01x01 - Greenhorns

[bunniefuu]

It's witch crab season
in the Bering Sea.

The daring fishermen
must battle against storms...

... violent waves...

... and dangerous working conditions in a
modern version of the Gold Rush.

I've never seen that before.

The season is competitive
and short, less than a week.

The risk is enormous. 12 fishermen die on
average every year in the Bering Sea.

Crab fishing
is the most dangerous of all.

It is perhaps
the most dangerous job in the world.

I hope they make it.

- I can't see them.
- We're looking for survivors now.

We don't want to think the worst just yet.

Why do they do it? The magic crab is
the world's most lucrative catch.

Some return home with a year's salary,
some with barely anything for their trouble.

Others may not return home at all.

DEADLY CATCH

Alaska is America's outermost outpost.
Dutch Harbor is a border town.

Most of the people who come here have
have already been hired on certain boats.

But some are looking for work.

Competition is fierce
for the few jobs that are left.

Scott Gibb is a job seeker
from Spokane, Washington.

I've been looking for work here for two days.
I need to find something.

You're too slow. They just
hired someone else five minutes ago.

You have to be quick.
Jobs disappear quickly.

There are a few other places,
I'm going to today.

Crab fishermen have their own
beginner class: the Greenhorns.

Most of them have no idea
what they've gotten themselves into.

Freshman Bradford Davis is
a 19-year-old student from California.

He's gone to Alaska
for adventure.

I don't know what to expect,
but I have to do my best.

After all, it's
dangerous work.

But if I keep a cool head,
I'll be fine.

That's the most important thing.

Bradford has been hired on the
family-owned boat "Northwestern".

- whose crab history
goes back four generations.

It's always been in the family.
It's our way of life.

My great-grandfather, grandfather and father.
It's in the genes.

I've never questioned my profession.

Sig was born in Norway and started
fishing with his father at the age of 12.

He became captain of the Northwestern
at just 22 years old.

Sig is not the only Hansen on the boat.
His two brothers work on deck.

We are lucky enough to have done it,
since we were kids. It's innate.

Here you work in three ways: The
right, the wrong and the Norwegian way.

In this family herd, Bradford couldn't be
Bradford couldn't be more foreign.

I'll just wait and see,
how you're gonna do this season.

You have to earn
that handshake.

The greenhorn must first
prove its worth on the Bering Sea.

When it comes to rookies,
you want them to be nervous.

He needs to understand the seriousness.

I don't know him,
and there's no time to train him.

So right now, he's a threat.

Only 100 meters away
is Fierce Allegiance.

At 50 meters, she is one of the longest
longest and most profitable boats.

Captain Larussa and the crew
are waiting for their rookie:

Eric Abrahamson. Eric has
more life experience than Bradford.

But this is his first time,
he's going crabbing.

You never know with newbies.
It's nice to have someone who wants to learn...

- but in rough seas you want
want experienced people.

Then you don't go
looking out for others.

Crab fishing is physically demanding
and is considered a job for young men.

Most newbies are
teenagers or in their early twenties.

At 42 years old
Eric Abrahamson is an exception.

But he knows the ocean.
He was a deep-sea diver for 11 years.

He has also been in the Navy
as a trainer for the Frogman Corps.

He has many
background knowledge.

But he's here first and foremost
to prove something to himself.

I can verify the image
of myself I have inside.

I think I'm at home at sea
and I'm good with machines and teamwork.

He'll be fine.

The guys will guide him
and make him a fisherman.

Eric Abrahamson and Bradford Davis
are eager to do well.

But crab fishing in the Bering Sea
requires more than a positive attitude.

In less than 24 hours, the
crab season begins in Alaska.

Crews are starting to
feeling the pressure.

Yes, I can feel it.
If they don't catch enough crabs...

- they have to take a job in a bar until Christmas!

The season was longer back then,
there were more crabs.

This year's permitted quota is
just over seven million kilograms.


it was 45 million kilograms.

As soon as the quota is reached, the
the season ends. Last year it took four days.

Preparation is essential
for good earnings.

The crab cages
are stacked and lashed down.

The machine rooms
are checked several times.

The weather is carefully studied.

On the Bering Sea, mistakes can have
terrible consequences.

On "Fierce Allegiance", Captain Larussa directs
Captain Larussa instructs the crew.

- when they stack the 245 crab cages,
they need to take out.

The rookie discovers what
tasks that come with low rank.

I'm put in charge of
chopping up bait.

I'm going to stuff the fat cod
into these.

I'm going to get
get good at it.

As they set sail, fishermen know,
they are part of a continuum.

