01x10 - The Final Run

[bunniefuu]

January in the vast Bering Sea...

Almost 2.5 million square kilometers
of violent and unpredictable water.

And there's a lucrative,
but dangerous catch, Alaskan crabs.

Men risk life in the bitter cold
for the sake of adventure.

- and the chance to
to recoup your share.

But the season has taken its toll
on the most hardened of souls...

- Man overboard!
- He fell overboard.

Six men have already lost their lives.

Luckily, there are only 24 hours left
of the deadly season.

The men have barely slept for days.
The fatigue is getting to them.

Drowsiness, long reaction time
and possible missteps

- makes the last hours
the most dangerous.

Proving once again,
that crab fishing in Alaska

- may be the world's most
deadliest job in the world.

DEADLY CATCH

Five days ago, a fleet of
of 171 fishing boats was at sea.

Among them were Northwestern,
Lady Alaska, Maverick...

... Billikin and Retriever.

On the Bering Sea
every second counts.

The captain's strategy can
result in poverty or abundance.

The last 24 hours
are crucial for every boat.

At 1 a.m., Maverick is 120 kilometers
southwest of Saint Paul Island.

After barely sleeping
for four days.

- the captain and crew are
are completely exhausted.

Now they're really tired.

We're in the last 24 hours.

The crew takes a nap
on the way to the next line.

The only thing that keeps us going
is that it's almost over.

Captain Rick Quashnick
doesn't get any sleep.

He has been discussing strategies
with the partner boat all night.

I would go around 2/10.

Donna sees how tired Rick is
and warns everyone of a rough day ahead.

If he gets grumpy,
don't take it personally.

As the crew goes up on deck,
there's trouble ahead.

Inside were two small
with a size of...

... maybe three inches.

Less than five kilometers away
is the partner boat Cornelia Marie.

It picks up empty pots and pans.

Maverick has pots in the same area,
so they too can be empty.

I can't believe it! It's unbelievable.

- What is that, Rick?
- That's so f*cking bad!

We've set out 20 pots
in a f*cking desert!

If there are crabs, they are far away,
and we have 20 pots in a desert.

We didn't need this.

The crew gets ready
for one last push.

The tank is almost full and 44,000 kg
has been delivered to the cannery.

The last lines determine whether the catch
will be good or record-breaking.

I hope we can fill the tank
in the last 22 hours.

Have you booked a hotel in Vegas?

We've been talking about
getting a new floor and going to Tahoe.

We're going out on the slopes
and hunt for ski bums.

I just want to go back to bed.

So far, despite their despair,
the tethers of the first line are good.

I hope that this pond will be
like the last one. There will be more!

It's hard,
and the sea is unforgiving.

But it looks like it could be
Mavericks' best season.

DEADLY CATCH


aboard the Northwestern.

- Captain Sig Hansen has a season,
most skippers dream of.

The tanks are overflowing with
almost 91,000 kg of crabs.

And there are still


There is not enough time to unload
at the factory and head out again.

You have to squeeze them together.
It goes on and on and on.

Sig and the crew are considering
storing crabs on deck.

It makes me sick to think about
throwing them out again.

We make a container and flush them.
Leave it at that.

With such a large catch, the
captain makes a risky decision.

They need to build a tire load.

We're going to line up the pots and
make a square with space in the center.

- tie them together and make
a container, fenced off with tarps.

If you use the pots
for storage

- the crew can store
an additional seven to 14 tons.

The crabs on the deck give


But only if they
survive the trip to the factory.

To build the container, they have to
over and over again put 400 kg in place

- on an icy, rocking tire.

The dangerous crab fishing
becomes even more dangerous.

Put it down!

All the way down!

The cages are in place. There are 15 hours
to go when the first pot is hauled up.

Look out, Ryan!

It's not easy to find
a safe place on deck.

- What is it?
- This isn't going to work at all.

Don't get in the way!

But a 360 kg pot
swaying above their heads...

- the smallest mistake
can send a sailor into the Bering Sea.

That's why you shouldn't
shouldn't be up there... yet!

Get out of the way! I'm turning the pliers.

Turn it, Kevin.

Even when packed in ice and water
crabs can only survive for 24 hours.

But the crew hopes,
that's enough time.

At Northwestern, greed
has won out over safety.

That's a risk the crew
may come to regret it.

You will do
anything for money.


despair reigns on Billikin.

The 14 m long boat has been
one of the big catchers in recent years.

