01x02 - Long Sleepless Nights

[bunniefuu]

Dutch Harbor, Alaska.


- 251 boats with 1200 fishermen
out on the Bering Sea.

- in pursuit of 70 million dollars.

They want to catch troll crabs,
and it's a perilous hunt.

Crab fishing is
one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

Those who take the risk can earn
up to 40,000 dollars in four days.

Newbies,
or newbies...

- quickly learns that reality
exceeds all expectations.

He needs a
a kick in the butt every now and then.

The cages have been in the water for hours.

Soon it's time to
to pull them up.

This hardened fleet
works around the clock.

They try their hand
with the treacherous Bering Sea.

And if history is to be believed,
some of them have to stay out here.

This is the Coast Guard.
Keep an eye out for vessels.

A sister ship has sunk.

For the hardened few who call the ocean
home, it's part of the job.

DEADLY CATCH



- the 32 m long "Sea Star"
is in the middle of the waves.

Captain Larry Hendricks
and his veterans

- about to salvage
the first cages of the season.

After only two hours of rest, the old men
the old men drag themselves onto the deck.

The next eight hours

- they have to haul the 360 kg
cages back on board.

Expectations are high.

Both on deck and in the wheelhouse.

They approach the buoy,
marking the first cage.

Now they're seeing legends.

The first catch of the season
is swung on board.

The first cage contained 31 crabs.

With the next cage, it's clear,
that the Sea Star has gotten lucky.

We just need to have
an average of 49 in each cage

- to get 10,000 crabs.

The crabs are sorted.
So as not to deplete the stock.

- you only keep


Females and young are thrown out again.

Larry and his old sea dog
can keep a lot.

This arthritic crew
just proves that

- that age and cunning
can outsmart youth and talent.


on board the "Western Viking"

- Captain Anderson is about to
to haul up cages.

But first, the cargo space needs to be cleared.

We need to pump out the water
and remove 14 cages

- that we need to use
along with the ones we have in the stern.

The hatch alone weighs almost a ton.
It's all about moving.

The cargo hold is where the crabs are stored.

But the boat is small, so it
also stores 14 extra cages.

But when the cages go on deck,
a serious problem is discovered.

We've filled the cargo hold with cages.

However, the increase in searches has made...

- Something has been smashed.
- We need to secure the cargo hold.

The load compartment's wooden planks
are held together by metal clamps.

The sections divide the cargo space,
so that the crabs don't

- Tumbling around too much.

If a crab is injured or k*lled,
it can release venom.

A single crab can k*ll ten people.

- and start a chain reaction,
wiping out the entire season's catch.

Therefore, the cargo hold
must first be repaired.

Crab cages must remain in the water.

When we loaded them
or unloaded them -

- some steel was damaged.
We'll repair it while it's empty.

They tie the boards together
with heavy twine.

- so they become a strong unit.

This is the worst.
Instead of lying in your bunk.

- you need to repair the gear.

Once this is done, it's time to
work again. There's no rest.

That's not the only problem.
Time passes without being able to fish.

Out here, every second counts.

- and every minute lost
costs a lot of money.

Crab season has barely begun,
but the pressure is already building.



- Captain Sig Hansen
of the "Northwestern" is still caging.

He will lay out all cages at the same time.
They started with 100 cages on deck.

Eight hours later
they are still 20 cages short.

Once the cages are laid out,
they should be in the water.

- for at least 12 hours,
before pulling any of them up.

They need to spend some time in the water.

The crabs need time
to crawl in.

The crab cage measures


The mesh is funnel-shaped
on one side.

The crabs crawl in,
but can't get out.

The weather and rough seas
make it dangerous to put the cages out.

This is cage number 80
for rookie Bradford Davis.

It's just a matter of putting bait on
and rig cages... all night long.

Since lunch yesterday, Bradford has
has prepared nearly a ton of bait.

And the work is far from over.

He's doing pretty well.

It's going pretty well,
but don't let him hear it.

No way, no how.

I'm just trying to
to stay strong...

- keep praying to God -

- and hopefully
get out of it in one piece.

Bradford has to deal with bad weather,
fatigue and Edgar the boss.

