Forty-foot waves, 700 pound crab pots, freezing temperatures and your mortality staring you in the face…it's all in a day's work for these modern day prospectors. During each episode we will watch crews race to meet their quota and make it home safely.
It's the first day of work at the world's deadliest job. 1500 fishermen have converged on Dutch Harbour for the start of the Alaskan King Crab season.
After a long night of baiting and setting crab pots, the fishermen anxiously await the captain's call to begin fishing.
The pressure is on when the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game announces an early closure to the season.
With less than half a day left in the Alaskan king crab season, the crews race the clock to get as much crab as they can.
It's the dead of winter in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, but opilio crab season is just about to begin and 171 boats begin the long journey to find them.
The Big Valley has sunk, her crew is still missing and all anyone can do is pray. But the Bering Sea soon claims another victim when a deckhand falls overboard.
It's been twelve hours since the crab season opened and the Bering Sea has claimed six lives. The rest of the fleet begins to pull the pots and hopes are high.
An electrical fire breaks out in the engine room of one boat, and its crew must scramble to fix the problem before safely returning to fishing.
84 hours in to the Opilio season, the hunt for crabs intensifies as rumours of a possible closure prompt the men to push even harder.
In the last hours of the season, the boats race back to port. Offloading is on a first-come-first-served basis, so captains compete for the best spot.
October in Dutch Harbor is king crab season. The captains must decide whether to set sail as weather reports of rough seas threaten their trip.
The Cornelia Marie blows a head casket and heads back to the Dutch Harbor for repairs. With a storm not far behind, it's a recipe for disaster.
One of the worst storms in years is raging, but the crab fishing fleet must continue its hunt for the deadliest catch: the Alaskan King Crab.
After a profitable off-load on Akutan Island, Captain Sig Hansen and the Northwestern crew are back on the trail of the Alaskan King Crab.
With raging seas, freezing temperatures and a high injury rate, crab fishing is no breeze - as the Aleutian Ballad discovers when it is slammed by a huge wave.
January in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, finds the fishermen returning to their boats for the crab-fishing season. Here they'll prep their boats and supplies.
With the storm showing no sign of letting up, the Cornelia May is stuck in port, while the Rollo and the Maverick drop their pots quickly to avoid trouble.
Bad crab and long days fray nerves and cause fights on the Maverick. The trailblazing Time Bandit crew keeps pressing north into the Arctic onslaught.
The crew of the Maverick must work through a ship-wide flu epidemic while the Cornelia Marie has trouble finding their Opilio crab.
With temperatures dropping and ice levels increasing, the fleet face mounting dangers out at sea. Deckhand Dave becomes the first casualty aboard the Cornelia Marie.
The Rollo's Captain Eric is cross with his crew after a miscalculation results in forty thousand more pounds of crab being caught than allowed.
With the opilio crab season nearly at an end, the fleet push to get the last haul in. With their catch aboard, the next challenge for crews is to get back to port intact.
Eighty-one boats head out for the new King Crab season, but things quickly go wrong for one boat and they signal an emergency.
When a boat sinks, the crab fishing fleet anxiously searches for survivors. Will they be able to find any of the missing men?
Another victim is claimed by the gruelling Bering Sea. On the Wizard deckhand Lenny suffers an awful injury and Captain Keith scrambles to get him to shore.
Halfway through the crab season the grind is on. Men are working with no sleep, while fatigue and bad weather make the fishing even more perilous.
The end of the king crab season is drawing near and all across the fleet captains and crews are digging in and commencing the long grind to the finish line.
The gruelling 2006 Red King Crab fishing epic comes to a close, with captains and crews anxiously awaiting crab-payday. Will the harsh season pay off?
As the Opilio crab season opens, several greenhorns are about to experience the subfreezing temperatures and icy winter waters of the Bering Sea for the first time
Only days into the Opilio season, a major storm breaks and high seas cause Captain Andy of the Time Bandit to call his men off deck, moments before a wave hits!
Broken pots and a blown engine put the Northwestern a week behind schedule. Captain Sig hopes his luck will change as he drops his gear north of the fleet.
As the harsh winter weather deteriorates, the Northwestern and Cornelia Marie step up to prove their worth, working through broken bones and icy decks.
The Time Bandit enjoys unseasonable weather and unprecedented catches. But when the weather drastically changes the boat is caught in a crippling ice pack.
It's the finale for the greenhorns - some have succeeded in their quest to become Bering Sea crab fisherman... others won't be coming back.
The crab fishing fleet sets off again to brave the Bering Sea and cash in on king crab. But first, Northwestern must quickly make much needed repairs.
The crews are off to stake their claims on coveted grounds, but the sea is not giving up its bounty easily. After only 48 hours, one rookie is starting to fall apart.
A breakdown forces Edgar to make a dangerous repair. Questionable counting makes Sig lose his temper. On Cornelia Marie, Phil's failing health impacts the crew.
Greenhorns, skippers, and family fishing dynasties begin to crack. On Northwestern, Sig and Edgar have a contest to see who can fish the longest without sleep.
Tempers flare onboard Wizard and Northwestern. Phil's health deteriorates and Early Dawn runs headlong into high seas when its greenhorn falls asleep at the wheel.
With a few weeks of the season left, the fate of every deckhand's paycheque lies with their captain. Capt. Johnathan has had good fishing but a string of bad luck.
The crab fishermen continue to fight Arctic weather, brutal waves, and a ticking clock for big money in this modern-day gold rush from which they may never return.
As the king crab season winds down, an exhausted crew fills the Northwestern's crab tanks and Wizard and Time Bandit race for the "String of the Week" prize.
Opilio season begins. A dual storm system challenges a patched Cornelia Marie and almost costs Time Bandit two men. A medical emergency brings in the U.S. Coast Guard.
A routine Coast Guard rescue becomes a battle against nature. Fatigue is causing mistakes on Northwestern and on the Wizard, Greenhorn Moi locks horns with Captain Keith.
On Time Bandit, Capt. Johnathan has an accident while flaunting his deck skills, and Lenny from Wizard barely escapes a huge wave.
A huge storm tears up the decks of the three of the trawlers. On Cornelia Marie, Capt. Phil injures his ribs and begins coughing blood, but refuses medical attention.
Captain Phil heads for the hospital and Murray struggles to take over the helm. The Northwestern strains its crane to the breaking point and Wizard springs a serious leak.
Northwestern fights the ice pack. The Wizard sets off with tempers flaring and a new greenhorn. Time Bandit has a near fatal mistake and a tough choice.
Arctic ice descends as the fleet makes its final push. Cornelia Marie's crew suffers from Bering Sea dementia while Time Bandit's crew is at its breaking point.
The captains race to catch the last remaining quotas and Scottie makes a near-fatal mistake working the hydraulic system. An ominous message comes across the radio.
It's a bad start to the crab season as skippers Keith and Phil await medical test results, while repairs to the rest of the boats mean they're all in debt.
A severe storm whips up massive 20ft waves, so most of the boats head for home. But one boat sends out a mayday. Can the coastguard reach it in time?
The typhoon has sunk one of the boats. But as the weather clears the fleet can't dwell on the tragedy and heads back out on the treacherous seas.
It's the 2008 King Crab season in Dutch Harbour, so get prepared for more high drama on the treacherous and deadly Bering Sea.
After 40 hard days at sea the pressure is on and tempers boil over on deck. And the superstitious Captain Keith is upset to have missed a herd of walruses.
A new deadline is set - an upcoming drop in the price of king crab has the skippers rushing to finish their season. But crew battles and a fierce arctic storm block the way.
The King Crab Season comes down to the wire, as the struggling skippers battle to top off their quotas. Who will land a bumper haul in this end of season sprint?
It's the start of the 2009 Crab Season, and things are looking up for our spectacular skippers. But will their dreams been shattered by a colossal rogue wave?
When the fleet arrives on the Opi grounds a skipper regrets sending his men out in savage weather to save the boat - there are no second chances on the Bering Sea.
Three weeks in, the miserable conditions already have the crabbers turning on each other. Plus deadly ice stands between one skipper and the safety of harbour.
After battling freezing spray, colossal waves and sub-zero temperatures, it's a race to harbour to offload their haul. But the immense arctic ice pack stands in their way.