It has caught
an average of 115,000 kg per year.

Now there's less than 12 hours to go,
and they only have 45,000 kilograms.

Billikin's tanks are
less than half full.

Captain Jeff Weeks
is very disappointed.

We've hauled in some crabs,
ranging from lousy to passable.

The season has been characterized
of hope and disappointment.

The pots were empty so often,
that all hope was dashed.

With just a few hours left in the season
the luck doesn't seem to be changing.



Seven, seven. Six, seven.

The captain makes a bold,
but risky decision.

We've taken half the pots.
We have 40 left.

We'll probably leave them
for a few hours.

We take up the pots at eight o'clock.

They are on the crabs,
and we want them all in.

We haul up the crabs,
throw them in the tank and go home.

Instead of picking up the pots
and laying them out again.

- Jeff will leave them for a longer
time to catch more crabs.

He is betting that the wait can
give them the desired 25 tons of crabs.

On the other hand
it might not pay off at all.

The crew can only
wait and speculate.

Billikin has made his final move.

Only nine hours to go
of the 2005 opilio crab season.

After a day in the south
Retriever has positioned itself to the north

- just a few kilometers
from Northwestern.

At Retriever, the season has
has been a difficult one.

You have had problems with the pipes
and short circuits in the electrical cabinet...

... and sick and injured
crew members.

The boat has lost half a day's
day of fishing and only caught 50 tons of crabs.

To make matters worse
the cold is really starting to bite.

Any movement becomes painful.

My ears hurt,
but that's what I'm here for.

To feel the pain!

At this late stage, neither sorting
sorting, behavior or hygiene.

On the way to the last line


Everything is stopped on Retriever.

The engines have stopped.

The ship is a drifting hull
with the prospect of trouble.

An emergency in the Bering Sea
is a life-threatening situation for fishermen.

Their lives depend on correct
judgment and wise actions.

Following the rules of the sea can be
the difference between life and death.

In the treacherous waters lurk
reminders of the danger beneath the surface.

With stories like Saint Patrick
and the mistakes they made in mind...

You learn from them
and don't want to repeat them.

Divers explore the wreck
of the magnificent Saint Patrick.

November 29, 1981

- the 48 meter long Saint Patrick
set out to fish for scallops.

The 11-man crew
included two newbies.

Deckhand Wally Thomas, 23
and chef Vanessa Sandin, 19.

Some guys my age were experienced,
but I was a real newbie.

On the third day at sea
Saint Patrick was caught in a storm.

Some wore survival suits.

I thought they were kidding me
and other inexperienced

- because I had seen
this kind of nonsense before.

It was no joke; the boat heeled
and got a 90-degree list.

The alarm sounded and a
a distress signal was sent out.

Captain Green said:
"We've got to get off, she's capsizing."

The crew rushed
to the life raft.

"If I make it to the Navy, I can survive
survive without the suit," I thought.

But the fleet was gone.

I panicked. I could only
survive for a short time in the water.

Wally decided to
to sacrifice his life.

I said: "I'm not wearing a suit,
I'm staying and calling Mayday, Green."

"I have a suit in my cabin."
he said.

Wally searched and found the suit.

The 11 crew members tied themselves
together and jumped into the sea.

The temperature was
only just above freezing.

It was a jumble of ropes and people,
and the ship was inches away from us.

We shouted to each other that we
to get out of the way so it wouldn't hit us.

The nightmare had only just begun.

Before dawn, Wally would
would be near death several times over.

Three guys who jumped without suits,
were dead in minutes.

Captain Green drifted away.
Jay lost consciousness.

We heard him shouting,
as he drifted away.

Shortly after, Tom died.

It's horrifying.
A terrible nightmare.

Sometimes it took
unbearable decisions to survive.

Wally knew that those who couldn't
survive had to be left behind.

I opened the life jacket so that he
sank and we could swim on.

It was probably reckless,
but we had to think of the living.

I hope that God
and his family forgives me for that.

The next day, half of them were dead,
and the survivors were scattered.

But Wally and Vanessa
stuck together.

She didn't say much,
but she sat there and held on.

In the afternoon, the couple saw a
helicopter searching for survivors.

It was probably less than a mile away.
I could see the crew.

We started waving
to be seen.

Their hopes were dashed
when the helicopter disappeared.

"I don't think I can take anymore."
she said.

She who had been so strong,
was unconscious in minutes.