He has bags around his eyes, so
I hope he's getting tired.

Then I start driving on him.

Bradford hangs another
eight kilograms of bait.

For this rookie
the season has barely begun.


by the youngest captain in the fleet.



After 11 years in the waters
Roger knows them well

- and picks
one of her favorite places.

The cages have been lying for eight hours,
and now it's time to haul the first ones out.

But he gets a little too close
to the first buoy.

Captain Rogers
slams the boat into reverse.

If the buoy ends up under the boat,
the line can be cut -

- so the cage ends up


Finally, the buoy comes up.

The anticipation rises,
while it's being reeled in.

All the tire workers are looking for
signs of what the season will be like.

The crew sorts and counts the
the crabs as they are loaded.


because the cage was only down for a short time.

The last two were close to each other,
so the crabs have split up.

The season is off to a good start.
In the next cage there are 38 crabs.

With a price tag of 11 dollars per kilo
each crab is worth 25-35 dollars.

The men are working hard
to get all 20 cages up.

With 386 crabs on board, the
to pick up the next row.

It's just over two hours away.

The crew takes a break.

They're talking about the rookie
Julian Heiner -

- who didn't get on board
like most newbies.

Jule Heiner is
our newbie and the owner's son.

This is going to be
a great experience for him.

Here, you don't care who your father is,
you just want someone who works hard.

I don't know if he
puts his heart into it.

Right now, it's probably only
the money that's enticing.

I don't worry about proving
that I can do it.

I've just finished school.
So now I want to get something out of life.

Out on the Bering Sea
the owner's son gets no privileges.

He's just a deckhand
on a rough crab boat.

There's Julian.
They've put a tail on him.

A tail on the rookie.

Nice tail, you.

With a fighting weight of 65 kilograms...

But his colleagues also teach Julian
valuable seamanship skills.

Like jumping high,
when there's a big wave coming.

Now that's what I call jumping!

Julian's teaching is
an extra burden for the skipper.

Not only does he have to bring home crabs
but also the owner's son!

I live!

Far out west, about 240 km from
"Saga", lies "Fierce Allegiance".

Captain Tony LaRussa
is focusing on one area

- that for over 15 years
has not been fished in.

The crew bets on the catch,
as the boat approaches the cages.

We get crabs.

I've made a bet that there are


I say 17.
That's a good number.

He hopes it pays off.

Either we shout "shut the f*ck up!"
or there's nothing there.

We just have to hope,
that crabs have arrived.

Otherwise it's going to be a long night
and a long day tomorrow.

The crew is on deck as the vessel
approaches the first buoy.

First cage of the season.
It has been out for 8-9 hours.

It's full of crabs.

We'll see.

But the first cage on the deck
is not full.



- How many?
- 16.

The second cage...

... is even worse.

Only one crab.

A crab means they're not here.
That's not a good sign.

It's hard to say.

- Sex that works?
- Six!

For Tony, the slow start
is a hard blow.

He contacts the sister ships.

- to find out
where the crabs are.

Was there a lot of traffic
at the coordinates you gave me?

No, not much.

Just so you know,
we got 97 crabs in a cage...

- and 36 in the next.

After the report, Captain Tony
must make a decision.

Either pick up the 100 cages,
that are already laid out.

- or place the remaining 145
somewhere else.



That's where we're going.

On board the "Western Viking"
the cargo hold is still being repaired.

The broken planks are replaced.

Now you hope
for a little help from above.

Have you said a prayer? I hope so.
Only God can hold that together.

If the planks come loose,
it will destroy all the crabs.

We need to make sure,
that the cargo hold holds.

After the hatch is in place,
fill the cargo hold with seawater.

Start pumping.

Now it's all fixed.

- and our small aquarium
is whole again.

Now we are about to haul up
the first bait cages.

Coleman sets course
towards the first row of cages.

But soon the crew reports,
the planks won't hold.

They have to pump the cargo hold again.

He has to
remove the planks.

Without them, you can't
protect the crabs from the swell.

Now they just have to fish and hope.

The crew wonders if the problem
will be the death knell for their season.


the smallest boat in the Navy.

Captain Shavender has put out
all the cages he brought with him.