Mid-season and frozen crabs, frozen gear and a frozen harbour chill the hearts of the crew. Plus, the Northwestern battles a deadly storm.
When the fleet gets word of great fishing by the ice pack, the chase is on. But will hellish hours and missing pots push these men over the edge?
Weeks into the opilio season, delirium sets in - and deadly mistakes are made. But for one fisherman it is a tragedy on land that causes heartbreak at sea.
The opilio season is almost over, but a storm front has the skippers on edge. The boats race to plug their tanks with crab, but can they make it back unscathed?
The 2009 crab season is almost over, and a savage storm causes multiple maydays. Can the Coast Guard save four men before their boat is pounded against the rocks?
The crab season starts with tensions high. Blood isn't thicker than salt water on the Cornelia Marie, there's deckhand poaching afoot and the fleet loses a vessel.
On the Kodiak and the Wizard the greenhorns are finding out how hard crabbing really is. And on Northwestern, skipper Sig is battling his brother as well as the seas.
It's the third week of hunting King crab and skipper Phil and skipper Sig's experiment in trading their junior deckhands is coming to a close.
Skippers Sig and Phil try to re-exchange their deckhands in a high seas transfer. But when both fall into the freezing water it's a race to fish them out.
The Skipper of the Northwestern becomes obsessive in his hunt for the fabled blue King crab. As a storm closes in, his crew start to doubt his sanity.
Time Bandit heads into False Pass to a crab offloading spot. But in the midst of storms and sand bars they're close to sinking. Can they make it through safely?
On the Northwestern it's Edgar's birthday, and skipper Sig is worried about his advancing age. And, most of the fleet have to battle with deadly ice.
On the Northwestern, the exhausted crew struggles to keep up with Captain Sig's maniacal pace - and deckhand, Jake Anderson, pays the price in blood.
A distress call is issued when a man on a vessel suffers a heart attack and the coastguard attempts a dramatic rescue in huge seas, with low fuel and low visibility.
The Time Bandit and Cornelia Marie are hauling in huge crab numbers. But Captain Phil's good mood is severely dented when his son reveals a terrible secret.
Crisis hits the Cornelia Marie as the skipper becomes ill. While on the Northwestern, Jake Anderson learns disturbing details about his father's disappearance.
Skipper Phil Harris is airlifted to hospital in Anchorage and his son Josh is torn between catching the rest of their crab quota and his father's bedside.
The fleet is beset by crisis. Skipper Phil fights for his life as his sons fight each other, and sick of false promises, Captain Sig's brother thinks of quitting.
On the Time Bandit, Scott steps up to challenge Mike for the Captain's spot. But all skipper Andy sees is his deck start to disintegrate.
Captain Phil sadly loses his fight for life while the fleet are out battling a massive storm. But once they find out they celebrate his life - crabber style!
Edgar Hansen is fed up with the 22 year marathon of pain, and finally confronts older brother Sig. Meanwhile, the Opilio Season ends with a harrowing mayday.
Two new skippers join the veteran fleet to take on the treacherous Bering Sea, but when they invade the Wizard's crab grounds a bigger battle is on. Who will be victorious?
Across the Bering Sea, unrewarding crab fishing amongst the fleet causes high tensions and low morale as empty pots whittle away profits and nerves among the men.
Jake Harris gets a sink-or-swim lesson on driving the Cornelia Marie, and danger strikes the Wizard when a crew member gets caught in the line.
A storm is brewing as a serious injury forces a crew member to his bunk after the crane breaks on the Kodiak, and the Seabrooke's greenhorn has a mental breakdown.
Crew members nearly come to blows on the Northwestern and a deckhand on the Wizard falls asleep at the wheel, sending the boat hurtling toward a fleet of nearby vessels.
In the midst of a rough King Crab season, a mutiny transpires on the Cornelia Marie while mental and physical breakdowns plague the crew of the Kodiak.
The police are called in after a confrontation on the Cornelia Marie while a debilitating injury to a Kodiak deckhand ends his career for good.
The season closes with a fierce storm, a great prank on the Northwestern by the crew of the Time Bandit and the departure of one of the fleet's most valued fishermen.
Massive change strikes every returning boat as Opilio Season begins. Edgar finally says goodbye to the Northwestern, and a new captain boards the Cornelia Marie.
Ice and injuries have the captains considering desperate measures as the fleet battles for survival in the face of an epic arctic hurricane.
As winter storms rip through the crab grounds, the Ramblin' Rose takes a big risk and the Time Bandit courts danger at the dock.
A crewman on the Seabrooke narrowly avoids serious injury. Meanwhile a loose pot turns into a half-ton wrecking ball on the Kodiak.
The captain and deckhand clash on the Cornelia Marie over a crippling lack of bait, and the Time Bandit's soft-spoken greenhorn goes to 'Pirate School'.
The treacherous waters surrounding St Paul Island make off-loading crab a terrifying necessity. And another greenhorn walks off the Seabrooke in a cloud of shame.
As Opilio season winds down, two skippers suffer debilitating injuries and the captain of the Wizard physically assaults an unlikely victim.
As the season with big pots and big paydays, the Seabrooke captain fights an illness and the Northwestern takes revenge on the Time Bandit.
The captains are left reeling when their crab quota is slashed. Should they continue fishing the depleted red grounds or risk everything to find elusive blue crabs?
On the Blue grounds, a captain's bet has the boats jockeying for position, while on the Red grounds, a returning veteran proves his worth.
The Bering Sea exposes soft spots and weak links in each crew. While the skippers wonder which deckhands have the right stuff, the Time Bandit says goodbye to a crewmate.
Halfway through the King crab gauntlet, the crews must dig deep to get over the midseason hump. The skippers give their youngest deckhands a choice: step up or step off.
Both man and machine are showing signs of wear. The Ramblin' Rose struggles with engine failures, while The Wizard's greenhorn grapples with doubts.
The crew of the Wizard face a life-or-death situation when a deckhand collapses. On the Seabrooke, Scott is determined to win the captain's wager - but at what cost?
In a rush to help their collapsed greenhorn, the Wizard crew calls in a Coast Guard helicopter, and the remaining fleet race to haul crab ahead of the hurricane.
A treacherous arctic hurricane decimates the crab grounds, forcing captains Elliot Neese and Scott Campbell Jr to face some of their toughest decisions yet.
Tempers flare on the Northwestern and the future looks uncertain for the Seabrooke as the fleet prepares to begin their winter hunt for Opilio crab.
As unrelenting winds rip across the crab grounds, the Wizard prepares to do battle with the descending polar ice pack. Meanwhile, tempers flare on board the Kodiak.
The captains battle to save their pots and keep their opilio season alive. Meanwhile, Northwestern and Wizard struggle to escape St Paul harbour.
As the ice pack invades the opilio grounds, the captains are forced to make a difficult decision - grab their gear and run, or keep fishing and fight the floes.
The ice pack has a chokehold on the opilio grounds and captains across the fleet must make the call to stay or go. Some run, and others stay to battle the elements.
One of the boats suffers a total blackout while navigating an iceberg minefield. Meanwhile, Elliott gets a rude awakening and a greenhorn learns a deadly lesson.
Frustrations mount as more ice forces the Time Bandit off their fishing grounds. Meanwhile, the crew of the Northwestern fight to stop their boat from capsizing.
The fleet head back out on the perilous waters of the Bering Sea for the final stretch of a merciless opilio season. Will they all make it back safely?
It's October in Dutch Harbour Alaska, and after a devastating 2011 season, every ship in the fleet is looking to make a comeback in the 2012 season.
A rare breed of extreme fishermen hunt the Bering Sea; adventure is their call, crab is their prey, and a one hundred million dollar plunder is their reward.
On the blue crab grounds, the competition leads to more deceit amongst the captains. Junior's betrayal of his alliance with Keith comes back to haunt him.
A rare breed of extreme fishermen hunt the Bering Sea; adventure is their call, crab is their prey, and a one hundred million dollar plunder is their reward.
Five weeks into the king crab season change is in the air and on the Bering Sea. Big moves are made on some boats while it's the same old story on others.
Jake's dark secret sets off a fistfight that throws Edgar's new captaincy into jeopardy. Meanwhile, tempers flare when Elliott grows wise to Junior's devious ways.
