01x07 - High Hopes

[bunniefuu]

January in the vast Bering Sea.

Almost 2.5 million km2 of violent
and unpredictable ocean

- which is home to a lucrative,
but deadly catch: Alaskan crabs.

Heavy machinery, high waves
and harsh weather are dangerous.

Snow crab season
is only 17 hours old.

But the Bering Sea has already
demanded a high price from the fleet.

During a storm, the 28 meter long
the 28 meter long Big Valley.

Five men died.

A few hours later...

Man overboard! Man overboard!

... a sailor from The Sultan
fell overboard and drowned.

Despite the tragic losses
the fleet continues to fish.

Snow crab season
only lasts for a few days.

Run, run, run! We're waiting for you!

The captains' strategies are set.

We have 25 left.
Now we just need the location.

The crab pots are in the water.

Let's get started.

We'll see who gets the biggest share
in the wealth of crabs.

- Let's go!
- We're gonna set this thing on fire!

DEADLY CATCH

Two days ago
the crab fishermen left Dutch Harbor.

They set off
towards the northern part of the Bering Sea.

This is where the snow crab lives.

The Bering Sea
is a dangerous place to fish.

Ships can disappear
with little or no warning.

Just 16 hours ago.
Big Valley sank during a storm.

It's a reminder that,
that the danger is real.



- Captain Sig Hansen is further
away than most other ships.

You're a long way from the coast guard,
if something goes wrong.

Accidents do happen. No matter how
skilled you are, something happens.

We don't want that.
But with that in mind...

- you hope,
instincts will take care of the rest...

After the sinking of the Big Valley
Captain Sig is tense.

I couldn't sleep.

I was worried about the ship,
so I couldn't sleep.

- I woke Edgar up.
- We were going to drive for four hours.

There was too much noise in the ship.

The waves hit the keel.

Sig woke up
and woke me up.

He started the engine,
and we took shifts.

We got an hour less sleep,
than we thought we would.

- How are you, Adam?
- Uh, fine.

How's it going, Adam?!
How's it going?!

You see..,
what I have to put up with?

After less than two hours of rest
the first 90 pliers need to be pulled up.

The crew prepares for
for a day without sleep.

We need to figure out
how much we're going to make.

The first pot is a clue.

If it's full,
there are plenty of crabs everywhere.

We'll find out in three minutes.

I haven't washed the cup,
since we left. Now it's okay.

Fish scales and bacteria...
That's something I love.

You don't look happy, Adam...
He probably misses his mom.

Want to start stacking these?

It's going to be a long day.




The crew goes up on deck.

They have to work hard
in the long Arctic night.

They play with their lives on the line
to bring home the pot.

DEADLY CATCH

Hundreds of kilometers
northwest of Dutch Harbor.

- Northwestern is about to haul in
the first of the 90 tees.

Matt misses the first throw of the season.

For the superstitious crew
it's a bad omen.

But he makes it
on the second try.

After two hours of sleep, they get ready
for the work ahead.

I'm waking up...
Catch crabs, make some money.

Show me the money.
I'm not here for my health.

Here's the tarp!
Let's see what's inside.

Slide it over.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! That's not good.

Not good, not good at all.

- There was nothing in the first pond.
- It was really poor.

Try this one.
Let's see how it performs.

One empty pot...
and 89 pots still on the same line.

It's not good news.

That's not good.
That's some bad sh*t.

Two pots and zero crabs.

It's not so good.

There will be
a lot of sour faces before long.

That's because
because Matt's first throw failed.

Someone has to take the blame.

They've been there for 15 hours,
and 10 days probably wouldn't be enough.

There are no crabs here.

Three pots and no crabs.

It starts with empty pots,
and it's scary.

A full pot can be worth
worth over 2,000 dollars.

But if it's empty, it means you've
you've wasted time and effort.

It can't go well every time.
That's why it's called fishing.

We need to go through the equipment,
so we can see what it's saying.

I'll pull up the next one
a bit irregular...

I should pick up the next one.

But I'll take the third one and see
what's further east.

I'm curious to see,
what's in that direction.

