"The last one's going on." "King crab 2010." "Man:" "I thought this day would never come." "[ Cheering ]" "It was a long, hard season." "Man:" "We're glad it's over." "Got a lot of quota left to catch." "Keith:" "It's the final drive to the finish line." "Watch out!" "Watch out!" "Watch out!" "[ Alarm blares ]" "[ Screaming ]" "[ Bon Jovi's "Wanted dead or alive" plays ]" "♪ Another place ♪" "Watch out!" "♪ Where the faces are so cold ♪" "♪ I'd drive all night ♪" "♪ just to get back home ♪" "♪ I'm a cowboy ♪" "♪ on a steel horse I ride ♪" "♪ I'm wanted ♪" "♪ wanted ♪" "♪ dead or alive ♪" "Narrator:" "After eight grueling weeks, the end of the 2010 king crab season draws near." "Neese:" "A lot of eyes on me right now." "Hell and high water, we got to catch these crabs." "Narrator:" "Plagued by the worst fishing in decades..." "Keith:" "I have never had a run of bad luck like this ever." "Narrator:" "...and marked by epic battles." "Keith:" "Everybody on this boat, who's the [Bleep] Captain?" "!" "Jake A.:" "Go home!" "We all hate you!" "Narrator:" "Every man is ready to stack out and head home." "Sig:" "I mean, every season, he says he ain't coming back." "And the guy's always back." "Edgar:" "Why am I here?" "Narrator:" "But, for the final push..." "The Bering sea will deliver one last vicious test." "Johnathan:" "We got a huge storm coming." "Nothing's come easy for us." "Big weather?" "Narrator:" "A 1,200-mile-wide arctic hurricane is plowing into the Bering sea." "By nightfall, the storm's leading edge will tear into the northern blue crab grounds, and in just 19 hours, it will cover the red crab grounds." "The first boat to feel the brunt of the storm..." "The 108-foot Ramblin' Rose." "Neese:" "It's our last string of the season." "We need 35,000 pounds." "We've got 33,000 on the boat right now." "We need 2,000 more pounds." "Narrator:" "Greenhorn skipper Elliott Neese races to haul the final 40 blue crab pots before the weather shuts fishing down." "If not, it's, you know, 10 grand we don't get paid on." "Narrator:" "After coming up 15,000 pounds short on his last offload..." "Neese:" "The tank's quite a bit smaller than I thought." "You know, pretty disappointing." "Narrator:" "...the rookie skipper is not about to make the same mistake twice." "Neese:" "Every skipper's on the chopping block." "If you don't go out there and perform, you're..." "You know, there's 10 other guys in line to take your job." "Narrator:" "In the fore peak..." "The crew takes stock of the season on their first break in almost 20 hours." "I gave up a lot of stuff to come out here." "Right." "A lot of stuff, man..." "Quit a job." "Neese:" "There will be no sleep, and this boat's pointing South." "Ramblin' Rose versus the Bering sea." "Let's see who comes out on top." "Narrator:" "The first pot is barely in the block when the weather picks up." "But the skipper drives on." "We've been going about 32 hours now." "We haven't eaten in 20 of those hours." "We don't know what his deal is up there, but he's real not cool." "I got to be sure that I have that 35,000 pounds." "That is a must." "21!" "Narrator:" "To secure his spot in the wheelhouse," "Elliott has been grinding the guys since they first left port." "Boat's rollin'." "Pots are flyin'." "Waves are coming over the rail." "This is what you call nautical." "Narrator:" "On this final string, the beaten hands are still caught in the crossfire of their skipper's ambitions." "Think I'm on the verge of losing it." "I really might have to check into a looney bin when I get home." "Watch out!" "Watch out!" "Watch out!" "Phew!" "All right, guys." "Back to work." "Davis:" "When the weather's acting up, it's harder to stand up." "You waste more energy just trying to walk around." "Narrator:" "For the next five hours, the crew muscles through their final 36 pots." "Last pot of the season." "That's it." "Last pot." "Ramblin' Rose did a great job up here, and everybody's proud of what we did." "Narrator:" "In the end, the rookie skipper got his 2,000 pounds and hauled his quota." "Neese:" "I think this trip here has kind of..." "I've proven myself to the owners." "It just shows them that, you know, hey, they made a good choice hiring