People have been fishing
in Alaskan waters for centuries.

Originally, the indigenous
the indigenous tribes fished in canoes.

Modern fishing reached
Dutch Harbor in the 1700s.

Today, this small town is


- America's leading port for
receiving and handling seafood.

But that distinction
comes at a price.

Towards the sea, many crosses face the
memory of those who stayed out there.

The Bering Sea is rough
and unpredictable.

It storms every three to five
days apart.

Storms appear without warning.

With them come strong gales,
high waves and deadly ice.

It's no surprise that many
crab fishermen are very superstitious.

- There are a lot of superstitions.
- I put on my left boot first.

Never open a can
upside down... No suitcases.

- No women on board.
- No cats on board.

- Board with your right foot first.
- You can leave on Thursday at 23:59.

Or at 00:01 on Saturday morning, but
never sail out on a Friday.

Sig Hansen, the captain of the
"Northwestern, is no exception.

He leaves half a day earlier
and through a dangerous channel.

- just to reach the
the small port city of Akutan.

It has been successful before,
so that's where he's going this year.

I just have to get there.
We've been fishing from Akutan for 20 years.

That's probably a bit superstitious of me.
There's nothing voodoo about it.

I just want to set off from the place,
I've originally chosen.

While the boat chugs along,
the crew eats together.

There are only a few hours,
before purgatory begins.

Sig's brother Edgar is constantly
on the boat's new man, Bradford.

Hey, bro,
bring your knife belt.

- Do you...
- I'll take the razor blade.

Instead, you get...
until you can handle one of them.

Let me know if you need me to make bread.

- Teamwork...
- Goodbye, knife.

The tough treatment
is to harden the rookie.

Edgar went through his own training
a few years ago.

I was the worst rookie
for the first 2.5 years.

I hated it. No one told me
what to wear and what to carry.

I was working on the deck
in jeans. It was horrible.

I only had one pair of gloves.
I had to borrow boots.

They were squeezing and cold.

- Did your family not help you?
- No, why would they?

They wouldn't tell me anything.
"You're on your own."

"Northwestern" arrives
in Akutan at exactly 01:00.

The crew must have the last
good night's sleep for days.

The next morning in Dutch Harbor
the fleet counts the last 1.5 hours

- before they sail
out into the Bering Sea.

I'm ready to go.
Like a child before Christmas.

The cages are stacked and lashed.

Fill the fuel tanks.

Captains are always checking
the electronics.

On "Fierce Allegiance"
Eric Abrahamson has

- got an important rookie assignment.

A clean ship is a good ship.

Now there's only an hour left,
so calls are being made to loved ones.

When they sail out, they are
cut off from the outside world.

See you in the future.

I had a daughter 12 hours ago.

Hey, Emmy. I love you, Emmy.

Give her a big hug from me.
And say a prayer for us.

Okay, baby. I love you, baby.

- Let's see the monkey.
- Can we see, Daddy?

- It looks like you.
- That's my dad.

- That's a good-looking child.
- Now back to work.

The game is about to begin.

In a matter of days, they can return
return $40,000 richer...

... or not at all.

I'm always wondering,
if I'm gonna make it.

You try to call before you leave.
Often there's only a signal up here.

It can be difficult because everyone is doing the
the same, everyone is thinking about family.

Finally, it's time to get started.

The preparations
and the wait is over.


competing at sea.

The fleet is sent off
with a traditional blessing.

We are gathered to bless you
and pray for you.

We believe that the spirit of God blew across
the deep sea and life began.

When Jesus started preaching...

- he traveled along the sea
and called Simon, a fisherman.

Then he called Andreas,
James and John, also fishermen.

Some of you
might share a name with them

- or believe in the spirit of God,
that blew across the deep sea.

It is an honor for us
to have you in our hearts.

- as we pray that God will be with you
be with you until we meet again.

It's a long way to the fishing waters.

Some go 650 km out on the
Bering Sea to find crabs.

Each captain
has their own strategy.

The season officially begins
at 4pm tomorrow.

No one knows how long it will last,
probably only four days...

... or 96 hours. There is no room for
for mistakes and no road maps.

Finding the crabs is a top priority
finding the crabs.

At 5 dollars a pound, the wizard crab,
also known as the red crab.

- 11 dollars per kilo worth
at the wholesaler.

With this season's quota
of 725 million kilograms

- the entire catch is worth


How it is distributed
between the 251 boats

- depends on the skill, experience and
skill, experience and luck.

They're always thinking about the danger.

Last year alone
the Bering Sea required 45 boats.

Working on boats
is always dangerous here.