King Crab season comes to an end and the fleet pull up their last pots. Young captain Jake Anderson struggles with the decision to leave the Northwestern.
The Time Bandit crew races back to the dock after an accident. Will they be able to catch up with the others and reap the rewards of the rich opilio season?
A storm strikes the fleet only weeks into the opilio crab season. As the captains celebrate their first pots, can they all stay afloat and keep their catch?
As the fleet battles through a ferocious arctic storm, Junior risks everything to get back in the game, and the greenhorns struggle to keep up with their crews.
The fleet has weathered the storm, but the crabs still aren't biting. Desperate to make their offload dates, the captains push their crews to the limit.
The crews and boats are feeling the brunt of one of the hardest Opilio seasons on record. But which of the Captains will brave the conditions to haul their catch?
Midway through the crab season and the northern most boats are in a race to save their gear as the polar icepack descends onto the fishing grounds.
With only three weeks left to crab, the fleet prepares to make the final push to wrap up the season. But which of the crews will have fared better?
After enduring months of mechanical breakdowns, sleepless grinds and infighting, the fleet is starting to crack, leading to crews taking unnecessary risks.
The younger generation is put to the test as the fleet races to finish a gruelling season. But under such high pressure, will all the crabbers return safely?
A government shutdown shortens the season and starts off a chain reaction that forces the fleet to fish harder and faster to make the market deadline.
The government shut down and a huge storm causes the fleet to get behind schedule. Plus, a Coast Guard airlift must abort with 100-knot winds proving dangerous.
Bill Wichrowski struggles to keep his greenhorn on deck and his crew in check. On the Saga captain Elliot Neese loses his steering, forcing him into crisis mode.
The King fleet grows desperate as it hurtles towards the finish line. Meanwhile, the Wizard's fishing strategy lands them on the wrong side of the law.
As crews prepare to head to the Bairdi grounds, a mayday call from a sinking ship prompts a dramatic rescue. Meanwhile, Bill's greenhorn is looking for a way out.
With one captain in the hospital and another on a bender, fishing has come to a halt on two boats. Out at sea an alleged felon is trapped and a boat goes dark.
One captain faces what could be the end of a career while another struggles to check into rehab. Problems on land soon pale in comparison to those on the Bering Sea.
Opilio season starts with the return of the fabled Cornelia Marie. Now, Josh Harris has bought back the boat that helped make his old man a legend.
Blood is spilled on the Cape Caution, when a brutal storm rips across the Bering Sea. Then, Sig fights to keep the Northwestern from going up in flames.
In Dutch, Sig welcomes their newest greenhorn - his daughter. After four generations of Hansen fishermen, the next in line is an ambitious 18 year old woman.
While the rest of the fleet have their doubts about a woman's place on a crab boat, the Northwestern crew must train their new recruit - Sig's daughter, Mandy Hansen.
As the Opilio season roars on, Sig puts Mandy at the helm in boat-crushing seas. Josh Harris struggles to squash a rebellion and Zack Larson feels Wild Bill's wrath.
The Cornelia Marie battles 20-foot breakers in St. Paul. Meanwhile, a blown prop on the Time Bandit causes a rift that pulls the Hillstrands apart.
With major repairs on the Time Bandit, Captain Andy is faced with a tough decision. Meanwhile, Mandy learns what it's really like to be a greenhorn.
A saboteur seeks an early end for the Cape Caution. Meanwhile, Cornelia Marie Captains Josh Harris and Casey McManus fight to regain control of their crew.
An arctic hurricane strikes the fleet and the Cornelia Marie faces sinking. Blood is shed on the Time Bandit and the Northwestern needs repair.
King Crab season kicks off with a 12 million pound Bairdi quota increase that causes a fishing frenzy. Plus, a boat is stolen the night before launch.
An additional 15 million dollars in crab sends the fleet into a fishing frenzy. To get ahead, the Time Bandit and Wizard must put a decade old rivalry behind them.
Huge waves test rookie skipper Josh, but it's fire not water that threatens to sink his Cornelia Marie. On the Wizard, a mutinous crew faces off with Captain Keith.
With the typhoon Nuri closing in, Captains are forced to make hard choices. The Northwestern charges into the storm, while the Cape Caution retreats to land.
A typhoon puts livelihoods on the line, with Rookie skipper Josh Harris's weaknesses exposed and Captain Sig's control of the Northwestern in jeopardy.
With a 1.5 million dollar boat of his own and more King Crab quota than any other captain in the fleet, Elliott Neese throws it all away and bids a final farewell.
On the Northwestern Jake gets a Whiplash-style captaining lesson from Sig and a long trip and a prank threaten Captain Johnathan's catch on the Time Bandit.
King Crab season draws to a close. Casey forces Josh to fish at full throttle on the Cornelia Marie, and Jake takes another turn at the wheel on the Northwestern.
Christmas at sea for the Time Bandit is disturbed when an unhinged deckhand terrorizes the crew. Meanwhile, Jake Anderson awaits the birth of his baby.
While Johnathan struggles with a rogue deckhand, skipper Jake prepares for the birth of his baby. Plus, a hydraulic explosion calls Zack's dedication into question.
While Jake Anderson prepares to captain the Saga for the first time, Captain Andy Hillstrand returns to find the Time Bandit in disarray.
A menacing storm moves into the fleet, with a rogue wave ripping steel at the Cape Caution. Jake, a freshman skipper, struggles to battle through the winds.
A 600-mile-wide arctic storm continues to ravage the fleet, and rookie skippers Jake Anderson and Josh Harris struggle just to keep their heads above water.
A second major storm slams the fleet. Rookie skipper Jake Anderson reaches out to Sig Hansen for help. Josh Harris arrives on the grounds weeks late. Captains Keith Colburn and Wild Bill Wichrowski struggle to keep their greenhorns in the game.
The fleet battles mental and physical breakdowns late in the season; Captain Jake Anderson gets a shot at redemption; Keith props up ailing greenhorns.
The crew of the Cornelia Marie make plans to watch a football game. A captain is lost on the Time Bandit whilst a huge mistake is made by the crew of the Cape Caution.
The ice pack hits the fishing grounds causing rush for the captains as they attempt to finish out their seasons.
Polar ice descends and each Skipper must choose flight or fight. The Saga is in danger of sinking & Jake must act fast to save his crew. Josh takes a huge gamble against Casey's wishes and heads towards the ice. Sig & Johnathan race to rescue gear.
The Time Bandit has a run-in with law enforcement; Sig torments Jake; Keith's fortunes change; Sean Dwyer fights for his father's legacy.
Sean Dwyer and his crew prepare for their first crab season on the Brenna A; Jake makes a mistake; Wild Bill deals with a deckhand; Keith gets support from Johnathon Hillstrand.
Wild Bill risks his biggest lead to bail Josh out of trouble and Sean finds out if he's got what it takes. Plus, can veteran skipper Johnathan turn his season around?
Josh Harris takes over the Cornelia Marie; Sean Dwyer faces the angry sea; greenhorns on the Cape Caution are brought to attention; weather, mechanical failures and inexperienced crews create difficulties across the fleet.
Jake Anderson attempts a treacherous shortcut with only one engine; Casey and Josh perform surgery at sea; Edgar Hansen works to make his mark as captain.
Sean Dwyer has to choose between crab and a childhood friend; Wild Bill questions his son's status as a crabber and a man; injuries seem to run rampant throughout the ships.
With Captain Edgar at the helm, the Northwestern is on the brink of mutiny. Drunk deckhands put the Saga at risk and Captain Johnathan gambles big to end his season.
A massive arctic storm blasts the fleet with hurricane-force winds and monster seas. And every captain must decide how much their boats and crews can handle.
Winter crab season brings this year's biggest storm. Every captain must choose - risk it all and head out into the storm or stay back, tied to dock losing money.
In the final throes of the season's first arctic storm, captains and crews battle for survival. While veterans fight the weather, rookie skipper Sean Dwyer stands fast, waiting out the storm, making his first trip of the year during blue skies.
While Keith and Johnathan test the boundaries of partner fishing, Captain Jake struggles to stay cool with a problematic deckhand. Later, Wild Bill takes one for the team.
Winter kicks into high gear on the Bering Sea. While an unruly deckhand forces captain Sean Dwyer to enforce his dad's law, Keith struggles with new greenhorns.