Crabs!

I just made a nickel!
I'm sorting, guys.

We suck.

The snow crab lives in constantly
migrating groups on the seabed.

The few crabs in the pots tell Sig,
they've been here.

Now he has to find out
where they've gone.

We need to pull them up
and move on.

It was...

It was surprising.
I thought there would be something.

It wasn't what
I had hoped for.

I hope we can save the season.
I was hoping for life in the pond.

Not good,
but what can you do?



- the crew of the Billikin
haul in their first pots.

Captain Jeff Weeks has held the
the catch record for the past three years.

He doesn't want to lose that title,
so the pressure is on.

The screen shows that my location
is east-west over approximately 30 km.

On the 30 km
we should encounter crabs.

I hope we find some crabs soon
crabs and that the numbers increase.

It's very stressful.

On the side! On the side!

The first pots
have been in the water for 18 hours.

Hopefully
there are crabs in them.

The first pot is up on the deck.
It doesn't look good.

That's not a good sign.

Not a single crab!

- Oh...! What a load of crap!
- That's it?

Billikin's pots are not empty,
but there are no crabs in them.

They have cod in them.

Cod is good crab bait,
but they're not the ones they want.

They are not nearly as valuable,
as the crabs they attract.

Another octopus...!

They seem to catch
everything but crabs.

There are no crabs in this area.

We east-west. We are now sailing east
hoping to find something.

We will get some rivets.

But it is disheartening
not to see a single crab...

Nitter...

Some days it's a full house
from day one. But it's too easy.

We have to work for it.



- Captain Pete Liske of the Lady Alaska
of the Lady Alaska is taking a different course.

He has laid out the tools
over a wide area.

I put out 72 pots
over 110 km yesterday.

That's about 1 pot
for every 1.5 kilometers.

I've never heard of anyone
that spread the tarps so much.

It might be stupid,
but it's done.

Normally, the pots are exposed
at a distance of half a kilometer

- to get the most crabs in each.

Pete wants to know how the crabs
migrate and therefore increases the distance.

There are probably some people fishing here.

If we sail


- we'll probably get a bit of a head start.

The captain tries his hand
with different bait.

Instead of mixing the cod
with herring

- he uses salmon
to lure the crabs.

The crab thinks it's salmon,
and it likes it better.

Salmon is more expensive. But if they provide
more crabs, it's worth the price.

The guys on deck are ready to
to haul in, so we're busy.

The second part of Pete's strategy
is based on his faith.

"Glory to God in the highest!"
Luke 2:14

Father, protect us today...

- when we work on deck
and in the engine room.

Bless the crew and film crew.

Give us a productive day
with good information and success.

- We honor and praise You. Amen.
- Amen. Amen.

Point four is 3 km from the first pond.
We mark them with red stars.

Red stands for the blood of Jesus, the stars
means we want to be stars ourselves.

We're getting closer. I can see them!
Okay, it's time...!

Sail slowly forward,
until the line tightens, right?

I throw the buoy out along the deck.

Let's be careful,
until we see how it goes.

Like everyone else, fishermen hope
everyone else that the pots are full.

Since snow crabs are smaller
than dagger tails.

- a pot can
can hold 800 or more.

God, give us crabs!
We want crabs.

Remember to be careful,
when hoisting.

Now it's time for the first pot.
We'll see what happens.

The crew gets a blessed
amount of crabs, but they're no good.

They are too small
and of poor quality.

They are not on par with others.

They are uneven around the edges.
They're not exactly what we want.

She's ugly... quite ugly.

The crew has to throw
most of them out again.

They are all dirty, small
and full of barnacles.

Not good.
It's not acceptable.

We haul up the pots
and sail somewhere else.


That's not very good.

We would like to have more,
but at least it's males.

They've certainly gone in the tank.
Crabs in the tank are money in the bank.


is Billikin.

They've been hauling up empty pots
for the last 20 hours.

Come on, you creeps.
Where are you?

Something that adds to the frustration
of not getting crabs...

Andrew... Danger. Do you copy?

