000
Compared to small boats
that are 90 feet, 100 feet...
416
00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,000
...I get to carry all my pots in one shot.
They have to do two loads.
417
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:04,000
So, I do have quite
an advantage on paper.
418
00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:09,000
But with the advantage
comes pressure.
419
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:13,000
The Fierce is expected to bring in
huge quantities of crab.
420
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:17,000
Tony's reputation as a top producer
is at stake...
421
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:21,000
...which is both a blessing
and a curse.
422
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:25,000
While Tony can get his pots in the water
faster than almost any other boat...
423
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:28,000
...the crew will get no rest
until every pot is dropped.
424
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:35,000
It will take more than 24 hours
of backbreaking work to clear the deck.
425
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:46,000
We could be heroes or zeroes.
426
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,000
A crab boat is not a democracy.
427
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,000
Out here, the captain is king.
428
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:56,000
He tells the crew when to work,
when to eat, and when to sleep.
429
00:31:56,000 --> 00:32:02,000
The boat's fortunes and the crew's welfare
rest squarely on his shoulders.
430
00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:07,000
Every skipper in the fleet is charged
with the safety of his crew.
431
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:12,000
And no one takes that responsibility more
seriously than Captain Larry Hendricks.
432
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:18,000
One year earlier on a different boat,
a friend and former deckhand, Terry Rosendahl...
433
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:22,000
...lost his balance and slipped off
a high stack of pots.
434
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,000
Larry stopped fishing immediately
to come to his friend's rescue.
435
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,000
- Where's the smoke?
- I got it here, Larry.
436
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,000
Release them. Now.
437
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,000
Larry, we have orange smoke
going in the air.
438
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,000
Okay, there's the helicopter
right there.
439
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,000
Come on, Terry.
440
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:38,000
But it was too late.
441
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:42,000
Larry watched helplessly as the Coast Guard
tried to save his friend.
442
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:47,000
You have a mother that's lost
a second son to the ocean.
443
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,000
Terry's death was a grim reminder that
even during the calmest of seas...
444
00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:57,000
...a crab boat is
a perilous place to work.
445
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,000
On the Sea Star, Larry sets a slow
but steady pace for his crew.
446
00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:10,000
The Sea Star's deckhands
are most unusual.
447
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,000
The majority of them
are over the age of 50.
448
00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,000
To make it easier on the older
crew members...
449
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:18,000
...Larry has adapted the system
of the Sea Star.
450
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,000
We've set up the operation
where there's not the bending...
451
00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,000
...the excessive bending
or pushing or pulling.
452
00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,000
I designed something
that would fit my vessel...
453
00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,000
...and built a swing-arm crane.
454
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:38,000
We move the pot to the table
instead of the table to the pot.
455
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:42,000
For us old guys, it's great.
It's a slower pace, and...
456
00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,000
It just made a lot more sense to me,
so they weren't wearing themselves out.
457
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:48,000
That's better than working some,
you know, I don't know what desk job...
458
00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:51,000
...sitting on your butt, eating donuts,
having union coffee breaks...
459
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,000
...and crap like that, you know?
This is a lifestyle.
460
00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:04,000
Back on the Fierce Allegiance,
no such allowances are made...
461
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,000
...especially when it comes
to greenhorns.
462
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:10,000
The Alaskan crab fishing season
is only an hour old...
463
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:12,000
...and 42-year-old Erik Abrahamson...
464
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,000
...is already struggling to keep pace...
465
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,000
...with one of the most experienced
crews in the fleet.
466
00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:20,000
It feels like, you know, when you go for
a run with a bunch of new guys...
467
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:23,000
...for the first time, and you're going
to go for like six miles or ten miles...
468
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:27,000
...and they open up with like a 5:45
or six-minute first mile...
469
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,000
...and you're just going,
'My God, I hope this pace slows.'
470
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,000
They're always waiting on me,
so I'm throwing this stuff in...
471
00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,000
...as fast as I can,
trying to get it all hooked up...
472
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:42,000
...in all the right spots, and get out of
there before they slam the door on my back.
473
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:48,000
Jumping in the pots is tough
because it's just all steel, you know.
474
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:51,000
And so, you got to run
and kind of dive in...
475
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,000
...get your hooks set into the mesh,
and then you're trying to get out of there...
476
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:55,000
...super quick.
477
00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,000
Bruises on your elbows,
bruises on your knees.
478
00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,000
I got two big, beautiful bruises
on both hips.
479
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:05,000
I would sum up the bait boy process
as being swallowed by a seagull...
480
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:09,000
...and having to live inside his stomach
for three or four days.
481
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:13,000
Erik has been baiting pots non-stop or nine hours...
482
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:16,000
...and he has a full night's work
ahead of him.
483
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,000
Thought I'd be out here,
little hammock strung...
484
00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,000
...between a couple of lanyards,
you know, swinging.
485
00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:24,000
Instead, I'm sleeping with cod.
486
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,000
240 kilometers to the northeast...