me to run their boat." "Narrator:" "But the cost of his success could be steep." "Man:" "Let me ask you this..." "Who's staying, who's not?" "Hopefully, he'll find a better crew that he can grind, that can put up with this [Bleep]" "'Cause this crew here, they're done." "Nobody [Bleep] put up with this [Bleep]" "So wish him luck next year." "And the last time he's gonna see me on the fishing boat." "Narrator: 470 miles to the South, on the red crab grounds..." "[ Seal gulls calling ]" "Sig:" "They say, a red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." "Narrator:" "...is the Northwestern." "Got my whole day just to focus on when the bad weather's gonna come." "Mavar Jr.:" "This is an omen, I think." "Mark my words, it's coming." "It's coming." "So, the weather's starting to pick up more and more here." "I need to leave tonight." "Narrator:" "With the storm marching South and an offload in just 36 hours..." "Sig:" "I need some big numbers to get what we need and get in." "Narrator:" "The men of the Northwestern have 60 more pots to haul, and then they're going home." "That'll get you home." "That'll get you home." "43!" "Jake A.:" "There's crab on the table, and we're all having a good time, 'cause we're making money." "And we're on our way home." "Narrator:" "As the crew works to plug the tanks..." "[ Telephone rings ]" "Sig gets unexpected call." "Sig:" "Hey, Matt." "What's up?" "Narrator:" "One that's long overdue." "Eight weeks ago, deckhand Matt Bradley had a drug relapse and missed crew call for the king season." "We can't take you back if it's gonna be like that, you know?" "It's just the bottom line." "I can't... can't do it again." "That's just the way it is." "You want Edgar for a little bit while I got you on the line?" " Hey, send Edgar up real quick." " Roger!" "Narrator:" "Edgar and Matt have been friends since they were 12 years old." "Sig:" "All right, well, you know the deal." "That's non-negotiable." "Bradley:" "I know, bro." "I know." "Narrator:" "They share a struggle with addiction." "Hello?" "Hey." "What's up, buddy?" "I know how it goes..." "Believe me." "All right, buddy." "All right." "Bye." "Bye." "[ Groans ]" "Sounds like a typical addict who's coming off a relapse." "[ Chuckles ] That's pretty straightforward..." "Guilt, shame, no dignity, remorse, lost." "That's what he sounds like..." "lost." "Never gets better." "We're just getting worse." "Narrator: 150 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor, the Time Bandit is skirting the Southern edge of the storm." "Fourtner:" "15-foot seas and building." "Starting to blow harder, and the waves are getting bigger." "So by tomorrow afternoon, it's gonna be probably 25-foot seas." "It's gonna be ugly." "Johnathan:" "We're stacking out today, even though all's we needed was like a seven or eight average." "We're pulling 25's and stuff." "Narrator: 10 days ago, John landed on a mile-wide crab biomass." "Yeah!" "[ Laughs ] We're on the mother lode." "Yeah, brother!" "We worked our asses off to get where we're at right now, and now we're just reaping the benefits that are all along here." "No matter what it's blowing, I'm going home." "Narrator:" "The challenge now?" "Haul 25 final pots before the storm hits." "Beautiful!" "[ Laughs ]" "Yeah!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" "Yeah, baby." "Yeah, baby!" "Oh, yeah!" "35 in that pot." "That's probably about 500 pounds of king crab." "[ Laughs ]" "Yeah, this is a real good pot." "Looks like the crabs are a little bigger." "Crab forecast is looking good." "Back to the weather, though, we're in the Bering sea." "It can change in five minutes, too." "It could bright, sunny, and calm." "Tennison:" "Ready for a break." "I'm gonna have a little vacation, regroup, come back for opies..." "Hopefully." "I haven't asked Andy if I got a job yet." "Narrator:" "On the Time Bandit, the boat owners have a unique way of inviting hands back." "We're gonna initiate him, so he's gonna be one of us." "Narrator:" "As the newest guy on deck," "Justin Tennison, will find out the hard way." "[ Laughs ]" "Narrator:" "14 hours ago..." "This could have been done to you while you're asleep." "Narrator:" "While Justin was