We have five to six hours
to the next storage space.

Boats may only fish as many
cages that they can carry.

The smaller boats

- must store multiple cages at sea,


"Lucky Lady"
picks up her extra cages.

We just need to get another one,
and then we can get them posted...

- and hope for a good catch.

Last year's rookie of the year Kevin Davis
is back for troll crab season.

After last year's incident, the skipper believes
in his future as a fisherman.

Kevin is good at what he does. He's 24 years old.
He's young, but he's doing well.

I hope,
I can train him as a machinist...

- so he can take over the boat
at the age of 30.

Then I could downshift myself.

Kevin's first season
almost became his last.

- when he fell overboard
on a cold winter night.

In his raincoat, Kevin was
was at the mercy of the Bering Sea.

Had he not been rescued immediately,
he would have frozen to death or drowned.

Maybe in just 4 minutes.

Raise your arms.

Those lucky enough to escape with the
the warning can be rescued in 90 seconds.

That's how long it takes
to put on a survival suit.

The Coast Guard requires that there is
one suit per crew member.

No one breaks that rule.

Captain Edwards will show you
how it works.

You roll it out and
jump in it like a sleeping bag.

There's a flotation belt around your waist.

You put your mouth on here
to inflate it.

It has a whistle
to signal with.

And there's also a small mirror.

Before they set sail, the captain makes sure
that everyone can put on the suit.

It is made of 10 mm thick neoprene,
which completely encapsulates the body.

If you can get it on in under
a minute, you'll be fine.

It keeps you warm and fluid.

You're dead.

- It's that zipper.
- It's not the zipper's fault.

- Time: 39 seconds.
- Astounding!

Someone who owes their life to the suit

- is Captain Hansen
of the Alaskan Monarch.

We had been fishing for several days
and cruised around between the flakes.

We had an ice belt
of 3 km in front of us.

But that didn't worry me,
because the ice was loose.

- and we were hardened.

Until an iceberg cut off the rudder,
leaving the boat unsteerable.

"The Alaskan Monarch was on a
collision course with the rocky coastline.

They sent out mayday.

It's the chief engineer. We're not
grounded yet, but it's close.

A helicopter hoisted
the crew from the bow.

Then the captain and chief engineer
left the bridge and headed forward.

And then it happened,
that wasn't supposed to happen.

Captain Hansen and the chief engineer
were washed overboard.

Hansen's survival suit
kept him afloat.

With luck and skill, the Coast Guard managed to
Coast Guard managed to pick them up.

The survival suit
saved them.

It was terrible to lose the boat.

It was not easy to see it
being crushed in the waves.

Captain Hansen made it.
But in two out of three seasons.

- at least one sailor will die.

Troll crab season
on the Bering Sea -

- can bring prosperity,
disappointment...

... or disaster.

"Western Vikings" Captain Coleman
is ready to start fishing.

We hope that the first cage shows,
that we've struck gold.

Here we go.
Round one.

They catch the linen...

... it's all about the game...

... and then they pull
the first cage on board.

Zero.

A bad day
just got worse.

And!

The cages are stacked on the deck. There is
no need to lay them out again.

I'm a little annoyed.

They pull up the cages
at 400 meter intervals.

Five fatties!

Five!

Five, copy that.

We got five up.
A little better than a crab an hour.

The crew risks their lives
for next to nothing.

After pulling out 20 cages
they only have 62 crabs on board.

They had hoped for 600.

The first strip
didn't impress us.

That's an understatement.

The season is short,
and he's lost precious time.

He needs to find better fishing waters.

The crew gets an unexpected
short break. Some are asleep.

Others wonder,
if fortune will favor them.

There doesn't seem to be anything here.
But we haven't lost hope.

We must try to continue
for two to three days without sleep.

Can we have a half hour nap?
that's great. We have to start over.

We're exhausted and need to rest.
Feet are completely crushed.

We're still looking.


on "Northwestern."

- Captain Sig Hansen has been
has been pushing his crew all night.

It has taken almost 15 hours
to prepare and deploy all the cages.

Freshman Bradford Davis puts
bait in the 100th and final cage.