But the crab boats
are the most dangerous.

It's dangerous all over the deck.

The crane lifts cages over one,
before ejecting them.

We learn two things about the crane:

Never go under it,
and never go under it.

Fishermen fear the most
getting the rope wrapped around their foot.

The worst danger on board
is fire.

Look down there... it doesn't care
if you're a fish or an arm.

It is dangerous to
crawling around on the cages.

The most dangerous part of the job is
standing at the rail.

Something fishermen rarely talk about,
is sinking.

No trace of survivors.

On "Lucky Lady", a deckhand
is back for season two.

A year ago, Kevin Davis paid
almost paid the highest price.

During the snow crab season


The crew of the "Saga" hauled
cages in the middle of an Arctic storm.

The deck was slippery with ice
and the crew tired.

They had worked hard
under difficult conditions day and night.

A TV crew
was on board and filming.

At 2:00 a.m.
Kevin lost his footing.

- and fell overboard into the
the dark, icy waters of the Bering Sea.

The captain and crew
responded immediately.

Against all odds
he was saved.

Six months later, Kevin relives
Kevin relives the incident at the Lucky Lady.

Here it comes again... Boom: Gone.

On June 20, tragedy strikes.
A video camera captures the event.


has fallen overboard.

Stay there and keep
eye contact with him.

Go to the crane, Vince.
Swing the crane over and lower the hook.

- I'm making eye contact with him.
- Hang in there, Kevin.

With every second, Kevin's body becomes
becomes more frozen solid.

- and his chances of survival
are reduced.

Incredibly, Kevin, with his last
last ounce of strength to grab the hook

- and gets hauled on board.

They took good care of me.

Get him inside, man.

Kevin's odds were one in a million.

I remember lying on my back
and saw the side of the ship...



I saw 1-2 meters of that boat,
that I don't want to see again.

I thank God and the guys out there
for saving my life.

It could have been worse.

- Will you do it again this year?
- No, I won't.

After escaping death
on his first fishing trip.

- Kevin is tempting fate again.

This year he is one of only three deckhands
on the "Lucky Lady".

He's going to work at the railings.
The job that almost cost him his life.

Most of the crab boats
have reached the fishing grounds.

The deckhands hurry to get the
the cages ready for immersion.

Greenhorns
pecking cage bait...

... and the captains determine
their fishing strategy.

The captain of Fierce Allegiance
has a strong reputation to live up to.

He's willing to take a chance
to keep the lead.

In recent years, the crabs have moved
westward. And so am I.

It's further west than I've ever
fished before. It's a feeling.

"Northwestern is 50 miles east
of Fierce Allegiance.

It is closer to the other boats,
but also goes its own way.

There you go.

The crew fills
bait bags with ground fish.

Everyone is eager
before the season starts.

In an hour and a half
we'll throw the gear in.

Hansen takes a chance
and throws two rows of cages in here...

... some distance east
of the rest of the fleet.

Let's throw a few in
to see what happens.

If I post too much here,
and it doesn't pay off...

- then it sucks,
because they have to be moved.

We're spreading it out. The course is set.
Let's hope it pays off.

The captain sweats over
the decisions on the bridge.

- while the rookie just sweats.

For the past eight hours he has
hooking, chopping, grinding...

... and bagged bait.

I smell like bait. My cabin mates
my cabin mates don't like.

The smell is something you can't
prepare for.

Sometimes I have to
have to turn my head away to avoid vomiting.

The season starts in minutes.

Captain and crew are ready to
to salvage underwater treasures.

I hope for the best. As long as we
avoid injuries and make good money.

Fishermen are allowed to catch as much,
that the boat can hold.

A full load can mean
well over a million dollars.

The seconds are ticking,
while you wait for 4:00.

The rules clearly state that you cannot
throw out cages one second before.

Ten minutes to four.
I wait until five past.

I'll give the others a chance.

In a moment, the
about 100 hours of hell.

There will be little sleep, high pressure
and enormous danger for the deck crew.

But most people
like it just that way.

The crew is about to
throw the first cages in

- and the rookies are suddenly
face to face with life at sea.

Their first journey
may very well be their last.

After all, this is
the most dangerous job in the world.

Every veteran knows that death can
come quickly on the high seas.

We have found one survivor,
but people are still missing.

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.
They're gone.



... 5, 4, 3, 2...

- 1.
- Here we go!

It's 4 pm on October 15th.

The announcement comes
from the Ministry of Fisheries.

It's make or break time.

October's crab fishing season
has begun.

No one knows how long it will last,
so time is precious.