racked out, the boys prepped the last pot of the season with flour bombs." "Yeah, he deserves it." "Step up to the block, J.T." "Ready?" "I'm ready." "All right." "It's all yours." "Yeah, let's piss off the big guy!" "Narrator:" "On most boats, throwing the final hook is an honor." "Johnathan:" "This is gonna be a massacre." "Narrator:" "But here, it's a liability." "[Bleep]" "[ Laughs ]" ""What the hell's that?" "!" [ Laughs ]" "[ Laughter ]" "6'3"." "Scott:" "He's the biggest, strongest guy on the boat, but he sure is dumb as [Bleep] dumb as hell." "Tsh!" "Tsh!" "Tsh!" "So it either means one of two things." "One..." "I'm part of the team." "Or two..." "They don't like me very much." "[ Laughs ]" "We love you." "You graduated." "You're going opie fishing." "You're part of the team." "Narrator: 50 miles to the southeast, on the Northwestern..." "Yeah!" "King crab!" "Sig:" "Oh, yeah, baby!" "Narrator:" "The crew has one final string to haul before chaining the stack and steaming to Dutch." "These guys are following Matt." "Not very well." "That's what this crab does to you, though." "How many fishermen you know that are up here that..." "Peterson:" "Everyone." "[ Chuckling ] Yeah, pretty much." "Everyone." "A lot of fishermen have drug issues." "A lot of guys do it to cover pain." "That's part of the lie, too." "That's part of the addiction." "That was the way it was for me, too, in a lot of ways, you know?" "You're suffering up here." "That's [Bleep]" "Burned-out sailor fishermen, you know?" "Narrator:" "As the sun sets, the crew grinds through the final 39 pots of the season." "And for Edgar, these could be the last of a storied career." "Edgar:" "My sights are set on being able to go home at night, and then that requires me, basically, to quit." "Am I gonna worry about these guys when I'm gone?" "Yeah, of course I will." "You know, this is my home, and these guys are my family." "I hope he realizes that." "Ooh!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Another pot!" "Whoo!" "Yeah!" "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "I think we got to." "Whoo!" "Whoo!" "[ Laughs ] Why is it always the last day?" "!" "Every time!" "Every single time!" "That's our going-home ticket right there!" "Last pot, coming up." "Spray me." "It's quite the sendoff." "[ Bang!" "]" "Holy..." "That's an awesome last pot!" "Whoo!" "Yeah!" "Narrator:" "225 miles from Dutch Harbor and South of the storm..." "Is the Wizard." "Keith:" "The weather is coming." "I don't think it's gonna be too long." "At any moment, it's just gonna go boom, you know?" "The wind's gonna pick up." "The seas are gonna become more violent." "First half of the season was nothing but misery." "The second half of this season has been nothing short of spectacular." "The number's been solid." "Narrator:" "Earlier this season..." "Full pots." "Narrator:" "Captain Keith Colburn pulled out all the stops to turn his luck around." "Bug:" "Works every time." "Narrator:" "But with only 13 pots to go, his luck..." "Keith:" "No sign up there?" "Narrator:" "...has run out." "The current is starting to pull my bags down, and I'm in a real hurry to get the hell out of this area, and the last 13 pots are all down." "Narrator:" "Strong currents can suck the buoys attached to the crab pots under water." "The rise in pressure can cause the bags to implode, leaving the pots and its bounty lost on the ocean floor forever." "Keith:" "I have white bags for my trailer bag." "That's the only thing that's barely bobbing, and this is what I have to look for..." "A white object in a lot of white birds." "Like looking for a needle in a hay stack now, which, you know..." "You give up an hour of fishing, that could be $20,000 worth of crab you don't catch." "No, I saw the same thing." "I think that is it." "That is it, yep." "It's up there at 1:00." "The current's running right now." "It's screaming." "The trick is to throw in front of the bag." "If you throw behind the bag, you're not gonna get it." "Because it's not leading straight down." "It's leading just at a slight angle forward." "Oh, just right off the back side of it." "Ain't gonna get it." "Man:" "Ooh, that's a nice shot." "Ooh." "[ Cheering ]" "Oh, yeah." "Yeah!" "Whoo!" "Yeah!" "We got a "crabalanche."" "This is a great pot." "53!" "Unh!" "Narrator:" "Off the bow, the next pot is falling prey to the currents." "All right, come on." "Here it goes." "Here it goes." "Get it, get it, get it, get it, get it." "That's going under." "The hook tore the bag open?" "That means we're not gonna be getting this one." "$2,500 worth of crab." "Thing is, the pot's worth 1,000 bucks." "That's about $3,500 sitting on the bottom." "That may not be the only pot left here, because this next one's down, as well." "Well, last two pots were completely down." "That's it." "Now we've got three pots on the bottom." "Now I got $10,000 in gear and crab sitting on the bottom right here." "[ Sighs ] I think this next one's down, too." "Four down." "Four pots under water." "Doggone it." "It's official." "That's pot number five that's sitting down there, partying with Davy Jones right now." "That's like $15,000 worth of hardware and crabs sitting on the bottom right now." "That really sucks." "Narrator:" "And with that, the Wizard's season from hell comes to an end." "Over eight grueling weeks, the boat hauled 249,000 pounds of king crab." "Even with the $15,000 hit, that's a $1.8 million bounty." "Each hand is going home with $44,000." "Narrator:" "455 miles from Dutch Harbor in the heart of the storm..." "Haist: 27 hours..." "I've been up for 27." "Narrator:" "...the Seabrooke is grinding through their final 40 blue crab pots." "I can't control my fate." "I work until he says." "Time to take a nap." "Narrator:" "Their new greenhorn, Josh "Stroker" Graves, is feeling the pain." "In the wheelhouse..." "Something ain't right." "Captain Scott Campbell, Jr." "Tends to the boats' other greenhorn." "And then all of a sudden, when I look right above the penis here, off to a little bit, just [Bleep] grabbing." "Junior's brother whip might not make it through this final push." "Like a pulled muscle?" "No, no, no, no, no, no." "I don't know." "But it's starting to hurt." "My urination's starting to burn." "It's just right in there." "Dude, maybe you got a kidney stone." "[Bleep] I don't want one of them." "[Bleep] hurts." "Junior has already burned through two greenhorns this season." "Down with two." "One to go. [ Chuckles ]" "Take some ibuprofen." "See what happens." "Give it a little time." "Narrator:" "At this rate, 'll burn through two more." "Campbell:" "That got me a little concerned that, if I lose him for a little bit, then we're in tough shape." "It's a matter of him, you know, toughing through it." "If you want to be somebody in this industry, you got to stick and stay and make it pay." "Last string!" "Last!" "[ Groans ]" "Yep." "Greenhorn curse." "[ Chuckles ]" "They just don't seem to make it." "Very few." "I lose him, then I would have three guys and a horn..." "And a horn that doesn't know anything and can't keep up." "I don't have any balance, nothing to hang onto." "So, I'm trying to..." "It's hard to do." "If you make one mistake, you'll probably be dead." "Eight in that last one." "He's not gonna make it." "Narrator:" "Only three pots into their final string..." "And things are not getting any easier for the struggling greenhorns." "[ Vomiting ]" "Hell hath no fury tonight." "Misery has a name, and it's called the Bering sea." "We're just not smart enough to go into town." "I think it's getting worse now." "That was the worst roll yet." "Pretty much driving full throttle." "I got to use all 1,300 horsepower just to keep this thing, you know, somewhat under control." "Oh, baby." "Oh, baby." "Oh, baby." "Oh, baby." "[Bleep]" "Whoa, that was a big wave!" "Narrator:" "After enduring eight weeks of pain..." "Last pot coming up." "That's it, boys." "We're out of here." "The last pot of the season." "Man:" "I thought this day would never come." "Aaah!" "And we're still making money!" "Bouray:" "It was a long, hard season." "Man:" "We're glad it's over." "Narrator:" "The most successful season of junior's career comes to an end." "I want to shut down myself..." "Get undressed, cook a meal." "Campbell:" "I didn't think we were gonna make it." "And, basically, it was the crew being able to, you know, sit there and take the