Billikan's new husband, Andy

- is always in the wrong place
at the wrong time.

Now open the hatch, Andy...

Andy is getting on Jeff's nerves,
and they're already frayed.

I'm just waiting for you.

We don't need bait now.
Don't worry about it, Andy. Help the others.

Run, run, run... We're waiting for you!

Just as Andy is about to find out
a wave breaks the hook loose.

It quickly becomes a 25 kilogram weapon,
solid steel weapon.

- swinging wildly across the deck.

Get down, Andy.
Andrew! Andrew! Just get down...

I guess I forgot to
I guess I forgot to tell him.

They're lucky. Andy's inexperience
didn't lead to an accident.

Jeff heads west
in search of better fishing spots.


in the otherwise troubled Bering Sea.

- Lady Alaska has found
an unusual ally: the weather.

We have good weather today. 10 m/s
easterly wind and 2.5 m high waves.

I hope it stays that way.
It makes work easier.

You don't have to struggle to stay
to stay upright. It's the ideal weather.

After a disappointing start

- the crew performs
an auspicious ritual.

They cover Kyle in mud.
The ground is muddy here.

When the mud comes up
with the tarp, they take it and...

... smearing it on each other's coats
and jackets. They fool around.

Come here, Kyle.
You're full of mud.

You've got to have a little fun.

It helps to be a little silly.

It makes the time go faster,
and you get a little variety.

Show me why they call you "the bulldog"!
Show me!

The pots come up
with a few more crabs.

But Pete isn't satisfied. He thinks,
the problem could be the bait.

They don't eat the salmon...

But on the outskirts... there the
the crabs eat the salmon, so I don't know.

I hope not,
we have bad bait.

We use the frozen fish,
we bring from the city.

But we also use some of the
of the cod we have caught in the pots.

It probably helps a lot.
They like fresh cod.

The cod you pulled out of the sea,
goes back out again... as bait.

Pete will haul up the pots and
change bait in the hope of better luck.

It could be a long day,
if we don't get crabs...

A long day,
lasting well into the night...

- as they search for the
the elusive snow crab.

DEADLY CATCH


is Northwestern.

Captain Hansen and the crew
catch up and hope for better luck.

The creaking sound of the hoist
is a good sign.

Can you hear how loaded the hook is?

Yes...!

That's it, that's it, that's it! That's f*cking great.

With every full pot
morale rises at Northwestern.

The men risk their lives
in the pursuit of happiness.

Finally, it pays off.

- We're still counting...
- What's wrong with that?

One hundred!

Great!

Do they work?

I got really nervous.

It's the stuff,
dreams are made of!

Now I'm getting paid!

I love this...

That's why I came along...
to see the last full teine.

That's what I'm talking about!
I'm going to Hawaii!

- It's full of crabs.
- Is that number 1-1-2?

- Yes, yes, yes!
- I'm done!

We should put ten out there,
where it was.

They catch over 600 crabs
per pot.

I am extremely satisfied
with this catch.

Captain Sig sailed to the northwest
to get the other ships at a distance.

The clever Norwegian wants to
to keep the space a secret.

I turn off the lights
so as not to attract anyone.

They're just curious.
I've done the same.

I don't want to advertise if there
turns out to be something.

The number is okay, but not stable,
as far as I can tell.

We have a few people around us,
so we turn off the lights.

Otherwise, we can meet up. When things are going well,
you want to hide.

They can see us on the radar,
but they sure as hell don't see the light.

It's good to turn off every once in a while,
so they don't know where you are.


Big Valley lies Maverick.

Quashnik's crew is rewarded
rewarded for their rescue efforts.

- with full pots and pans.

But now you have problems
with a line with 25 pots.

I probably skipped a pot.

I must have passed it. Oh, sh*t! Oh, sh*t!

Finally, he spots the buoy,
but he's got a new problem.

As the crew pulls in the line,
the line is in disarray.

It looks as if
a whole line has gone haywire.

Pick it up, guys. There you go, there you go.
Don't get your hand tangled up in it...

If you get a big knot,
the buoy disappears into the water.

Then you never see the tarp again.
We were lucky to get it up.