Wally realized
that his coworker was dying.

She fought as hard as she could.

Vanessa was dead.

Wally was now left to fend for himself
through another night at sea.

I told myself,
I didn't want to die.

Wally was right. The next morning.
he was 50 meters from Marmont Island.

"I can't stay in the water;
I have to get to land."

Before I was ready, a wave
grabbed me and swept me away.

He fought
in the harsh surf.

I climbed up and the adrenaline
probably subsided and I fell asleep.


Wally's dream came true:

A boat close to the shore.

It was encouraging because they were there
to look for us on the beach.

The Coast Guard
wasn't far behind.

Soon he found himself
in a rescue basket.

I had enough adrenaline to
to grab on and he pulled me up.

In the helicopter, Wally was told that
coworker Bob Kidd had survived.

But his happiness turned to tears,
when he learned that the ship never sank.

Being told she never sank,
has left a bitterness.

The Saint Patrick was towed to
Womens Bay and eventually sank.


lies a reminder that

- that leaving the ship is a last resort
to abandon ship.

Everyone would have been alive. We would have
would have had a rough night, but...

We all wanted to be alive.

At 17 o'clock the Lady Alaska is fishing


It's seven hours and the crew of the
of the Lady Alaska are hard at work.

They are on the
the last line of pliers.

They have found crabs,
but probably too little, too late.

The tank, which can hold 160,000 kg,
is not even half full.

Pete Liske loses faith.

I would have liked to have gotten a full catch,
but today was mediocre.

That doesn't usually happen to me.

The whole season
has been full of obstacles.

We have lost five or six
crew members.

Is it worth five or six
worth the lives of five or six people? Absolutely not.

Absolutely not.

It's always tough on the Bering Sea.

But this season
has been more dangerous than most.

And it has taken
heavily on the men.

It should be your last season,
but you always come back.

It's in your blood.

Sometimes you swear you'll
never to come back.

The sea really does call.

I am a fisherman.
I always will be.

Day gives way to darkness.
The fishermen are still hauling in pots.

They hope that the reward
will be greater than the hassle.

The pots that are hauled up are full,
but few stay on target.

We're on one of the last lines.

Half-full pots of small crabs.
You're not allowed to keep them.

The pots contain only females
and young crabs.

You have to "dump" them.

Make sure,
there aren't any we can keep.

There was nothing marketable there. There was
no need to sort them.

We have already done that,
and we only got seven authorized crabs.

Another half-full pot
with small crabs.

Another pot to dump.

Two worthless ones in a row. Ouch, that hurts.

Throwing out crabs
is for Lady Alaska.

- only to make
a bad season even worse.

But you know that life on the
Bering Sea is not for sissies.

DEADLY CATCH



- the Retriever still drives
without power and hydraulics.

Everything stands still,
until you find the problem.

And you're completely
at the mercy of the Bering Sea.

It's a dangerous place
to be in.

After several hours, it finally manages to
to start the emergency generator.

It provides power,
but the problems are far from over.

The engine is not getting fuel,
and the ship is drifting.

It's impossible to fish.

Finally, the problem is
the problem is localized.

Problems with the tank
obstructs the filtration in the centrifuge

- which causes clogging.

The filters become covered in residue.

In order to get started
they need to be emptied and changed.

The crew can
return to work.

Precious hours have been lost.
Now every second counts.

With only 13,000 dollars in your pocket
and three hours left in the season.

- the crew begins to haul in
the last line with pots.

The volume is not what they had
hoped for and the pressure is taking its toll.

Communication on deck
breaks down.

To make up for lost time
the last pots must be full.

So far, it doesn't look good.



- Maverick hauls in the magical
season's final 15 tees.

I'm so happy that I could
buy gifts for my enemies.

The season began
with sacrifice and hardship.

Maverick was looking for missing people
from the Big Valley.

Sadly, they were too late.

It's a sad day.

But the deeds of the good Samaritans
deeds were well rewarded.

The crew beat the odds.

The tanks were filled twice.

Now everything depends
on the boat's final reefers.

This is the last line
in the 2005 opilio crab season.

We have about...

We might have...


We get what we get,
that's just the way it is.

Hopefully
we get a lot.

There probably can't be any more
in the tank. It's probably full.

The tank is full,
and there are still pots in the water.

Unlike Sig, Rick chooses
safety over profit.

He doesn't want a tire load
on the way to the port.

Too large a catch
can be problematic.