abuse that I had to put them through to get the pounds aboard, because the fishing was not that good." "We were short-handed, and we had to, you know, just push through it." "Pretty proud of them." "Narrator:" "But in the fore peak..." "Welch:" "Something ain't right." "Narrator: 130 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor, out of harm's way of the storm..." "Okay." "Turn it up." "The Time Bandit boys conduct an experiment." "Come on, baby." "Oh, come on now." "Up, up and away." "[ Laughs ]" "Sig, you won't know what hit you." "He'll think there's 30 aliens." "Man, that thing's moving fast." "With the test complete, it's time to execute the plan." "And I'm gonna disappear off the A.I.S. right now." "Narrator:" "Step one... unplug the automatic identification system." "I just disappeared." "Yep, we're back to pirate stuff here." "We have no global positioning system." "We have to steer by the stars." "Narrator:" "Step two..." "Turn off the lights." "We are so in the dark." "Narrator:" "And finally..." "We're only three miles away, guys." "Narrator:" "Deploy 40 Chinese lanterns upwind of the Northwestern." "Man:" "It's like opening Christmas presents." "Johnathan:" "All four corners of this pad have to be on fire, and then that's when it gets full maximum lift." "And let it go, 'cause we're gonna be going with the wind." "[ Indistinct talking over loudspeaker ]" "Hey, watch out." "Here it goes." "Whoa!" "That was freaking bad ass." "Okay, here's another one." "Yeah." " Are they launching?" " Yeah." "Fourtner:" "We have some unidentified flying objects in the Bering sea tonight." "Neal:" "I would definitely wonder what the heck that is." "If I looked up, I saw that, I'd be like," ""is that a fire in the sky?"" "What is that?" "Looks like two flares, man." "Narrator:" "One mile downwind..." "Sig:" "It's been a tough season." "I mean, it's been up and down, for sure." "The last little leg was a heck of a grind." "Narrator:" "The Northwestern is steaming back to shore." "Sig:" "We've got quite a load..." "Around 280,000 pounds for over $2 million of crab." "What the hell are those lights there?" "What the [Bleep] hell?" "What is that?" "What the [Bleep] is that?" "Is that a boat coming here?" "What is that?" "Hey, was there a boat behind us?" "What is that?" "What the hell is that?" "Is it a chopper?" "Looks like a UFO." "Bunch of damn lights up in the sky." "Johnathan:" "Did you see their UFO's?" "Is that Johnathan?" "Johnathan:" "Yeah!" "Andy:" "Look at those monsters." "Yeah!" "You just scared the crap out of me." "[ Laughter ]" "Sig:" "At first I thought it was something in the sky." "I thought it was a chopper that went right over us." "[ Laughter ]" "I can't make heads or tails." "Then I don't see any lights." "And I'm like, "what the hell?"" "I was pissed." "It was scary over here, too." "And I was looking at those lights, going," ""if I'd seen all those lights in the sky," "I wouldn't what to think."" "I wouldn't even tell nobody." "'Cause they wouldn't believe me." "[ Laughs ]" "[ Men cheering ]" "Oh, my God." "Oh, my God." "That was good." "I mean, you got me." "You got me." "You got me good." "Okay, man." "We'll see you in town, buddy." "[ Laughs ]" "Oh, man, I love Sig." "Narrator:" "At the season's end, the Seabrooke earns bragging rights with the biggest haul." "Narrator:" "In the heart of the Alaskan red crab grounds..." "The storm hits and unleashes its fury." "In the safe haven of Dutch Harbor, the battered warriors of the crab fleets lick their wounds..." "I'll deal with my aches and pains first of all." "I got some ointment to rub on my shoulders." "Narrator:" "...and collect their bounty." "Pop the hatch, gonna get rid of these crab," "Park the boat, and fly home in two days." "It's a good feeling." "Narrator:" "On the Kodiak..." "I enjoyed fishing with you." "I really have." "This could be deckhand Eric Anderson's last paycheck pulled from the Bering sea." "I know that foot thing is very painful, and you did everything you could with that." "Eight days ago..." "Anderson:" "I can't do my [Bleep] job, all right?" "Narrator:" "A foot injury cut Eric's season short." "Wichrowski:" "There's 20-plus years of hard crabbing