Alone on the water, days from land, the Northwestern catches fire. On the Time Bandit, a family emergency forces Johnathan to make a desperate move.
The crew aboard the Northwestern fight a fire in the engine room while out at sea. Elsewhere, a hefty pot goes flying after the hydraulics fail aboard the Saga.
Shedding blood on the Time Bandit; A fight breaks out on the Wizard, Sig finishes dealing with his burned out boat then encounters another problem.
A rouge wave forces Zack to make a life-or-death decision; Jake bets on a Bering Sea crab myth; Sig gives his daughter Mandy a treat on the bridge.
Intense weather and more damage to his battered boat take a toll on Sig's heart; the USCG attempts a dangerous medevac; Bill struggles with a water leak; Jake recruits an old friend.
Sig fights to survive a massive heart attack. Bill learns a dark secret about his son Zack. On the Corneila Marie, Josh fights to prove himself. Jake learns a valuable lesson and Johnathan appeals to the gods.
The crabs have vanished, igniting a grueling hunt to save the fleet's way of life. Captain Sig resumes the helm after a major heart attack. Wild Bill debuts his own brand new boat in a crisis season. A rescue is attempted for a heart attack victim.
The fall season begins with uncertainty; a seismic shift in sea temperature sends the fleet searching for displaced crab, while also fighting a large first storm
Rising sea temperatures test the fleet. Toxic smoke engulfs the Saga. Sean struggles to save the family business on the Brenna A. Wild Bill fears he could lose Nick to a terminal illness.
Wild Bill uncovers the truth about Nick McGlashan's terminal illness; a damaging mechanical issue threatens to crush Jake's future; warming seas force Keith into the unknown.
Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand fish together for the last time; Keith's inattentive crew sends the Wizard on a collision course; a belligerent deckhand tests Jake's resolve as captain.
A massive leak fills the Time Bandit; a fistfight tests Jake's resolve while heavy winds and a snapped anchor threaten to wreck his boat; Sig's greenhorn has an awkward question.
A big decision weighs on Sig Hansen. Rookie captain Sean Dwyer gambles on a new venture with a new crew. Jake Anderson struggles to replace a lost anchor before his quota is taken away.
The last moments of the fall season bring its biggest storm. Wild Bill struggles to pilot his new boat in big seas. Johnathan faces off with a massive swell in the perilous False Pass.
Competition doubles when the quota is cut in half. Three captains arrive early for the winter season, but Johnathan goes one step further and plots a dangerous, 600-mile course to Russia.
Sig returns to the season that nearly killed him. After a tough start, Keith and son struggle to prove themselves. Wild Bill gives Nick McGlashan a second chance. Jake lets go of a friend.
The first of multiple back-to-back hurricanes descend on the fleet; spotty fishing and mutiny converge to create the perfect storm.
An Arctic mega-storm rocks the fleet; Sig plays cat-and-mouse with towering waves; Keith watches an 800-pound crab pot launch into a deckhand; Wild Bill fights for a comeback.
Sig's stress takes a toll. Sean tries to dock in a hurricane. Keith is left dead-stick in massive seas. Jake motivates a defiant hand. Johnathan rolls the dice by Russia.
Sig, Johnathan and Jake attempt to run from a second arctic hurricane, but Keith refuses to heed the warnings; Stress-induced chest pains threaten the remainder of Sig's season.
After suffering chest pains, Sig awaits news in the hospital; Wild Bill struggles to stay out of harm's way while also handling dissention on deck; Sean lays down the law with Zack.
Sean is set on a collision course with another boat, two deckhands get taken down on the Wizard, and Jake almost loses a deckhand.
Two old friends race to finish their seasons, but one hopes to cap a storied career; Johnathan Hillstrand wants to bid farewell in a blaze of glory.
The U.S. Coast Guard scours the Bering Sea for a missing crab vessel while the fleet anxiously waits to discover the fate of its six-man crew; after a plea from his wife, Sig contemplates an early exit.
In the wake of the Destination tragedy one last storm bears down on Egar, Bill, Sean and Jake; the Coast Guard attempts to save the crew of a fishing vessel while their boat takes on water.
Sig and Jake have a massive falling out, leading to new strategies and new alliances. Josh Harris returns to captain his father's boat. Sean plays dirty, but Wild Bill shows him he's messing with the wrong Captain. With big rewards, come big risks.
Bering Sea draws first blood in a daring Coast Guard rescue. Jake strives to become an independent Captain, & Keith offers to take him on as an apprentice, but accusations fly and suspicions grow as the captains plunge head first into a brutal start.
Wild Bill risks it all on a new bait and fish strategy hoping it will pay off big. Sean and Casey forge an alliance, but when one strikes crab, will he betray it? A dangerous mistake jeopardizes Jake's offload. The Cornelia Marie is whipped by bad weather.
Sig takes heads off the grid on a daring midnight mission to shake his rivals. The Cornelia Marie pays the price for a rotten alliance, and an injured deckhand could force the boat in early. Keith gets big news from his doctor on a mystery illness.
As a flooding collision void threatens to sink him, Keith fights to keep the Wizard afloat. A missing boat part leaves Jake stranded at sea. Sig gets ready to pass the torch to Edgar, but the brotherly tension rises when he can't give up the reins.
A massive arctic hurricane shocks the fleet with high winds and big waves. An unstable stack threatens to capsize the Saga. As the captains rush to pull and set pots before harbor, Wild Bill risks driving straight into the storm to snatch his quota.
Jake makes a devil's bargain, huge crab for hidden perils, until his boat itself is on the line. Sig serves cold justice at sea, while Wild Bill chases a King Crab jackpot. The Cornelia Marie crew learns when you bet on a boat, the house always wins.
On the brink of failure, Josh Harris discovers secret fishing grounds in his late father's logbooks. A deck mishap could end Jake's season. The Coast Guard braves pitching seas in an attempt to hoist an injured sailor from inside a ship's tank.
Keith is forced to hand over the Wizard. Josh fights for the helm despite a bad showing. Major engine trouble threatens Wild Bill's season.
A massive tidal surge threatens Josh and Monte as they chase their bounty deep into an arctic storm. Wild Bill hopes to get his broken boat off the dock. The rest of the fleet arrives for the start of Opilio.
A blackout leaves Jake Anderson and the crew of the Saga dark ship; and Keith Colburn hopes to recruit Josh Harris to save his business.
The winter season unleashes 20-foot waves and 40-knot winds. The tension between the Wizard co-captains reaches a breaking point.
It's baptism by fire aboard the Northwestern as Mandy takes her 1st shift in heavy seas. The Wizard crew battles over one crewman who isn't pulling his weight on deck. Caught short on bait gear & battered by high seas, Wild Bill changes his strategy.
A 150 year old supermoon storm wreaks havoc on tides, churning undersea currents that rip pots right off their lines. The Coast Guard attempts a rescue mission in the heart of the storm, while Wild Bill faces his worst nightmare.
A greenhorn's life hangs in the balance as the Summer Bay crew scrambles to steal one of their own from the Sea's icy grip. Saga and Cornelia Marie battle colossal waves of the supermoon storm, while Mandy tackles her first haul in extreme weather.
Sig pushes Mandy to invade the Cornelia Marie's ground. As the Cornelia Marie's pots get tangled with the Northwestern's, Casey takes extreme measures to defend his turf. A Saga distress signal sends panic across the fleet.
A severe arctic gale batters the fleet, forcing captains to fight extreme wind and waves. For the second time, a greenhorn's life hangs in the balance on the Summer Bay. The Saga crew seeks shelter at St. Paul, where tidal forces snap Jake's anchor.
As rogue waves threaten to capsize their boats, Jake and Sean must make life or death decisions for their crews on deck. Wild Bill faces a choice that could end his career, and Keith returns to the Wizard put an unexpected end to his brother's rule.
Captains take on the steepest waves yet in an epic final surge to hit their quotas. Jake fights through a debilitating crew injury on deck. Josh gambles big on his crab count, while engine failure leaves Sig dead in the water.
Hours before king season, a massive new boat with a renegade captain discovers the crab are all in one spot. As the fleet races to find the quarter billion-dollar hoard, captains battle each other and the Bering Sea to claim their share of the bounty.