With a limited number of pliers
you have to keep track of them all.

They probably think they can get their hands on it.
Or they wouldn't fuss with it.

Damn it, guys. Come on, come on, come on, come on!
I told you.

The line is free.
Hopefully it was worth the effort.

Yes, yes, yes! Now it's starting to look like something.

With over 300 crabs on board
the pot is worth 800 dollars.

If the rest of the line is doing well,
it could be worth 20,000 dollars.

This is what they like: Green mud.
They live in green mud.

That's a good sign.

When the fishing boat finds the right
place, there are crabs everywhere.

Green mud.

No matter what time of day,
it's...

... morale goes up,
when they find crabs.

Yes, yes, yes! Now it's starting to look like something.

Good for you!

It's going to be okay, buddy.

It's going well.

A few hundred crabs per pot
after a few hours in the water.

It's coming up!

When crab fishing is going so well,
even the captain shows up on deck.

I want to make sure there aren't too many
too many barnacles and dirt.

I want to make sure
the crabs are nice and clean.

Nice crab. I'm satisfied.
They don't get any cleaner.

If we stay,
we'll have a full load in three or four days.

I go back to my seat.

At Maverick
you've been working all night.

- to make up the 12 hours
it took to rescue Big Valley.

The pots contain over


One of Donna's home-cooked meals
is a welcome reward.

Very tasty, my friend.
It's the best I've ever tasted.

I'll get a hold of Mike.

On a crab boat
breaks are few and far between.

It's time to go up
and haul in the next row of pliers.

If we don't go upstairs,
he'll come down and yell at us.

Get your mittens on!

Even though Rick and I have five daughters,
I consider these my children.

They are my extended family,
and I'm proud of them.

It's looking pretty good, captain.

Now it's time to buckle up.
There will be no sleep.

We get lots of crabs.

I'm going to be rich.

Life is good!
We've got three with 500 in each.

It doesn't get any better than this.
A beautiful, calm day.

We make money.
We love life.

Fantastic!

The captain knows where they are.

With so many crabs in the cargo
and an overflowing sorting table.

- Donna also joins
joins the crew.

Crabs are here!

I just have to sort out the kids
and not get in the way of the others.

I don't go out here very often...
only when there are so many crabs.

I'm not as good as them.
I have to use the target.

I'm afraid to bring the little ones along.

But they're great crabs, aren't they?

Check it out here.
It's right on the edge.

If there are spaces here,
it's too small.

With arms full of crabs
you forget the tragedy of the season.

The Mavericks crew are happy
living and doing what they love.


Billikin finally gets some crabs.

But the same goes for
a number of other ships in the area.

We knew we would find crabs.
Now we just have to work faster.

If anyone can catch up,
it's us... And we will.

I don't imagine
that we're alone in this.

On the radar I can see 20 ships
within a 19 kilometer radius.

I assume they are doing the same thing.

At this rate
the season can quickly come to an end.

Captain Jeff knows
he has to run fast.

He turns to an old friend,
Jim Hilt, for advice.

I'm just saying,
we should put out 10 to 15 pots...

If it's good here,
we can head east.

- This 90 pots thing is crazy.
- You can say that again.

I don't want to go back 30 miles.
I think there are crabs here.

And here, too.
But it's far away...

Jim was once Jeff's boss.

When Jeff was a deckhand,
Jim was captain of the Billikin.

He left the helm to design boats
boats, and Jeff became a captain.

Now Jim is back and the two
captains have joined forces.

They share the work in the wheelhouse.

I'm going out on the deck because...
I'm tired of being inside.

And Jim makes me do it all the time.

It's a lot of fun,
especially when it's not freezing cold.

Has anyone seen my coat?

Always last.

Working on deck
puts Jeff in touch with the crew.

And they're happy for the help.

It's good that Jeff is coming out here.
He's a great guy.

Jeff stands at the railing
looking after the hydraulics.

The crew gets a break
from their normal duties.

When Jeff turns on the hydraulics,
two steel hooks grab the pulley.

When most of the crabs are on the table
on the table, Jeff shakes off the last ones.