It pisses me off that they won't
will not let us load on deck.

We catch more crabs,
than we can keep.

The crew will not
throw out a single crab.

They store the excess
in plastic tubs.

They hope that the catch will sink
and make room for more crabs.

This results in higher profits.

If the catch does not sink, the
the crew must throw them out again.

Here comes the final piece.

Victory is ours!

Victory is ours...!

So here it is. This is the one
you can wait your whole life for.

You have no idea how proud
I am of you! You're my boys!

They end with overflowing tanks.

More good news to come
on Maverick.

The catch is down,
so there's room for more.

We thought we might have too much
too much, but it's gone down.

The load is full to bursting point.
That's all you can ask for.

The season ends in two hours.



- Northwestern has been throwing crabs
on the deck all day.

It's great!

We're going out in style.

The crew has collected
an additional 4500 kg of crabs.

But the work is extremely dangerous.

The handling of the pliers
is very time consuming.

Edgar questions his brother's
decision to take on the tire load.

You might need a few more crabs
to justify the work.

But, uh...
I just do what I'm told.

It's far too risky
for so little crabs.

You have a few pots left,
boys. Take it easy for crying out loud.

He didn't say that
ten minutes ago.

The exhausted fishermen
try to keep up the pace.

So far, incredibly, no one has
no one has been hurt.

We have a full pot here.
We have 270-320 kg of crabs in there.

We see 600-700 kg of crabs
swaying above our heads.

We're trying to get them down here.

Two men lean out
to open the reins.

It didn't look good at first.

It's dangerous, but it's coming to an end
over. They're at the end of the line.

He can't miss the last teether.
That would be bad!

I set the hook on fire.
Just for fun!

Hell yeah!

It is Norwegian fishing custom to set fire
the hook before the last cast.

And missing the last line is said to
ruin the next season.

Well done!

That's the way to do it!

Thank goodness!

Exhausted and satisfied with their catch
the crew makes an offering to the sea.

You leave the contents of the last
contents for next time.

It's been a rough five days
at Northwestern.

The crew has struggled with
supercooled spray and storms.

They have dared life
by pushing themselves to the limit.

Northwestern returns to the harbor
to the harbor with a record catch.

Northwestern
sets course for the harbor.



- Billikin sees if the ponds' extra
seven hours in the sea has paid off.

"Hang in there and get your paycheck",
I've been told.

Don't run away from the crabs,
and there are crabs here.

At Billikin, they have been
praying for luck for five days.

They were supposed to fish for crabs,
but got cod instead.

Cod...

With 61 empty pots at the beginning
Billikin has had a slow season.

A season with few crabs,
but a lot of heartache.

Now everything depends
on a few final touches.



The pots look great.
We have about 200-300 in them.

That's pretty good. Ty is probably smiling now.
When Ty smiles, the outlook is good.

With a few minutes to go, they haul
they catch up with Billikin for the last time.

It's our last game
in the final "derby season".

It's the end of an era.

The last pot!

They have almost


But on a boat of this size
with high running costs.

- it's not going to be
a fat paycheck for the crew.

On board the Lady Alaska
the last pot is on its way up.

It's been a demanding season.

Big Valley! Big Valley!

The wreck of the Big Valley racing boat took a
hard on the captain and crew.

They kept going
despite the odds.

Pete kept the faith
and was miraculously rewarded.

Praise God. Miracles do happen.

On board the Lady Alaska
the resilience of man prevailed.

They continued to the last pond.

Last pot! Last pot! Last pot! Last pot!

The season ends
with 54,000 kg of crabs in the cargo.

- The last one.
- The last one.

- That's it!
- That's it, that's it, that's it. Now it's over.

We should have done better.
It's a big boat.

But if you don't know where
the crabs are, it doesn't matter.

But I am grateful. The guys have
earned a little bit and they can get other jobs.



- Retriever finally pulls in
large quantities.

In the final minutes
the work is fast and furious.

- to haul in
the last ten pliers.

Come on, come on, come on! Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
Come on, come on, come on, come on! Come on, come on, come on, come on!

At Retriever, the 2005 opilio crab season
the 2005 season has been a nightmare.

They have been hit by
machine failures and empty pots.

And they were always in the wrong place
at the wrong time.

The crabs are
simply not here.

But now it seems to be paying off
to fight the bitter end.

Fantastic!
It seemed like 400-500.

The last one!

Captain Jim Stone
sounds the foghorn.