Cages are prepared and lowered
as quickly as possible.

As soon as the fleet reaches the quota,
the season is over.

But no one knows how the catch
will be divided between the 251 boats.

The captains push the crew
to the point of exhaustion.

The season has begun without the fleet's
smallest boat, the "Lucky Lady".

She's in trouble.

The season has started.

The "Lucky Lady" is only 17 m long
and equipped with stabilizers.

The metal wing is stuck in booms,
that the crew can't get out.

Get a hook in it
and pull it the hell up!

Captain Vince Shavender is losing
patience with his three men.

I'm coming out
and clean the crabs on you!

The stabilizers must be removed,
before the cages can be ejected.

The season is only 40 min. old

- when Kevin Davis is once again
is about to fall into the Bering Sea again.

The season has begun!

Lost minutes means
lost income, as everyone knows.

Eventually, the crew gets the
the stabilizer up.

But one of the metal wings
has fallen off in the heat of battle.

There is no time
to rig a replacement.

The stabilizer is gone. We got the chain
up, but the shackle was broken.

The boat will rock more,
but I'm not turning around.

Now the "Lucky Lady"
has two things going against her.

She got a late start and will
going to rock up and down like a cork.

The crew lowers the first cage
down and realize they've lost time.

The lake on the Bering Sea is no case
for Fierce Allegiance.

Fierce looks for crabs much
further west than the other boats.

She is three times bigger than "Lucky Lady
Lady and has eight times more cages.

Unlike small boats, I can
bring all the cages at once.

They have to do it in two batches,
so I have an advantage.

With the advantage comes pressure.

The Fierce is expected to catch
large quantities of crabs.

Tony's reputation as a top fisherman
is at stake.

"Fierce Allegiance"
brings 245 cages at once.

It is both a blessing
and a curse.

Tony can get the cages in the water
faster than the other boats.

The crew gets no rest,
until all the cages are evicted.

It takes more than 24 hours of hard
hours of hard work before the tire is deflated.

We can be heroes or losers.

On crab boats, there is no democracy.
Out here, the captain is king.

He decides when the people
work, eat and sleep.

The success of the boat and the
safety rests on his shoulders.

The skipper is responsible
for the safety of his people.

No one takes their responsibility more
seriously than Larry Hendricks.

The year before, on a different boat

- his friend lost his balance
and fell off some cages.

Larry immediately interrupted his fishing
to rescue his friend.

We let out orange smoke.
There's the helicopter.

But it was too late. Larry saw the
Coast Guard rescue attempt.

A mother has lost
her second son to the sea.

Teddy's death shows,
that even under calm conditions.

- Is a crab boat
is a dangerous place to work.

On the Sea Star, Larry makes sure,
the pace is slow and steady.

"The Sea Star's deck crew
is very unusual.

Most of them are over 50.

Larry has customized the "Sea Star"
his older crew.

We make sure that you don't have to bend
so much bending over and pushing.

I came up with something that fit my boat
my boat and built a swing arm.

It moves the cage to the table
and not the other way around.

It's great for us old guys.

They shouldn't wear themselves out.

Better this than an office job,
where you're sitting in a cubicle, eating a bunch of beans...

- and taking coffee breaks at the drop of a hat.
This is a lifestyle.

At Fierce, there's no such consideration,
especially for newbies.

Crab season is only an hour old
old, and 42-year-old Eric

- struggling to keep up with the
the fleet's most experienced crew.

It's like going for a run


- and they run 1.5 km in five minutes.
You hope they slow down!

They keep waiting for me,
so I hurry.

I try to put the bait inside,
before they slam the door.

It's hard to jump into the cage,
because everything is made of steel.

You put the hooks in
and try to rush out.

You get bruises on your elbows
and knees. I have two on my hips.

Fixing bait is
like being swallowed by a seagull.

- and be in its stomach
for three to four days.

Eric has been baiting cages
continuously for nine hours.

- and have a full night's work
ahead of them.

I thought I was going to be out here
in a hammock and swing.

Instead, I sleep with cod.


plows through increasingly rough seas.

While the old folks
lace up their cages...

- Captain Hendricks sets the course.

This is an electronic chart,
showing my location.

Larry and five other skippers
have a deal.

Spread out over thousands of kilometers
of kilometers.

- share the secret information
about fishing conditions.

There are six of us and we spread out
over 2,200 kilometers.

I'm going further northeast
and throw out another strip.

The strategy is called radio fishing.

But the radio is an open frequency,
that everyone is listening to.

That's why Larry and the others use
use code names to hide their location.

This is where we started.
And over here is Ollie.