If the hooks don't work, the
loosens and crushes everything in its path.

With icy tires, round-the-clock shifts
and heavy machinery at work.

- a crab cutter is
a lurking accident.

The vigilance of the crew
means the difference between life and death.

- on the cold Bering Sea.

DEADLY CATCH

Snow crabs are elusive creatures.

They constantly migrate in flocks
across the seabed.

Information from the surface helps
the crew to track them.

For Captain Weeks, the work
on deck and the contents of the piers

- a chance to learn more so that
he is at the forefront of the situation.

He returns to the wheelhouse
to discuss strategy.

The last of the first two
was the best I've seen.

There was a big difference between the crabs
in the other one you picked up.

There were many crabs in it,
but they were small and...

We can put it out here
and put twelve over here.

There are probably plenty of crabs.
It's only 5 miles away.

- Want to check?
- Uh, yeah, I do. That's what I'm talking about.

If there's nothing there,
we lay down there or there.

I know there are crabs.
We might as well take them now.

There are 18 ships already there.

We get a piece of it.
Afterwards, there's nothing left.

- We'll go there.
- Maybe I should drive.

- I came up with the idea.
- That settles the matter.



- fishing the Lady Alaska within
sight of almost the entire fleet.

After a dismal first round, Pete switched
Pete switched bait from salmon to cod.

Now the crew is struggling to
loading fresh fish into the pots.

Crabs can be picky eaters.

They don't like the bait,
they won't go in the pots.

No one believes
that the salmon was worth the money.

Is there enough cod?

Good for you.
Put plenty of bait in the pots.

Captain Liske may be
far out at sea...

...but when his wife calls,
he makes time for his family.

I'm not happy, Sarah.
I'm trying to make a living here.

Your mom has to call me,
because you're naughty.

You're upsetting mom. Besides, you're
you're disobeying, and that's a sin.

We have nine adopted children.

Actually 16,
but the seven have flown the nest.

There's nonsense with a child today.
I love and respect my wife.

She has the hardest job in the world.

It's hard to be a mom,
when Dad is gone 6-8 months out of the year.


Northwestern has been gaining momentum.

They have laid out lines, hauled up pots
and sorting crabs for 12 hours.

I can't take it anymore.
I have no more strength.

The men are frozen and hungry...
but happy.

They have almost filled the front
cargo hold, which holds 36,000 kilograms.

The season has only lasted 30 hours,
but they've earned $7,000 each.

You don't get any money
for squid.

All tools are in the water,
and you get a well-deserved break.

- Welcome to the "Butter Hole".
- The largest pot contained 800.

With that pot of tea
I can go to Hawaii.

I used to just go on a bus tour
in the local nature park.

While the crew is partying,
Captain Sig is up in the wheelhouse.

He tries to
to put it all in perspective.

I'm a pessimist.

I prefer to keep my mouth shut so I don't
ruin their day or...

... takes the credit away from them.

That's me, so I keep quiet and watch,
what tomorrow brings.

You go from poverty
to t-bonesteaks on two pots.

Don't sell the hide,
until the bear is shot.

- How long have you been up?
- Has anyone seen my coffee cup?

I get goofy, so I
I've probably been up late.

I'm a little tired.

It looks like we'll have a few hours
break to sleep and eat.

To sum up the day
we'll set this one on fire.

Don't do that at home!

We've been lucky with the catch.
But I don't want to...

I don't want to...

What do you say? "Sell the fleece"?
I'm not selling my skin yet.

It's the second day and the Bering Sea
is unusually calm.

Only 24 hours have passed
after the disaster.

But the fleet continues with one
goal: to fill the ships with crabs.

In the next episode
of "Deadly Catch":

Half the season has passed,
and it's time for the final sprint.

- Until Wednesday, with any luck.
- Two more days to go.

You start the final sprint.

There will be no rest
for the battered fishermen.

The crabs are on the run.

Some get the big win...

We double our average.

... while others hope for a miracle.

A miracle has happened:
I've seen crabs.

... as the hunt
for the deadly catch continues.