Heading Out to Sea
October in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, means only one thing: king crab season. Bering Sea weather reports warn of a massive storm and some of the roughest seas the fleet has seen in years, and the captains must decide whether to shove off or batten down.
Batten Down the Hatches
The captains take advantage of rare, calm weather on the Bering Sea to drop their pots for king crab fishing. But there's an impending storm, and while some boats wait it out, others decide to risk it and fish through the storm.
On the Crab
In spite of a torrential downpour and a blinding snowstorm, the crews push on as they fish for Alaskan king crab. A broken crane slows down the Northwestern, and the Rollo keeps pulling up female crabs, which are illegal to keep.
The Finish Line
After a profitable offload on Akutan Island, the Northwestern is back on the trail of Alaskan king crab. The Maverick sees a possible change in command, and the Aleutian Ballad is forced to take a greenhorn back to Dutch Harbor.
Friends and Rivals
The Aleutian Ballad is knocked over by a vicious wave, stripping the ship of power and leaving the crew scrambling in the dark. Meanwhile, the exhausted crews of the Time Bandit, the Maverick and the Rollo endure rough weather.
A New Hunt Begins
January in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, finds the fishermen returning to their boats for the opilio crab fishing season. They prep their boats, bait and supplies with the hope that this season will be even more productive than the last.
Smoke on the Water
In an Arctic storm, the Time Bandit pushes on with a limited amount of bait, and the Rollo and the Maverick drop their pots quickly to avoid rolling. The Cornelia Marie is stuck in port, and the Northwestern has success with cod.
Man vs. Ice
Bad crab and long days fray nerves and cause fights on the Maverick and the Rollo. The trailblazing Time Bandit presses north into the Arctic onslaught, and the Northwestern ends up lost after Edgar sits on wheel watch.
On the Edge
The Time Bandit finds their ice pack as the Rollo fishes through gnarly weather. The crew of the Maverick must work through a shipwide flu epidemic, and the Northwestern moves on from cod to opilio crab.
Pribilof Stare
Freezing weather and severe icing claim their first victim on the Cornelia Marie when a deckhand takes a spill. The Time Bandit navigates the northern ice pack, and the Maverick crew attempts to jury-rig a shattered stiff arm.
Race Against the Ice
The Rollo and the Maverick race back to the crab grounds after heavy offloads on St. Paul Island. The Cornelia Marie offloads an injured deckhand, and fishing cod before crab pays off for the Northwestern.
Cashing In
The Maverick does some precision fishing on the ocean floor cliffs, and the Northwestern pulls up massive pots. But with full holds and iced-over decks full of pots, the risk of tipping over while steaming back to port is high.
A Tragic Beginning
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, the largest fishing port in the United States, is buzzing as 81 fishing vessels, including the Northwestern, the Cornelia Marie and the Time Bandit, return to start the 2006 red king crab season.
The Unforgiving Sea
While equipment failures plague the Northwestern and the Cornelia Marie, the Time Bandit and the Maverick start fishing only to have one boat come up empty while the other fills pots.
Pain and Paybacks
After a deadly start, the Bering Sea is still claiming victims. Working in high seas, a deckhand on the Wizard suffers a crippling injury, and the Farwest Leader finds pots of gold at the hands of the captain's wife.
Cheating Death
Halfway through crab season, the grind is on as crews work 40 hours without sleep. Both the Maverick and the Farwest Leader must stop for repairs, and the Time Bandit rescues a fisherman who has fallen off a passing crab boat.
Bering Sea Salvation
As the end of the king crab season draws near, the captains consider their positions in a friendly captains' wager made before the season. The Time Bandit crew starts dropping gear and hauling in record numbers.
The Last Lap
The red king crab season comes to a close. The Northwestern finishes a 30-hour grind and steams for port while the Cornelia Marie returns to Dutch Harbor injury-free. The fishermen have a short rest before opilio crab season.
New Beginnings
As the opilio crab season opens, greenhorns experience the subfreezing temperatures and icy winter waters of the Bering Sea for the first time. The Northwestern's pots are battered by rough weather and sea lions.
Caught in the Storm
High seas cause Andy Hillstrand to call his men off deck on the Time Bandit moments before a rogue wave hits the starboard side. The Northwestern is plagued by bad luck as an engine problem forces the boat to head for port.
Crossing the Line
Busted buoys, broken pots and a blown engine put the Northwestern more than a week behind schedule. A monster storm blows through the Time Bandit and Cornelia Marie's grounds, and both boats fish through the onslaught.
Trials of the Greenhorns
A greenhorn on the Wizard has only worked three days and is already faltering, but the Northwestern and Cornelia Marie greenhorns step up to prove their worth.