487
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:34,000
...the Sea Star is plowing through
increasingly choppy seas.
488
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:41,000
Whilst the crew of old-timers
string out pots on deck...
489
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,000
...Captain Larry Hendricks plots a course.
490
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:47,000
This is an electronic chart
that gives my position...
491
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:49,000
...and records all my data
that I want recorded.
492
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:55,000
Larry and five other skippers in the fleet
have formed an alliance...
493
00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:58,000
...scattered over thousands
of square kilometers.
494
00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:01,000
They are sharing secret information
about fishing conditions over the radio.
495
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,000
There's six of us working in a group,
and we've spread our gear out...
496
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:10,000
...over 1,250 square miles.
497
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:14,000
So, I just ran further to the northwest
and stretching out a string...
498
00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:15,000
...and see what happens.
499
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,000
The strategy is called radio fishing.
500
00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:21,000
But the radio is an open frequency
monitored by the rest of the fleet.
501
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:25,000
So Larry and his colleagues use code names
to conceal their identities and locations.
502
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:31,000
Right here is where we originally set,
and then I have Ole, he's over here...
503
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:34,000
...Jimmy's up in here,
Moses is up in this area...
504
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:38,000
...Studley and Monkey Man
are down in these two areas.
505
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:41,000
We'll start comparing notes,
and we'll get a much truer indication...
506
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:44,000
...of what might be in the area...
507
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,000
...and which direction
we should move next.
508
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:52,000
Radio fishing has been around
as long as radios...
509
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,000
...but Larry and his group
are in the minority.
510
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:59,000
Most captains keep their tactics
a closely guarded secret.
511
00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:11,000
The Northwestern is fishing on her own...
512
00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,000
...many kilometers
from the next nearest boat.
513
00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:18,000
Her captain, Sig Hansen,
is famous for going his own way.
514
00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:23,000
But right now, he's having second thoughts
about his decision.
515
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,000
I don't got a lot of neighbors around me.
516
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:31,000
So, as far as I know, we're, you know,
probably in the wrong place.
517
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,000
It's hard to say. I mean, if these guys
have been checking out an area...
518
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:36,000
...that we're not in, fine.
519
00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:41,000
It's kind of going against the grain
of what I think most of my friends are doing...
520
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,000
...but it just messes with your mind.
521
00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,000
For now, we're just, as they say,
a little more on our own.
522
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:07,000
On the smallest boat in the fleet,
the Lucky Lady...
523
00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:11,000
...Captain Vince Shavender
has a more random approach.
524
00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:15,000
I pretty much put my finger on the chart
and decide which way I'm going to go with it.
525
00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:20,000
Being small like this
and in such a short season...
526
00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,000
...you know, it's a crap shoot.
Either hit them or you don't.
527
00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:28,000
Many of the captains' strategies
are becoming apparent.
528
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:33,000
Vince Shavender of the Lucky Lady has chosen
a small area relatively close to land.
529
00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:37,000
He's dropping strings of about 30 pots each.
530
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:42,000
Sig Hansen of the Northwestern has dropped
some of his pots far from the crowd.
531
00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:45,000
He'll leave them on the sea bed overnight.
If they come up full...
532
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,000
...he'll stay where he is
and drop the rest.
533
00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:53,000
Larry Hendricks of the Sea Star continues
to share information with his partner boats...
534
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:57,000
...and is moving across a 300-square-kilometer
area in the far northeast.
535
00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:02,000
And the Fierce Allegiance has dropped
a massive string of 119 pots...
536
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:05,000
...that stretches for over 160 kilometers...
537
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:08,000
...in the northwest corner of the Bering Sea.
538
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:13,000
With two and a half million square
kilometers to choose from...
539
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:15,000
...crab fishing is like a lottery.
540
00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,000
The captains can only hope
that they've picked the right numbers.
541
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,000
Oh, it's anybody's game yet.
Only the first day.
542
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,000
Only two hours into the season
on the Fierce Allegiance...
543
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,000
...and the crew is giving greenhorn
Erik Abrahamson mixed reviews.
544
00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:34,000
He's doing okay.
I mean, he's going through the motions.
545
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:35,000
He's tired, though.
546
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,000
Slow. Too slow for me.
547
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:43,000
His dream of becoming a fisherman
is turning into a nightmare.
548
00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:47,000
None of his Navy training
has prepared him for this.
549
00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:52,000
My lower back aches from,
you know, leaning over the bait pot.
550
00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:55,000
Knees are a little sore, shins are a little sore rom jumping and jamming...
551
00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:57,000
...in and out of that thing.
552
00:39:57,000 --> 00:39:59,000
So I'm just like going...
553
00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,000
♪ Take me home ♪
554
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:06,000
But there's no time for Eric to rest.
555
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:10,000
The captain's buzzer signaling
the launch of every pot is relentless.
556
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,000
Even though the season is young,
557
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:27,000
it will probably be over
in less than 96 hours.