Atop the king crab super swarm, full pots boil over into conflict as young guns Sean and Jake join forces to set down Sig. Keith and Harley reignite a decades old rivalry, and Sean faces the long arm of Alaska law when crab in his tank come up short.
The first arctic storm of the season arrives, and Saga's deck boss takes a knife to the ribs. Josh and Casey's record-setting haul gets interrupted when a hand gets tangled in the coiler. Capt. Bill takes one last stab at motivating a lazy greenhorn.
A freak accident which threatens the Northwestern's crew happens while Mandy is at the helm. A launcher on the Southern Wind snaps at the worst possible moment. And the Wizard loses power to its forward lights.
In the biggest storm of the season, Jake faces a life and death decision when a shifting stack threatens to capsize the Saga. Sig and Mandy haul through angry seas, while Josh and Casey gamble on quota but find there's more on the line than sheer numbers.
The Bering Sea takes a brutal toll on captains and crew. Wild Bill calls the Cornelia for help. Jake confronts a disorderly crew, forcing his toughest decision yet as captain. Josh mans the helm as Casey makes a risky ship-to-ship transfer in high seas.
The coldest weather in nearly a decade threatens to crush hulls and freeze the sea. Meanwhile, a shocking mishap leaves one of the Hansens grasping for their life.
With winter intensifying, Sean faces an engine room fire. Plus, Harley offers his nephew a job as a deckhand, but the rest of the crew are not impressed.
Cornelia co-captains, Josh and Casey, risk a 500-mile trek north to the Russian line. Meanwhile, captain Keith struggles with a broken boat and a broken heart.
The winter season strikes the fleet with brutal Storm Elsa. And, Josh and Casey haul their all-time biggest pots, starting a gold rush to the Russian Line.
The wrath of Arctic storm Elsa hits the Cornelia hardest as a breakaway pot thrashes Josh and Casey's crew. And, the icy blasts threaten to capsize the Wizard.
As arctic superstorm Elsa intensifies, a rare forecast warns of huge waves. Trapped in the crab-rich northern grounds, one boat faces a 60-foot monster.
During an artic storm, Cornelia Marie's crane comes off the rails causing injury and damaging equipment. But, this pales into insignificance when Sig gets a phone call.
A Cornelia Marie deckhand suffers a devastating blow that requires emergency surgery at sea by Casey. Meanwhile, Captain Sig is left behind awaiting news from home.
The fleet deal with back-to-back unrelenting storms on the Bering Sea. Freddy attempts surgery on himself and the Summer Bay Crew receives news on Nick's future.
Monte returns to co-captain the Wizard just as massive storms slam the fleet from the south. Jake risks hauling his pots in 30 foot seas to return to his family. Wild Bill goes farther north into the icy Arctic than any other boat in the fleet.
With the winter crabbing season ending, the fleet battles monster waves. Then, veterans Sig and Steve form an unlikely alliance and Freddy suffers a bloody injury!
As smoke fills the Wizard, the Colburns face a dark ship nightmare. And, the storm and towering breakers shatter Jake's steel anchor, threatening the crew.
Winter unleashes its fury on the Summer Bay. A rookie mistake leaves Captain Bill a deckhand short, and Sean finds a fatal flaw in his crab count.
Each skipper's next move determines who survives the final winter dash. Winds put the Wizard on a collision course and Jake taps a Hillstrand to save the Saga.
In the season finale, with just ten pots to go, a crushing injury requires Coast Guard rescue. Josh and Casey face a huge loss when their offload gets cancelled. Sig gambles on an early finish, while Monte hauls more crab than the Wizard can hold.
A dramatic change in the Russian crab industry rocks global markets and drives new competition between Dutch Harbor captains and their Russian adversaries. As crab prices skyrocket legendary captains return to claim their piece of a historic payday.
Just as the fleet begins its race to beat the Russians, ferocious typhoon Hagibis turns its deadly gaze on the Bering Sea. Captains must choose whether to risk life and limb for a big payday, or to sit out the storm and fish another day.
Still reeling from deadly typhoon Hagibis, the fleet claws its way back into competition against the Russians. The pressure to make up ground has mounted and it's do-or-die for the captains, even if it means danger or even war.
With the Russian menace looming, co-captains Johnathan and Jake blast a shotgun at their problems while a vicious fist fight breaks out on the Seabrooke. Meanwhile, Wild Bill blows an engine and Mandy bets on science to get back on crabs.
The Cornelia Marie taps American satellites to spy on the Russians while Scott Campbell Jr. pioneers a long-dormant fishery. With his quota nearly caught, Wild Bill faces cataclysmic engine failure and squares off with an unruly Russian greenhorn.
It's all hands on deck to finish King season strong. Johnathan goes under the knife at sea. Junior bets it all while chasing the elusive Golden King crab. Wild Bill goes toe-to-toe with an unruly greenhorn.
Co-captains Jake and Johnathan try to form an alliance with rival Keith Colburn. Junior risks crossing into Russian waters for golden crab and Josh bets it all on a gut feeling. Later, Wild Bill turns to his last resort and seeks work in Russia.
The Coast Guard responds to a mayday call as captains and crew brace for the loss of friends during a brutal winter storm. Sig and Monte track an opilio hoard at the Russian line, and the clock is ticking for Wild Bill & Junior during the cod derby.
As the crab biomass migrates across the Russian line, Josh and Casey dump 175 pots on the border. Sig and Mandy go dark ship in towering seas. Jake's new deckhand gets injured while Junior attempts to steam through False Pass in a nighttime blizzard.
Facing a 500-mile wide Siberian storm, Josh takes a big risk to keep the Cornelia Marie crew safe. Junior loses control of his rudders putting his boat at the mercy of heavy seas. Jake's greenhorn problems get a lot worse when one clogs the toilet.
Listing heavily and taking on water, Junior calls on chase boat rescue for the first time in series history. Wild Bill sends Nick 20 feet off the deck in spite of his fear of heights. Josh and Casey hit a massive wave that knocks out greenhorn Maria.
On the Summer Bay there's hell to pay when Bill's backup block goes missing; Cornelia Marie skippers Josh and Casey navigate a tenuous partnership at the Russian line; weighed down by three full tanks, Sig puts a heavy Northwestern in Mandy's hands.
The Wizard catches fire in a violent storm known as a bomb cyclone. Josh and Casey attempt to fish in 30-foot seas, while two rogue waves slam the Southern Wind. Wild Bill grinds his crew 72 straight hours bringing himself to the brink of collapse.
Battling exhaustion, Wild Bill and his crew face the full wrath of the bomb cyclone. A snapped tendon puts the Summer Bay down a man. Josh gambles on crab-rich grounds in a costly venture north. An injured Mac fights to get Junior through the storm.
As an injury knocks Sig out of his wheelhouse, Mandy takes the helm to face a disgruntled Northwestern crew. On the Wizard, damaged hydraulics and an umbilical hernia deal Keith a double gut punch. Josh and Casey suffer tragedy on the Cornelia Marie.
Stuffed pots come at a price as Jake scrambles to repair a slack tank before it kills his crab or capsizes the Saga. Josh and Casey's rudder fails in heavy traffic and Wild Bill's new greenhorn makes an easy target for an out-of-control picking hook.
Josh and Casey race to haul pots as engine failure threatens their delivery window. As seawater destroys his hydraulic motors, Junior attempts a risky high seas delivery of three new motors. Harley and his crew bang heads over his fishing strategy.
Sig and Mandy conspire to get Jake to do their prospecting, but the former deckhand seizes the moment to fill his own tanks. The Wizard crew must break through ice to rush Keith to a doctor. Junior fears the worst as a deckhand falls from the stack.
A rare weather event churns up rogue waves as supermoon tides collide with a cyclonic snowstorm. Josh and Casey face a 55-foot monster, while Jake risks capsizing to repair his rudder in unruly seas. Monte's big move north pays off in massive pots.
As the super snow-moon storm peaks, the Cornelia Marie's deck becomes a gauntlet for Josh and Casey's greenest greenhorn. Ice fog overtakes the fleet as Monte scrambles to stay afloat, Harley loses an engine and Junior fights a sea-flea infestation.