Ice and Open Water
The promise of a great catch outweighs the dangerous risks of opilio crab fishing season. The Farwest Leader deals with the loss of one engine, and the Time Bandit is caught in an ice pack when the weather changes drastically.
A Frozen Finish
It's the end of opilio crab season, and while some of the greenhorns have succeeded in their quests to become Bering Sea crab fishermen, others won't be coming back. The crab tally is in, and a winner is declared.
Get 'Em Back Safe!
The fishing fleet sets off to brave the deadly Bering Sea and cash in on king crab. First, the Northwestern must make some quick repairs. The Wizard trains two greenhorns, and the Time Bandit welcomes Johnathan's son, Scott.
Striking Out
The boats fight a fierce Bering Sea storm front as they stake their claim on coveted grounds. The Time Bandit pulls a prank on the Cornelia Marie, and one Wizard greenhorn starts to fall apart after only 48 hours.
A Numbers Game
A mechanical breakdown presses Edgar to make a dangerous repair on the Northwestern while questionable counting makes Sig lose his temper. Phil's failing health impacts the crew of the Cornelia Marie.
Unsafe and Unsound
Greenhorns, skippers and family fishing dynasties begin to crack. On the Northwestern, Sig and Edgar have a contest to see who can fish the longest without sleep, and Johnathan has a brush with death on the Time Bandit.
No Mercy
Tempers flare aboard the Wizard and the Northwestern, and the Time Bandit has a dangerous electrical short. On the Cornelia Marie, Phil's health deteriorates. The Early Dawn runs headlong into high seas when its greenhorn falls asleep at the wheel.
Racing the Clock
With a few weeks left in king crab season, the fate of every deckhand's paycheck sits squarely on his captain's shoulders. The Wizard found the crab early and never lost the scent, and the North American returns to duty.
Seeking the Catch
As the king crab season ticks down, mass amounts of stinging jellyfish in unfilled pots add insult to injury. The Cornelia Marie faces losing their captain for good, and crew mistakes aboard the Northwestern could be costly.
No Season for Old Men
As the king crab season comes to an end, a deck accident slows down the Northwestern. A power outage comes at an inopportune time for the Cornelia Marie, and the North American makes a desperate play.
Storm Season
Opilio crab season begins, and a dual storm system challenges a patched Cornelia Marie and almost costs the Time Bandit two men. A medical emergency brings in the U.S. Coast Guard, but freezing spray puts everyone's lives at risk.
Blow Up
A routine Coast Guard rescue becomes a battle against nature. The Cornelia Marie heads to land for repairs while fatigue causes mistakes on the Northwestern. A greenhorn on the Wizard locks horns with the captain.
Big Weather, Big Trouble
The Time Bandit's captain joins the deck crew and promptly has an accident while showing off his skills. The Northwestern crew is irritating their captain, and a deckhand on the Wizard barely escapes a huge wave.
Mortal Men
Massive storm waves tear up the decks of the Early Dawn, the North American and the Northwestern. On the Cornelia Marie, Phil injures his ribs and begins coughing up blood, but the crew has to force him to get medical attention.
Fresh Blood
The Cornelia Marie's captain Phil heads for the hospital, and the Northwestern strains its crane to the breaking point and destabilizes the ship. The Wizard springs a serious leak, and a greenhorn gets fired.
Changing Tides
While the Northwestern fights the ice pack, the Wizard sets off from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, with tempers flaring and a new greenhorn. Captain Phil's future on the Cornelia Marie is in question.
Catch as Catch Can
The Arctic ice pack descends as the fleet makes its final push. The Northwestern and the Wizard battle freezing spray. The Cornelia Marie's crew suffers from "Bering Sea dementia."
The Final Hour
The captains race to catch the last of their remaining quotas. The Wizard crew can't seem to fill the last of their tanks, and an ominous message comes across the radio as the men head for home ports.
Everything on the Line
As king crab season begins, captains Keith Colburn and Phil Harris could be sidelined by life-threatening illnesses, and all the captains are under huge financial pressure from costly summer boat repairs.
Red Skies in the Morning
The fleet is hunting down the elusive king crab when a vicious storm kicks up, and a mayday goes out. The Coast Guard launches rescue helicopters, and the captains stay glued to their radios.
Stay Focused or Die
Despite tragedy, the captains of the Time Bandit, Cornelia Marie, Wizard and Northwestern send their crews right back to fishing as soon as the weather clears.
Put Up or Shut Up
Grueling hours and vicious hazing test the greenhorns, and some start to crack. The smallest boat in the fleet, the Lisa Marie, arrives on the scene with a young crew and something to prove.
Long Haul, Short Fuses
Crab pots are coming up empty, and the skippers are out of ideas. Low bait and long grinds wear down the crews, and tempers flare.
Deadline
An upcoming drop in the price of king crab has the skippers rushing to finish their season, but crew battles and a fierce Arctic storm block the way.