558
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:32,000
Captain Tony LaRussa is not happy
about having a weak link on his deck.
559
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,000
I've seen guys before that think
they know what they're in for...
560
00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:38,000
...and really they don't.
561
00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:51,000
But 130 kilometers to the east,
aboard the Northwestern...
562
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:55,000
...19-year-old greenhorn
Bradford Davis is shining.
563
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:03,000
So far, so good.
The greenhorn's been working out.
564
00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:05,000
He hasn't talked back yet, or...
565
00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,000
...he's been moving the whole time, so...
566
00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:10,000
Take the pointy end,
jam it through the eye socket.
567
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:13,000
Hopefully catch something
that's real firm in there...
568
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,000
...and then pop it through the other side.
569
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:19,000
Bradford may be passing
the endurance test,
570
00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:23,000
but deck boss Edgar Hanson has
a different kind of test in store.
571
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:26,000
You guys got to bite the head off
a herring for good luck.
572
00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:29,000
This is all for good luck.
573
00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:36,000
- Oh, yeah!
- Good season.
574
00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:55,000
Crab boats burn a lot of fuel.
So do crab fishermen...
575
00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:58,000
...4,000 to 5,000 calories a day.
576
00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:02,000
Crews take any opportunity they can
to get in out of the cold and grab a bite.
577
00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,000
Yeah, sure.
578
00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:09,000
If you're on a boat, it's not
the quality that counts, it's the quantity.
579
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:22,000
Some eat like nobility.
580
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,000
Others just shovel in whatever's easy.
581
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:30,000
The secret to keeping energy levels up
is to eat as much as possible...
582
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:32,000
...as often as possible,
583
00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:36,000
...no matter how surreal
it may look on the plate.
584
00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:39,000
Those are supposed to be potatoes.
585
00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:47,000
I eat a lot every day, like,
a really lot, and I still lose weight.
586
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:50,000
- That is skinny.
- Okay.
587
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:55,000
When the human body is put under
this much strain without rest...
588
00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,000
...calories become a substitute for sleep.
589
00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:03,000
It's all about stoking the furnace
and priming the pump.
590
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,000
Who needs sleep? Just eat.
591
00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:09,000
Eating is important.
592
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:13,000
But fishing for crab
always comes first.
593
00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:32,000
Aboard the Fierce Allegiance,
the crew has stopped to quickly refuel.
594
00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:36,000
Their greenhorn Erik Abrahamson
is flagging.
595
00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:39,000
Season's been going for eight hours.
596
00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:43,000
I don't know how I'm going to make it
five days, but I'm going to try.
597
00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:50,000
He's really... he's not putting
all of it into it, and it's a shame.
598
00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:55,000
You know, it's like he's already given up
before he even started the fight.
599
00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:57,000
Maybe he's too old.
600
00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:04,000
In dire need of an energy boost,
Erik turns to a secret weapon...
601
00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:07,000
...from his days in the Navy.
602
00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:12,000
Raw beef liver. Told me to use this in
stressful, long-hour situations...
603
00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:15,000
...because the deal with raw,
only with beef liver, is...
604
00:44:15,000 --> 00:44:20,000
...it's got all the B vitamins
and everything that go right into your blood.
605
00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:23,000
And, um, it's just like getting
a blood transfusion.
606
00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:27,000
Not the greatest tasting stuff
in the world, but...
607
00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:29,000
...the key is just to get it down.
608
00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:32,000
- There's just no way.
- There's just no way.
609
00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:36,000
Please, can you watch me
throw it outside?
610
00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:39,000
Raw steak.
611
00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:43,000
Erik goes back to the deck.
612
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:46,000
So far, not a single pot
has been pulled.
613
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,000
If he's going to make it through
the king crab season,
614
00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:52,000
he's going to have to dig deep.
615
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:55,000
For now, the sea is calm.
616
00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:59,000
The crew still have dozens of pots
to bait and drop...
617
00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:01,000
...but the sun is setting.
618
00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:05,000
For captains and greenhorns alike,
the night ahead will be cold...
619
00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:08,000
...long, and dangerous.
620
00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:11,000
These men know that in a matter of hours,
621
00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:15,000
full crab pots could bring them
a small fortune...
622
00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:20,000
...but they also know that the demons
of fatigue, injury, and bad luck...
623
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:24,000
...stand between them
and the pot of gold.
624
00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,000
On the next episode
of Deadliest Catch...
625
00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:29,000
...the crews begin to fish
with mixed results.
626
00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,000
- Sick!
- Boy, oh, boy!
627
00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:36,000
- Wow!
- Lovely.
628
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:41,000
Edgar pushes greenhorn
Bradford Davis to the brink.
629
00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:45,000
Go see how many bags you got done
by the time we get 50 pots on board.
630
00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:48,000
- Absolutely.
- For every bag that's missing...
631
00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:51,000
...that's ten minutes of sleep lost.
632
00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:53,000
Your part.
633
00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:56,000
And one boat struggles
just to get started.
57616
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