As the fleet mounts a final Winter season push, sad news rattles the Cornelia Marie wheelhouse. Lady Alaska greenhorn, Gabby, overcomes a painful injury to support her crew. Wild Bill's deckhands must devise a bush fix or face hauling pots by hand.
Saga loses a veteran deckhand, forcing Jake to steam a greenhorn army to the Russian line. Amid scuttlebutt that ports are closing due to a virus, Josh fights to get home for a reunion with his brother and Sig's daughter gets rushed to the hospital.
The Cornelia crew fights to save their gear from sea ice. Jake risks the far north to fill his tanks before his son's birth. Amid news of a looming pandemic, Russian boats mysteriously disappear and captains race to dock before crab prices crash.
With half the crab boats tied up, Sig devises a plan to save the fishery from destruction. As Bering Sea legend Johnathan Hillstrand returns with the Time Bandit to help, veterans struggle to prove they can work together to defend the American dream.
When Mandy devises a plan for partnering, Sig must rethink his own tactics. On the Time Bandit, John and Josh conspire to outmanoeuvre a Russian captain.
Jake attempts a daring nighttime rescue in high seas as hundreds of dolphins lead the Summer Bay into a cyclone. Later, Sig is forced to make a controversial call to save the fishery.
Driving the Time Bandit and Cornelia Marie, Josh and Casey attempt Johnathan's strategy for tracking King Crab across time and space. On the Summer Bay, Wild Bill's crew fights a mid-gale power outage, but the days are numbered for their greenhorn.
As a typhoon rocks the Bering Sea, the Summer Bay suffers a collision. Sig gambles all his pots in one spot, while Casey takes a scientific approach to finding the elusive Bairdi crab. John and Josh rush a pit stop to get the Time Bandit back in the hunt.
Johnathan and Sig partner to hunt the elusive Bairdi hoard at the edge of the Restricted Zone. Jake earns an unexpected windfall of King Crab quota, but extended fishing and mechanical failures put safety at risk just as the Coast Guard boards the Saga.
With the Bairdi fishery open for the first time in years, Josh and John on the Time Bandit reopen the Phil Harris playbook and ask Casey and Sig to help tank the fleetwide quota. Wild Bill bets on Nick McGlashan to turn the tide for the Summer Bay.
Time Bandit and Cornelia Marie race for the last spot at the cannery, but as word spreads of an emergency shutdown of the Bairdi fishery, they return to the grounds as Sig Hansen rallies his fellow captains with an unconventional plan.
In the Winter premiere, the fleet reels from the loss of Summer Bay deck boss Nick McGlashan. Wizard and Cornelia launch early into a massive Arctic storm. Johnathan can't see eye-to-eye with an old friend and shocking news forces Sig to change his plans.
When Johnathan trusts his instincts more than his partners, the Time Bandit makes a surprise appearance in the Northern Grounds just as Josh and Casey need him most. Sig puts his crew exactly where they need to be in a matter of life and death
As seawater floods in, Wild Bill's crew rushes to find a hole in the Summer Bay's hull. Johnathan faces a fire on the Time Bandit and the Saga has a hydraulic failure.
As a polar vortex storm slams the Cornelia Marie in the far north, Josh navigates the biggest seas of his career while Casey performs emergency surgery. A catastrophic collapse of the Northwestern's crane leaves Sig and Mandy with no way to haul pots.
Sig makes a desperate bid to save his gear from the descending ice pack while Jake dumps pots to avoid capsize. When Wild Bill gets a line caught in his propeller far from Dutch Harbor, he enlists Jake's diver to attempt a risky underwater repair.
As the fast-moving ice edge crushes all in its path, Sig and Mandy rush north to rejoin the fray. On the Cornelia Marie, Josh and Casey's race to save their pots comes at a cost in blood and pain. Heavy freezing spray threatens to capsize the Wizard.
Skirting the ice line to the deepest set of their careers, Josh and Casey apply frontier medicine to a bleeding deck boss. A block wound sidelines Wild Bill's new rail man, while injuries on the Time Bandit take out two crewmen and threaten family bonds.
As canneries unexpectedly change delivery rules, captains must race to get to the front of the line. Jake risks a daring entry into St. Paul harbor, as Johnathan seeks help from Wild Bill. Josh and Casey bet their season on a deep set at the Russian Line.
Captains scramble to meet an expanded quota in the path of a violent system dubbed "Squall-pocalypse". A breakdown on the Wizard puts Monte in debt to the Time Bandit and Josh and Casey exceed their own quota when it comes to injuries on deck.
An Arctic storm blasts the fleet as Sig ventures to deep waters he hasn't fished in 17 years. Johnathan steers the Time Bandit into 30-foot waves in a hail Mary run toward Russia. Captain Keith attempts a risky maneuver to save the Wizard's pots.
Cornelia Marie skippers Josh and Casey follow a blind tip from an unknown fisherman into uncharted waters. Johnathan fears for the worst when Freddy lands in the icy Bering Sea. On the Wizard, Captain Keith tempts fate, risking thousands in crab gear right at the ice edge.
Jake battles a hurricane in the fleet's smallest boat while Keith orders crew over the rail to avoid capsizing. When Johnathan discovers crab in his cod pots, his crew scrambles to locate the hoard as "Blind Dog" finds himself in a bone-crushing position.
When processors shut down due to outbreaks, Sig bets he can zero in on a rare "crab highway" before there's no place to deliver. Josh and Casey race to deliver live crab after their pump fails, while Harley risks shipwreck to be first to enter St. Paul.
In the season finale, Keith risks pushing through jagged ice in search of the Wizard's lost pots. Attempting a risky harbor entry, Wild Bill overturns the Summer Bay and a beloved crewman makes the ultimate sacrifice on the deck of a veteran crab boat.
When the government closes the King Crab fishery, captains must save an industry they worked so hard to create. Sig pursues invasive Russian King Crab in Norway; John, Josh and Casey chase rising prices for a new species, and Jake mortgages the Saga.
An Arctic storm slams the fleet already reeling from the closure of King Crab. Seeking a new species, Johnathan sets pots deeper than ever before. Sig struggles to launch his Norwegian operation, while a deckhand fights for life on the Patricia Lee.
His deckhand crushed by pots, Captain Rip charges into the Arctic storm to attempt the riskiest USCG helicopter rescue in recent history. John fights to save the Time Bandit at anchor, while Sig takes his first Norwegian rogue wave, flooding the Staalbas.
Sig struggles with a Norwegian crewman who thinks he knows more than the captain. Captain Wild Bill fights to save his boat from the rocky Norwegian coastline with a line snarled in his propeller. Keith's greenhorn faces a violent brush with death.
When Shyanne discovers a serious breach on the Saga, Jake and his crew scramble to save it from capsizing. In Norway, Sig drops pots on Russia's western line. As canneries close their doors, Josh and Casey call in a last-minute favor from Johnathan.
Sig scrambles to get home for Bairdi and Mandy's baby as his crew finds a honey hole of Russian King Crab. Josh's brother Shane gets caught in the bight as a typhoon slams the Cornelia Marie. Rip faces a crisis when a greenhorn collapses unconscious.
Johnathan searches for a pot of Golden Kings at the end of a double rainbow. A medical mystery confounds Captain Rip when his greenhorn regains consciousness on the Patricia Lee. Keith partners with Josh and Casey until John steps in.
Johnathan pulls an unknown species with mile-deep commercial crab pots. Jake's niece gets injured on the Saga and Clark takes the helm in Sig's wheelhouse.
Mandy's pregnancy complication forces Sig and Clark to reconsider their stand. Jake and Rip team up in deep waters to battle powerful Aleutian tidal currents.
Jake fishes his ancestors' waters and Josh experiments with glow sticks.
With dock prices spiking, the fleet races to deliver. Jake witnesses a freighter severing his longline, forcing the Saga crew to drag the bottom for a valuable string of pots. Rip helps Johnathan locate the motherlode only to pay with a broken block.
In an epic Fall season finale, Clark scuttles Sig's partnership with Harley to get home for the birth of his and Mandy's baby. An orca leads the Cornelia Marie to the season's best pots. When John's autopilot fails, Jake is the star that leads him home.
In the Winter premiere, nautical weather slams the fleet as Josh and Casey race north in hopes of beating the coming ice pack. Sig and Keith attempt to find common ground, and on the Time Bandit, Johnathan finds his co-captain a bit wobbly. 300th episode.