going down the dock right there." "Narrator:" "In a place where careers are built on pain and suffering..." "Man." "Every man has a limited shelf life." "Eric's sacrifice for the men of the Kodiak helped land 279,000 pounds of reds worth $2.1 million." "Each hand is walking away with $30,000." "Narrator:" "On the Ramblin' Rose, rookie skipper Elliott Neese comes in with his head held high." "Neese:" "My first season running the boat, we caught a lot of crab." "We did what a lot of people didn't think could be done." "Narrator:" "Elliott and his young crew hauled in 182,000 pounds of elusive blue king crab." "That's over $900,000 of Bering sea blue gold." "The deck share... 30 grand each." "Elliott's next challenge..." "keeping his crew." "Neese:" "Now it's time to start thinking about opies, and I kind of need to know who's coming back and who's not." "Find out." "Are you going, Cat?" "Yeah, I'm going." "I'll be here." "James?" "See how it goes." "Kato?" "How about you, Faresa?" "So, pretty much, I can count on all four of you coming back?" "Narrator:" "With cash in hand, perspectives can change." "On the Seabrooke..." "Campbell:" "I didn't think we were gonna make it." "It's been a battle..." "I mean, an absolute battle." "A lot of greenhorn problems." "Narrator:" "Junior struck out with two greenhorns before finally finding his man." "The big guy made it." "He finally made it." "Thank God." "The only guy to last a whole season." "I'm just tired and sore and ready to get off the boat." "But for the young skipper's brother..." "So, what's the plan for me now?" "Get you out of here." "Still feel the same?" "Yeah." "Whipper leaves the boat with a possible hernia." "Campbell:" "If he has to have surgery, there's no way he's gonna make it for opilio." "Narrator:" "But his pain won't go unrewarded." "Over eight weeks, the boat hauled in 291,000 pounds of crab worth almost $2 million." "Each crew member will fly home with 45 grand." "On the Time Bandit..." "Man:" "43 right now." "The crew is getting $250..." "Andy:" "How long does it take to get hypothermia at 43 degrees?" "Oh, about a minute." "Here we go." "[ Laughs ]" "Narrator:" "A bonus for anyone willing to dive for crab." "He's got one." "Yeah!" "[ Laughter ]" "The Hillstrand brothers scored 168,000 pounds of crab worth almost $1.2 million." "[ Laughter ]" "Each deckhand is going home with $54,250." "It was worth the money." "That was awesome!" "That was good." "The Cornelia Marie landed only 21,000 pounds of blue crab worth about 100 grand." "After paying for fuel and expenses, the deckhands... and the owners... got nothing." "Sig:" "Call it the end of king crab season." "We'll get the last tank off here, get the pots on the beach." "Misery... pure and simple." "Narrator:" "The Northwestern finishes with 282,000 pounds of crab worth $2.1 million." "Each man in the weary crew will walk with $56,000." "Edgar:" "Now I'm getting nervous." "I still haven't, you know, talked to Sig about quitting." "I don't love this anymore." "There's several factors involved that have brought me to a decision." "This season, you know, working on deck..." "Has shown me that I can't do it." "Well, we had this conversation before." "We did..." "last year." "But it's a reality, so I'm telling you now," "I'm not gonna be here in January." "Most of it's family." "They need me at home." "So then you pull out the home card." "You know, I'm sorry, but after getting sober," "I kind of enjoy my life at home." "There's the other card you're gonna play." "All the years that we were doing this, and when you were screwed up..." "Right?" "We were screwed up." "So, I mean, I put my effort into it." "I've put mine..." "I put 22 years into this on deck." "How many guy that you know of have been on deck for 22 years, honestly, working for a guy like you?" "A guy like me?" "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nobody plans on fishing forever." "Nobody can fish forever." "Only Sig Hanson can." "You're gonna die in that chair one day." "I don't think I've ever run up without Edgar." "If is used to never come back it would be  very difficult." "That'll be a difficult pill to swallow." "I guess I'll find out in January, won't I?"