Down to the Wire
The king crab season is down to the wire, and the captains are desperate to top off their quotas. It looks bleak in the fished-out grounds. Some boats dig deep for an end-of-season sprint, and other boats just scrape by.
Payback Time
It's the start of opilio crab season, and the skippers have their eyes on the oncoming ice pack. Captain Phil Harris reunites with the Cornelia Marie, and the Time Bandit targets the Northwestern's greenhorn for sweet revenge.
No Second Chances
The fleet arrives on the opilio grounds and struggles with ice, big seas and bad information to hunt down the crab. A skipper regrets sending his men out in savage weather to save the boat.
Sea of Misery
In the third week of opilio crab season, long hours and miserable conditions have the crews turning on each other. The Wizard reels from a monster wave that banged up the crew, and an old deckhand is ready to exit the Time Bandit.
Lockout
After filling their boats with opilio crab, the skippers race to the harbor in St. Paul, Alaska, for offload, but the 250,000-square-mile Arctic ice pack stands in their way.
A Slap in the Face or a Kick in the Butt
The skippers face frozen crab, frozen gear and a frozen harbor. On the Northwestern, Sig Hansen battles a fierce storm as he tries to quit smoking, and the Cornelia Marie's Phil Harris has a bubble theory.
Ends of the Earth
The fleet gets word of great fishing by the ice pack, and captains Keith Colburn and Phil Harris fight over fishing turf. Captain Harry Lewis of the Incentive faces his fears and climbs north to frozen waters.
Bitter Tears
The fleet is tired and desperate for home, and deadly mistakes are made. The crews learn that when an ocean lies between a fisherman and his family, tragedy at home spells gut-wrenching heartbreak at sea.
Day of Reckoning
The opilio season is almost over, but an Arctic storm front has the skippers on edge. The boats race to plug their tanks with crab and get back to port unscathed.
Shipwrecked
In the final 24 hours of the opilio crab season, a savage Arctic storm causes multiple vessels to send out maydays. The Coast Guard attempts to save four men before their boat is pounded into splinters against jagged rocks.
Slow Burn
The king crab season begins with tensions at an all-time high. One deckhand threatens to quit while another sets his sights on the wheelhouse. When the captains gather for their annual meeting, a line is crossed.
Breaking 'Em In
A storm looms as the fleet hauls their first king crab. A greenhorn on the Wizard cramps up after just a few pots, and two deckhands are tested on unfamiliar boats.
Sea Tested
An experiment in trading junior deckhands comes to an end. One considers a permanent change, but the other can't wait to get back to the Cornelia Marie. On the Wizard, a skipper's authority is tested by his brother and his crew.
Bering Sea Swim Club
Captains Sig Hansen and Phil Harris reclaim their junior deckhands with a high seas transfer, but the plan quickly spins out of control. The Time Bandit fights to keep the boat from sinking.
Arctic Quest
A monster storm stands between the Time Bandit and their final offload for king crab season. The Northwestern hunts the planet's most elusive crab: blue king. Cornelia Marie captain Phil Harris gives his son, Jake, an ultimatum.
False Pass
A white knuckle, boat-crippling passage stands between the Time Bandit and their final offload. The Cornelia Marie loses power, and a broken circulation pump puts the entire season's worth of king crab in jeopardy.
When Hell Freezes Over
After the Cornelia Marie runs into a reef, Captain Phil Harris faces another massive repair and anxiety about a delayed season. On the winter crab grounds, the skippers run into a huge ice storm and risk capsizing.
We're Not in Kansas Anymore ...
Days spent bashing ice off the boats have the crews in pain. On the Northwestern, the exhausted crew struggles to keep up with Captain Sig Hansen's maniacal pace, and one deckhand pays the price in blood.
Glory Days
The Cornelia Marie gambles on the most difficult fishing grounds, and an ice storm puts the Time Bandit in emergency mode. Meanwhile, a boat calls the Coast Guard for a man suffering from a heart attack.
The Darkened Seas
A Coast Guard helicopter attempts a rescue in dangerous seas. The deck of the Time Bandit becomes a deadly gauntlet of falling ice chunks, and on the Cornelia Marie, the skipper's son reveals a dark secret.
Blown Off Course
Johnathan Hillstrand leaves the Time Bandit for warmer waters. On the Cornelia Marie, Captain Phil Harris pays a heavy price for his hard-living ways, and a phone call home brings heartache to the Northwestern's Jake Anderson.
Empty Throne
A critically ill Captain Phil Harris is flown to Anchorage, leaving his son behind on the Cornelia Marie. Captain Andy Hillstrand trains a young deckhand to be a relief skipper, and the Kodiak's crew gets a night at the bars.