The Northwestern loses steering when a bald eagle lays claim to its mast. Sig and Keith develop an unusual partnership to tank Bairdi in record time. Josh and Casey place a risky bet on hard-to-find quota, while casualties mount on the Patty Lee.
New-mother Mandy returns to Sig's wheelhouse but as heavy ice builds on the Northwestern, she reckons with the risks the family is taking. Jake unveils a new super pot to stake his claim in the unforgiving cod derby as winter weather blindsides the fleet.
Sig is forced to jettison pots lest he capsizes the Northwestern; Jake and the Saga hit bottom; Sean Dwyer devises creative motivation for his greenhorns.
Keith recruits Johnathan to intercept a Russian trawler fishing illegally in US waters but the situation intensifies when the Time Bandit crew spots a missile streaking across their position. Bill and Sean fight to defend their pots from rogue trawlers.
Josh and Casey race to the approaching ice edge as an Aleutian storm slams the opilio grounds. Jake discovers his niece and engineer have been hooking up more than crab gear as they risk life and limb climbing the 30ft crane to make a critical repair.
The Cornelia Marie crashes into the ice pack when the greenhorn on watch falls asleep at the wheel. Jake's crew experiences a stunning phenomenon when a flock of seabirds bombards the Saga. Wild Bill tackles an unsafe sea state on the Summer Bay.
After risking his crew salvaging gear from the ice pack, Sig changes tactics deploying an experimental bait from Norway. On the Time Bandit, frustration boils over as Freddy tests Johnathan. Jake hauls in seas so volatile his crew must take shelter.
With intense currents holding back the Arctic ice pack, Keith drives into deck-wrecking waves to retrieve his catch before the ice bounces back; Jake and Sean face losing everything when ice swallows their gear as Rip enters a pot cemetery.
The icy depths of the Bering Sea threaten to claim Sig and Wild Bill's gear unless they can move quickly enough to beat the rapidly freezing waters; Rip takes on a massive amount of extra quota, and if he can't catch it, he'll have to buy it.
As ice blocks St. Paul Harbor, captains race to deliver their final snow crab. Sig deploys a risky tactic his father pioneered, while Jake battles a slack tank to save the Saga. Keith and John scuttle a plan as the Wizard's 77-year-old hull cracks open.
In the season premiere, a young generation ventures to the Bering Sea forging unlikely wheelhouse alliances across the fleet. But as high prices draw illegal foreign boats, captains young and old must band together to defend America's prized crab grounds.
Sig gets tough news at sea forcing the Hansens to make a critical decision as John and Andy lend a hand. With wheelhouse ambitions, Jacob hits a wall with Keith on the Wizard. New captain Jack crosses a line when Harley makes a deal with Jake.
Sig buries his beloved mother and the last of his family's pioneering generation. Sean Dwyer joins forces with Rick Shelford but the two captains don't see eye to eye on rules. Jacob fights back on the Wizard and finds no safe harbor from Captain Keith.
A new deckhand falls ill on the Time Bandit, raising questions for Andy and warning signs for John. A bait pallet breaks loose, forcing Captain Rick to deal with a severe crew injury. When Wild Bill's plan A fails on the Summer Bay, Maria tries plan P.
Sig returns from his mother's funeral only to find his gear in harm's way. Rick and Keith forge a beneficial partnership. Jack makes his first offload as captain. The Coast Guard gets a call to extract a sailor with broken legs 200 miles out to sea.
When Sig and Mandy disagree on fishing strategy, Clark finds himself caught in the middle. Wild Bill comes down hard on inattentive deckhands as Linda gets too close to danger. Keith pulls the Wizard alongside the Saga and unleashes unexpected bad blood.
On the Saga, Sean Dwyer joins Jake for a high-risk trek west to Adak Island. Rick attempts a dangerous shortcut through the treacherous tides of Unimak Pass. Sig's deckhand Lauritz takes a brutal fall while Johnathan bids farewell to a lifelong friend.
As a storm of continental proportions batters the fleet, John and Andy battle to save their anchor and the boat. Rick navigates stormy seas and feuding deckhands. An orca befriends the Northwestern; Sig and Mandy see a sign of life until it stops them from fishing.
With a storm threatening his record-breaking run, Johnathan allies with Keith to triangulate the crab. Jack braves treacherous tidal currents, staking his redemption on loaded pots. In 30-foot waves, chaos strikes the Wizard when its stack breaks loose.
An early closure forces captains to work together to get their catch safely to port. Sig crosses a line when he repositions a rookie captain's pots. Jake and Sean race back from Adak while Linda bolsters her east coast reputation in the Bering Sea.
In the winter premiere, Johnathan hunts for crab in a secret location to which he's won exclusive rights. Sig tries his luck at a derby fishery. Keith risks an at-sea deckhand transfer, and Bob joins a fisherman's strike for higher crab prices.
Captain Keith eagerly repositions his pots when Johnathan makes an offer he simply can't refuse. Bob follows a pod of porpoises to her first big solo haul. Fired from the Wizard, Jacob chases his dream of becoming a captain to a wholly different boat.
Bob's breakout haul as a solo captain takes a turn when another vessel collides with the boat she inherited from her late parents. Cascading engine failures put Sig in a tough spot as the Coast Guard makes a surprise inspection.
With $1 million in crab at stake, the Wizard battles unrelenting 30-footers. Jake faces a devil's bargain to aid another captain, but the high road may come at a cost. Sig fights to eke out a profit from the derby. The Kodiak crew assesses the damage.
Winter unleashes its fury, slamming the fleet with tidal surges and storm-driven waves. When Keith's winch seizes, the Wizard crew must work a double shift to retrieve their pots. Wild Bill's erroneous chart leaves the Summer Bay beached on a sandbar.
When a deckhand suffers a possible heart attack on board, Keith goes into emergency mode, attempting to save his crewman's life. An explosion rocks the Time Bandit, burning Freddy and shaking Johnathan to his core. Facing capsizing, Jake must dump pots.
When Sig loses GPS navigation in crowded waters, Mandy must work a decades-old magnetic compass with no margin for error. OJ's replacement on the Wizard makes a misfit crew a bit more awkward. Bob's Bairdi haul earns her bragging rights and breakdowns.
On the Time Bandit, crew conflict in winter weather puts Johnathan's leadership to the test. Sig and Mandy risk a heavy fine chasing the biomass along a boundary line. Jake struggles with managing an injury-prone crew member hellbent on earning his share.
As a monumental king tide amplifies the sea state, Johnathan drives the Time Bandit into towering waves to haul the riskiest set of his career. Jake faces a potentially unstoppable magnesium fire, while Sig deploys evasive maneuvers to defend his catch.
Hampered by damage, Sig must outmaneuver an unknown captain to hold onto his ground. Jake allies with Wild Bill to make a critical deadline -- but when Bill calls in his own favor, time runs short. Rick devises a strategy to ensure Jacob makes it home.
In the penultimate episode of Season 19, Johnathan scrambles to save his pots from a Bering Sea grave. Sig revives a decades-old fishing computer to find a Bairdi hotspot, while Jake's manpower shortage forces him to put his niece on the hydraulics.
In the Season 19 finale, an uncharacteristic error traps Sig's family in unsurvivable seas. A wayward crane breaches Jake's wheelhouse, killing critical systems and his way home. Rick attempts to turn a heart-wrenching tragedy into a triumph for Jacob.
In the Season 20 premiere, King Crab's return ignites a derby-style race. After losing the Saga, Jake joins Sig as co-captain. A serious hip injury tests Sophia. A fire on the Wizard traps Keith's deckhand below deck. Wild Bill faces his hardest test yet.
As competition heats up on the King Crab grounds, Jake's next move puts him at odds with Capt. Sig. Wild Bill battles heavy seas and side effects, while Sophia "Bob" Nielsen attempts to pop in a deckhand's dislocated hip to avoid a steam back to town.
After leaving Sig's boat, Jake has a lot to prove on the massive Titan Explorer. Sig and Johnathan jockey to get ahead of a migrating king crab hoard in an underwater canyon. Rick faces Keith's wrath when his captain-in-training launches a rogue set.