A beautiful sight!
The last cage.

Bradford breathes a sigh of relief,
as the cage splashes into the water.

The guys are flat and exhausted, and they hear
the captain's next move.

A detour
to pick up more cages.

We have 55 in stock there.

Once we've got them on board
and thrown out somewhere...

- they can take a nap.

The boat trip takes two hours.

There's barely enough time to rest

- and one of them
can forget about a nap.

Edgar Hansen
gives him the bad news.

At least 50 more cages
need to be prepared.

We may have to keep going
two to three more hours.

Now we sail 50 km
to pick up 50 more cages.

Then we sail them down here and check
some cages for signs of crabs.

And then we post the 50.

While the others take a break,
the rookie will be grinding fish.

In each cage you should put
eight kg of bait fish.

Frozen mackerel that is grinded

- plus herring and fresh cod,
cut into large pieces.

Now I only need 40 bags.

A tire worker interrupts
his break to help Bradford.

Watch this,
how I put my arm.

The "Northwestern" approaches the cages,
and the crew comes on deck.

Now it's time to pull up the empty ones.

Say will have some put out
before dawn.

Edgar checks,
how Bradford is doing.

I wanted to see
how the kid's doing.

You're helping him too much.

We'll have to see how many you've made,
once we get the 50 cages on board.

Every bag you miss,
costs you 10 minutes of sleep.

You'll be fired.

The kid is doing just fine,
as long as he gets his a*s kicked every once in a while.

The more tired they get,
the more dangerous it gets on board.

Some crabs have crawled
onto the empty cages.

A cage without bait with two or three
crabs on it is a good sign.

It's the first time the rookie
has ever seen a troll crab up close.

They look like aliens.

They are beautiful.

They look like giant dollar signs.



- the "Sea Star" does not fish,
it catches.

Captain Larry Hendricks' sea lion
have been fishing for gold since midnight.

At four o'clock in the morning
there are still plenty of crabs.





With an average of 60 crabs
per cage at 30 dollars each.

- each cage is worth almost


Maybe Captain Hendricks was right.

Age and cunning can perhaps
outsmart youth and talent.

Despite the joy of the hunt
temperaments sparkle in the long night.

When the next cage needs to be hauled up, the
the rookie goes to the cleaning table.

It is clear that he is far from being
accepted as one of the group.

More crabs means more work,
and it's tiring.

Fatigue changes everyone,
young and old.

- Get off me, John!
- Get the f*ck out of here!

Stand on the other side!
Keep an eye on the back of the cage!

John waddles around the deck
trying to learn the tricks.

The veterans
are also starting to crack.

Kenny is the oldest

- and he feels
more exhausted than the others.

As the last cage is hauled up,
Kenny almost sleepwalks.

The crew only gets a short break,
before the next row of cages goes up.

Don Huggins, the boat's engineer,
has had enough of the rookie.

He should listen more
and think less.

Otherwise he slows me down.

And then he does dangerous things.

Kenny seems to have
to have had enough.

If I got as smashed,
as he gets from fishing.

- I wouldn't bother doing it.

He complains every time
he moves.

If it hurts so much,
why the hell keep doing it?

I think he's hoping to
to croak on the deck.

Crab fishing is relentless,
and soon a new line will be hauled in.

As the mood starts to drop, so does the
starts to drop, so does the catch.



This time, the number of crabs
has dropped significantly.

- What did you say?
- Nine!

Captain Hendricks
has a tough decision to make.

It will determine the
the outcome of the season.

That was 10 cages,
and it's not looking good.

I have to spread the cages
over two areas.

Now I have to choose an area.

We pick up the cages
and get out of the way.

We're heading north. We're aiming for
to end up at a big shoal.

If we lose, we lose.
If we win, we laugh.

"Fierce Allegiance"
is heading northeast.

- after Captain LaRussa's
miscalculation in deserted waters.

Some boats already have crabs
on board for 100,000 dollars.

"Fierce Allegiance"
has less than 5000.

Now it's time to hurry up
with the cages before the season is over.

The dinner break
has been postponed for a long time.

The 42-year-old rookie
Eric Abrahamson -

- preparing bait,
but he's falling behind.