Jimmy's up here.
Moses is up in that area.

Studley and Monkey Man
are down here.

When we compare data, we can
better see what's in the area

- and in which direction
we need to move.

Radio fishing was invented
along with the radio.

But Larry and his group
are a minority.

Most captains keep their
their tactics a secret.

"Northwestern" fishing on its own
far from the nearest boat.

Her captain, Sig Hansen,
is known for going his own way.

But right now, he's starting to
doubting his decision.

I don't have many neighbors
around me.

So that's why we're probably
in the wrong place.

It's hard to say. The others
might try a different area.

It's probably the exact opposite of,
what most of my friends do.

For now, we're alone here.

On the smallest boat in the fleet,
"the Lucky Lady.

- the captain chooses
a more random approach.

I select by putting my
finger somewhere on the map.

When you're so small,
and the season is so short.

- it's very uncertain.
You never know.

Many of the captains' strategies
are starting to show.

Vince Shavender on "Lucky Lady"
has chosen a small area near land.

He lays out rows
of 30 cages each.

Say on "Northwestern" has put
cages far from the others.

They are left overnight. If they fill up,
he'll put the rest there, too.

Larry on the Sea Star continues to share
information with the others.

He moves in a 300 km
area in the far northeast.

"Fierce Allegiance"
has placed a total of 119 cages

- over 160 km in the northwestern
end of the Bering Sea.

With 2.5 million km to choose from
crabbing is like a lottery.

Captains can only hope,
that they make the right choice.

Nothing is certain yet.
After all, it's day one.

Two hours into the season
on "Fierce Allegiance"

- rookie Eric Abrahamson gets
gets mixed marks.

He's doing very well.
He's learning, but he's tired.

He's too slow for me.

His dream of becoming a fisherman
is turning into a nightmare.

His training in the Navy
hasn't prepared him for this.

My lower back hurts
from bending down.

My knees and shins ache
from jumping in and out.

I just want to go home.

But there's no time to rest.

The captain gives the signal,
all cages out.

Even though the season has just begun,
it'll probably be over in 96 hours.

Captain Tony Larussa is not happy
about having a weak link on board.

I've seen guys before who think
they know what's coming.


at Northwestern.

- shines the 19-year-old
rookie Bradford Davis shines.

The rookie has been good enough.
He doesn't answer back.

- He's always in motion.
- Stick the sharp end in your eye.

Then it has to hit something hard
and come out the other side.

Even if Bradford passes the
the test of endurance.

- then Edgar Hansen has
has another sample for him.

The new man has to bite the head off
of a herring. It's good luck.

It's going to be a good season.

Crab boats eat a lot of fuel.
So do crab fishermen.



When they can see their way to it,
they go inside and eat.

On a boat, it's not the quality,
it's the quantity that counts.

Some eat like kings,
others will eat anything.

To keep your energy levels up
you need to eat a lot and often.

No matter how weird
the food looks.

The one that's supposed to be potatoes.

I eat a lot every day,
but I still lose weight.

Then you're thin.

When the body is subjected
to such high levels of stress.

- calories become
become a substitute for sleep.

It's all about
adding wood to the fire.

Forget sleep. Just eat.

Eating is important.

But crab fishing
always comes first.

On "Fierce Allegiance", the people
have stopped to "refuel".

Rookie Eric Abrahamson's
powers are ebbing away.

The season has been running
for eight hours.

I don't know how I'm going to make it
five days, but I'm trying.

He doesn't give in fully,
and that's a shame.

It's as if he has
given up in advance.

Maybe he's too old.

Eric is desperate for energy and
and uses a secret naval trick.

Raw liver.

You eat it
in stressful situations.

Since it's raw, it contains all the
Vitamin D and goes straight into your bloodstream.

It's like a blood transfusion.
They don't taste very good...

... but it just needs to go down.

- Can't I throw it out?
- Raw meat? Ugh...

Eric goes back on deck.
No cages have been taken up yet.

If he's going to make it through the season,
he's going to have to work his a*s off.

Right now, the sea is calm. The crew
are still missing many cages.

But the sun is setting.

For captains and rookies
the night becomes cold, long and dangerous.

People know that in a few hours, full cages
full cages can make them a fortune.

But they also know,
that fatigue, injuries and accidents...

... stands between them and the gold mine.

In the next episode
of "Deadly Catch"

- the crews start fishing
with mixed results.

Edgar pushes Bradford to the limit.

We'll see how many bags you have
sorted when we take the cages out.

For every missing bag,
you lose 10 minutes of sleep.

And a boat struggles
just to get going.