The crew hauls in the last pot
with a few seconds margin.

Luck turned late for Retriever.

In the end, they ended up with a sizable
amount of 69,000 kg of crabs.

It was the last pot,
and it was good.

Everyone is pretty exhausted.
This season... Ouch!

... is over!

The 2005 opilio crab season
has officially ended.

Now we set course
to Dutch Harbor.

As the skippers set course
towards the harbor.

- exhausted deckhands go straight
to bed... if they make it that far.

They are exhausted,
and sleep is the only cure.

I'm going home on February 1st.

I'll probably try to find work
in construction or...

I don't know, I don't know.
I have to do something.

DEADLY CATCH

The boats rush across the Bering Sea
towards the cannery.

They fight for places in the fleet.

For the factories
"on a first-come, first-served basis.

The longer,
a boat waits to unload.

- the greater the risk of,
the more likely the crabs are to die.

And no one gets anything
for dead crabs.

Northwestern, one of the fastest
boats, arrives among the first.

It's good for the crabs on deck.
Despite the conditions, everyone is alive.

The crabs are quickly unloaded
into giant steel baskets.

They pull them out of our tanks
and weigh them.

They throw them into the funnels
for k*lling and processing.

They go onto the conveyor belt.

On deck, Matt has
has been given an important task.

He has to keep the books in order.

- 47?
- 46.



Their livelihood is at stake,
so every crab counts.



Simple math, but it's my paycheck
my salary is at stake.



Down in the galley, you also try to
trying to keep track of the catch.

But the only numbers,
that matter are Captain Sig's.

- What did you come up with?
- I don't know, I don't know.

I hope your numbers
are better than ours.

We ended up at 214.
I was hoping for around 218.

Matt's tally
is below everyone else's.

Hello, number cruncher.

You were only 9,000 kilograms off.

But no one complains about


A few berths away, on board the
Lady Alaska, the crab cargo is unloaded.

Captain Liske and his crew
receive unexpected good news.

Peter is very happy tonight.

He believes that God has multiplied
the crabs while we were at anchor.

He hopes for it every time,
and this time it happened.

After weighing the load
the amount is 68,000 kg.

That's 36,000 dollars above
Pete Liske's expectations.

God doesn't always give you what you want,
but he gives what you need.

But on Maverick, the
rich harvest has created a problem.

They have been waiting to unload
in the harbor for seven days.

In fact, longer,
than the season lasted.

It's like we've been waiting
a month, but it's probably a week.

Now it's time to unload
unload after the last trip.

When they finally start unloading,
Rick's worst fears are confirmed.

There are dead crabs in the cargo.

When a crab dies in the tank,
it releases a poison.

It kills the crabs around it.

Now it's a loss.

I hope it gets better,
as we get further down.

That's all I can say.

The news of pure loss
is devastating for the crew.

If you want to see dead crabs,
there's plenty to look at.

A bad end to a good trip.

The night has been long
and depressing.

But the morning brings better news.

The loss was not that severe.

I got nervous
about all the dead crabs.

But it got better,
so the day ended well.

Another opilio crab season is over.

The crabs have been weighed.
Now the crew gets their wages.

Billikin made 215,000 dollars. That works out to


With the help of the powers that be.
Lady Alaska raised 269,000 dollars.

That worked out to 13,500 dollars
per tire man.

Retriever raised more than expected
with its 274,000 dollars.

This yielded


Maverick, with his near perfect
season, brought in 362,000 dollars.

This yielded


Northwestern beat everyone
with 385,000 dollars.

This yielded


Not a bad salary
for five days' work.

Crab fishing in Alaska
may be the most dangerous job in the world.

The season has been
characterized by tragedy...

They've found a life raft.
I hope there's someone in it.

... sacrificer...

We might not catch anyone at all.

... and extreme losses.

Man overboard!

Six men died before the sea
finally showed mercy.

You risk life for the sake of adventure
and the quick buck.

It's the final season,
where free-spirited entrepreneurs

- can make a k*lling
on the Bering Sea.

It's over with
this kind of fishing.

In the future, each boat will get a quota,
based on previous seasons.

With a predetermined share
nothing is left to chance.

There will be no more big winners.

It's depressing because you're doing
something that no one else wants to experience.

It's the end of an era.

Alaskan crab fishermen got one last
chance to chase the rainbow.

- hoping to find the pot of gold.

You'll never see this again.

I'm about to start crying,
so don't.