Therefore, the release of cages
has almost come to a standstill.

Everyone has been delayed
because of the newbie.

He...

He doesn't give his all,
and that's a shame.

Eric's frogman training and raw
liver doesn't seem to be helping matters.

- Come in and eat, damn it!
- We're not ready.

We put bait in the cages,
while we throw them out. Now eat.

Only half are ready.

Sam wants the crew
to eat...

- but Eric slows down the whole boat.

They should get dressed,
drink some water or something.

But instead, they have to work their asses off,
because he's so lethargic.

I've heard that he's tired,
so we'll see how it goes.

Some say he has stopped talking
talking, but he's moving.

Everyone comes and asks,
if I'm okay.

I'm fine. I'm fine.
I just want to be left alone.

When I get tired,
I get a little... quiet.

Eric can't rest for long.

Everyone should prepare bait
and put it in the next cages.

I think...

... that we need to get
the rest of the cages out.

We'll find something.


the crew of the "Saga" are having fishing luck.

Thankfully, it's been going pretty well.





Awesome!



Without warning, the number of
of crabs in the cages drops drastically.

- 7.
- 8.

Many of the crabs are too small
and have to be thrown out again.

"Saga" has gone from 30 per cage
down to two...

- in the same group of cages.

The crabs are moving.
They're gone.

They don't get sleep, but have to prepare
and deploy cages in a new location.

I'm dead tired.

As the day dawns in the east -

- Exposes "Western Viking" cages
in a new location.

They've had a broken cargo hold
and a bad catch.

The big money is flowing away.

The guys are tired.
We've been working all night.

Some have experienced nausea.

With just one nap
in an entire 24-hour period.

- hits fatigue and frustration
even the youngest.

We had a half-hour break.

I went to bed,
but only got fifteen minutes.

That was the nap.

I'm not happy.

They tell us to wait 5 km,
but then it's actually 10.

Then they say we can rest
for 6 km and then it's only 1.5.

We don't ask for much.
We just want a little...

Skippers always lie.
Why can't they just be honest?

Then they wouldn't have to lie all the time.

People always blame each other
and the captain.

If you're at the top of the hierarchy,
you get the most criticism.

It's hard to do.

Ask me if I've slept.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

Are you frustrated?

- No, he hasn't.
- He hasn't slept either.

But the captain has.

Don't you think
the captain has an important job?

- I don't give a sh*t.
- No more complaining, work!



- Bradford, the rookie.
has spent the night in bait for the garden.

I don't know what time it is,
but it's probably six or seven.

- It's twenty in nine.
- Twenty to nine.

The sun hasn't risen yet.

Guess what I'd be doing right now,
if I was at home.

I had been sitting on my motorcycle
on the way to school.

But here I am in the Bering Sea
fishing for crabs... Alaska.

That's great.

You have almost got
all the extra cages up.

They can't wait for a break.

We need three more up,
then we can lay down.

With a bit of luck.


has been hauling cages all night.

Let's see,
what's next.

In a short break

- Captain Larry informs the
informs the crew of the situation.

Well, man,
here's the result.

"Fierce Allegiance" has 1334 crabs
after the first round.

"Saga" has 1300
and "Lucky Lady" 700.

We have 1627, so it looks like...
we're in third place.

Now we need 85 cages.
If we get an average of 40...

- we're up there with the big boys,
like Sig and Western Viking.

"Saga" will probably get a good result.
That's what we have to beat tomorrow.

Then it's time to get
the rally caps on.

It's not over yet.
There's still a long way to go.

Just like Boston, we clean up our act.

- The Packers won.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Go, Packers!

He who laughs last, laughs best.

He who laughs last, laughs loudest.

A full cargo hold and a healthy
crew is the measure of success.

But the Bering Sea can be treacherous.
It gives and takes.

Experienced captains know,
that the sweetness of victory must be savored

- for as long as it lasts.

In the next episode
of "Deadly Catch".

Some boats break out of the pack.

I've spread them out, I fool.
They're everywhere.

Other boats are unlucky.

I chose the wrong page
in the beginning.

But nothing stops the Bering Sea
and the hunt for the magic crab.