A below-deck brawl puts Sophia "Bob" Nielsen's captaincy to the test on the Seabrooke. A hydro leak on the Summer Bay threatens to send Wild Bill's King Crab season into the red. Rick must make a crucial decision when Jacob's deckmate crosses the line.
When Sig's fishing information falls into the wrong hands, he deals his protégé a lesson he won't soon forget. After his crew gets slammed by back-to-back waves, Rick faces a gun-shy deckhand. Sophia contends with a crewman with a badly infected tooth.
On the Northwestern, Captain Sig contends with a man overboard for the first time in his career. Johnathan comes up short on crab but sees the tide turning when thousands of porpoises guide the Time Bandit in a new direction. Jack tangles with Wild Bill.
As the first Siberian storm slams the grounds, Sig sets into 40-knot winds, risking capsizing when his tank floods. Sophia must prove she can drive a boat and lead her crew in severe weather while Jake battles insubordination from his own new crew.
Sig deploys tactics from the old country to zero in on the Bairdi crab motherlode. Jack earns a windfall of new quota, but it comes at the cost of drug testing his crew. Jake gets burned by his own generosity when the Aleutian Lady overstays its welcome.
Johnathan alters time in an attempt to get to port for an anniversary he promised Heather on land. Rick battles a Bering Sea gale that knocks his deckhand out of commission while Sophia helms the Seabrooke in the roughest weather she's ever seen.
With the clock ticking on the fall season, Sig devises a clever way to simultaneously silence his crew and fish faster. As Wild Bill goes under the knife, he elevates Landon to captain the Summer Bay. After giving Jack fishing intel, Keith smells a rat.
Mother Nature blows back as the four remaining captains battle to tank their fall quotas. Landon prays for deliverance on his first solo mission, while Sig persists in fishing in 20-foot seas. Ferocious tides risk washing a Time Bandit crewman overboard.
In the winter season premiere, Sig and Keith risk fishing far from land despite a forecast Super El Niño season and encounter a gauntlet of Bering Sea weather. After sand fleas consume his bait, Johnathan strategically sets pots near a submarine volcano.
As wintry weather pounds the fleet, a 30-foot wave crushes a Titan Explorer deckhand, threatening Jake's captaincy. On the Time Bandit, Johnathan loses a generator and goes dark. The Aleutian Lady drives into the weather to reach Dutch Harbor for repairs.
Aboard the Wizard, Keith must retrieve his lost anchor in 50-knot winds. Sig attempts a risky new strategy before finding himself racing to secure the next offload slot. Rick starts to turn his season around, only to lose a greenhorn to a gruesome injury.
Sig gets blown off course when an Arctic storm strikes the Northwestern on its opening set of Golden King. Jake faces the devastating loss of his longtime engineer. Monte takes the wheel of the Wizard when Keith inexplicably collapses in the wheelhouse.
After Keith suffers a cardiac event at sea, Monte races to get his brother to the nearest airstrip for medivac. As the fleet prays for Keith's safety, the Wizard crew must navigate the notoriously dangerous port entry at Saint Paul in perilous conditions.
As Keith fights for his life at Anchorage General, Sig helps his brother Monte to get back on the crab. Aboard the Titan Explorer, Jake's deckhand is knocked out by 900 pounds of swinging steel. Rick's new engineer crosses a line he can't come back from.
John risks capsizing after being forced to fish with a slack tank. Jake hauls in the largest seas of his career. Under pressure to get home for the arrival of Mandy's second child, Sig and Clark fish deeper than ever before as mechanical problems mount.
In the Season 20 finale, four boats race to beat closing canneries as conditions intensify on the water. Sig suffers a major outage with hours to port; Jake uses his only gear to back out of trouble, and John doubles down on sea mammals, this time, orcas.
In the Season 21 premiere, Sig and Johnathan head to abandoned Adak Island, chasing rumors of giant king crab. Co-captaining the Time Bandit, the two legends spark a gold rush out west, until chaos on the Titan Explorer forces Jake's crew to abandon ship.
After a deadly chemical leak forces Jake to abandon ship, Keith races to locate the Titan Explorer crew and save their ailing vessel. With Sig aboard the Time Bandit, Mandy takes the Northwestern's helm for her first-ever solo king crab season.
A typhoon brings monstrous waves and high winds to the west. Rick and Bob attempt to stitch a head wound in turbulent seas, while John risks capsize to make a harbor entrance. An emergency tests Jake between his duties as captain and man of the house.
A brutal knife injury on the Northwestern leaves Sig scrambling. After one crewman quits, tensions explode on the Confidence until even the co-captain revolts. The Wizard faces a nightmarish mechanical failure when Keith's throttle fails in rough seas.
In treacherous western waters, Sig and Jake gamble on a daring new fishing strategy. Rick and Sophia attempt a perilous boat-to-boat transfer to save a quarter of a million dollars of crab. The fleet mourns the loss of beloved fisherman Nick Mavar.
Johnathan's dash to the dock halts as the Coast Guard boards the Time Bandit. Sig seeks a bigger biomass out west and convinces Rick to go to Adak to dig up his father's lost fishing spots. The Hillstrands attempt a high-risk harbor entry in 20-foot seas.
Sig must act quickly as heavy ice entombs the Northwestern. When Keith's Australian greenhorn challenges his old-school command, a culture clash erupts. Hellbent on earning an ownership stake in the Titan, Jake hauls pots at a blistering pace.
A cracked tank on the Titan Explorer leaves Jake's engines vulnerable to seawater. Keith fires another deckhand but struggles to get rid of him for good. Johnathan prescribes alternative cures as the norovirus overtakes the Time Bandit crew at sea.
Sig strikes gold raiding Keith's hot spot, but when a line snarls his wheel, he must call his rival for help. A rogue wave knocks out Rick's electronics, forcing Bob to take the helm. Harley breaks in a new co-captain, only to break down at sea.
When the Time Bandit loses power with a storm at its tail, Johnathan deploys a camera probe to find what's snarling his propeller. Keith sets a decoy string to lure Sig away from good fishing, but risks his own secret plan by trusting the wrong ally.
In the winter premiere, the snow crab fishery reopens unexpectedly after three years -- and Keith and Jake charge north, only to collide with an incoming Siberian storm. Sig and Rick form a wary alliance, but with big money on the line, trust fails fast.
Winter season erupts as the fleet battles brutal seas and each other. Sig and Rick's alliance shatters as Keith fights through a debilitating injury and a short-handed crew. The Titan Explorer loses steering in heavy seas, leaving Jake dead in the water.
Venturing 600 miles north, the fleet encounters subzero temperatures and freezing spray. Sig sets into a tidal surge, but the extreme forces leave Clark injured. While Keith fishes through pain, Jake's risky pact unravels when a key man goes down.
Keith & Jake deploy guerrilla tactics when a factory trawler invades their grounds. At the Russian Line, Rick encounters temperatures so frigid that even snow crab can't survive on deck. Sig struggles against mounting breakdowns threatening his delivery.
After six relentless weeks at sea, man and machine push past the breaking point. While Keith seeks medical care in Anchorage, the Wizard loses steering in 20-foot seas. Rick fears the worst as he takes on water, and Clark finds Sig unconscious below deck.
As buyers close their doors, the fleet scrambles to collect its first opilio windfall in three years. After Sig's collapse, Clark assumes the full skipper role. Keith returns with a million-dollar vengeance, while rogue waves threaten Jake's operation.
In the season premiere, the captains find a rare strain of red King crab in the north amid crushing ice and violent storms. Sig deploys an underwater drone to pinpoint the horde. Jake revives the legendary Cornelia Marie to battle perilous northern seas.
With no port for shelter, Johnathan fights to protect his crew as Typhoon Halong pounds the northern grounds. Rick's Red King jackpot halts when a line fouls his prop. In 25-foot seas, Jake discovers the limits of the Cornelia Marie's fishing operations.
After joining forces, Sig and Jake set their boats on a collision course. Crew tensions explode on the Time Bandit, leading Keith to lure Freddy back to the Wizard. When the Aleutian Lady's exhaust stack bursts into flames, Rick must fight fire with fire.
When the Time Bandit's freezer fails, John makes an emergency trip to St. George Island to feed his hungry crew. Sig and Jake lure crab to their own side of a maritime boundary. Rick battles a perplexing engine issue amid the biggest waves of the season.