Cain and Abel
Cornelia Marie captain Phil Harris battles for his life in the hospital, and the Wizard is stuck in a maze of ice. Sig Hansen's false promises have his brother, Edgar, on the brink of quitting.
Redemption Day
The Time Bandit deck disintegrates as two deckhands fight for the captain's chair. Edgar Hansen trains his greenest deckhand on the Northwestern's hydros. As the fleet faces epic weather, Phil Harris battles for his life.
Valhalla
Captain Phil Harris loses his battle, and the skippers are unaware of his passing as they battle a huge storm and concentrate on filling their tanks before the end of the season. Phil's son, Josh, breaks the news to the fleet.
Endless
Tensions are high on the Northwestern, where Edgar Hansen is fed up and confronts his older brother, Sig. Josh Harris returns to the Cornelia Marie after his father's death, and the opilio season ends with a harrowing mayday.
New Blood
King crab season begins with an infusion of fresh blood in the young captains of the Seabrooke and Ramblin' Rose. Following the death of their father, brothers Josh and Jake Harris are tested by the Cornelia Marie's new skipper.
Proving Grounds
Empty pots lead to high tensions and low morale. On the Cornelia Marie, the Harris brothers and new skipper pull their first strings of the season. The Seabrooke and the Ramblin' Rose experience polar opposites of fishing fortune.
Old Age and Treachery
Jake Harris gets a sink-or-swim lesson on driving the Cornelia Marie, and danger strikes the Wizard when a crew member gets caught in the line. The Seabrooke defies the fishing odds by pulling up full pots.
Breaking Point
The crane breaks on the Kodiak, sending a crew member to his bunk with a serious injury. The Seabrooke's greenhorn has a mental breakdown, and the crew of the Cornelia Marie must put aside their differences in a storm.
A Wing and a Prayer
Two crew members nearly come to blows on the Northwestern. Captain Johnathan Hillstrand on the Time Bandit takes a massive gamble on barren grounds to find crab, and the greenhorn aboard the Seabrooke goes into a tailspin.
Exit Wounds
In the midst of a rough king crab season, mental and physical breakdowns plague the crew of the Kodiak. A rogue wave threatens the Time Bandit, and a Wizard deckhand summons the wrath of Captain Keith Colburn.
Thick as Thieves
The police are called in after a confrontation on the Cornelia Marie, and a debilitating injury to a Kodiak deckhand ends his career for good. An injury aboard the Ramblin' Rose causes the rookie skipper to have a change of heart.
Graduation Day
The king crab season closes with a fierce Arctic storm, a spectacular prank on the Northwestern by the crew of the Time Bandit and the departure of one of the fleet's most revered fishermen.
Sea Change
Opilio season brings change to every returning boat. Edgar Hansen finally says goodbye to the Northwestern, a new captain boards the Cornelia Marie, and the entire fleet is shut down by one of the largest Arctic storms in history.
Frontier Medicine
A bloodied deckhand has Keith Colburn moving from skipper to doctor. Freezing spray spooks the Seabrooke into an emergency pot drop on the edge of nowhere, and Jake Anderson tries to replace Edgar Hansen on the Northwestern.
Birds, Bones and Blood
As another winter storm rips through the crab grounds, the Ramblin' Rose makes an all-or-nothing gamble, the Time Bandit courts danger at the dock, and a crewman on the Northwestern suffers a bloody, nose-breaking blow.
It's Not All Mai Tais and Yahtzee
A loose pot turns into a half-ton wrecking ball on the Kodiak while a crewman on the Seabrooke is nearly crushed by ice. On the Cornelia Marie, the new skipper courts mutiny with a move to untested fishing grounds.
Pirate School
A captain and a deckhand clash on the Cornelia Marie, and Ramblin' Rose skipper Elliott Neese attempts to fix a possible season-ending breakdown. The Time Bandit's soft-spoken greenhorn goes to the Hillstrands' "Pirate School."
The Island
The treacherous waters off St. Paul Island make offloading crab a terrifying necessity. A harbor surge snaps lines on the Wizard, and Jake Anderson is rewarded with the task of steering the Northwestern safely to dock.
I Smell a Nightmare
As opilio season winds down, two exhausted crewmen on the Time Bandit nearly come to blows. The skippers of the Seabrooke and the Cornelia Marie both suffer debilitating injuries, and the captain of the Wizard erupts.
Mohawks and Madness, Goodness and Gladness
The Bering Sea fleet finishes the season with big pots and big paydays. The Seabrooke captain fights an agonizing illness, and the Northwestern takes revenge on the Time Bandit for a humiliating prank.
The Gamble
The skippers are forced to decide between rolling the dice on the depleted red crab grounds or risking it all to hunt for the elusive blue crab.
Turf War
With the fleet split, a tale of two fisheries emerges. On the blue crab grounds, a captains' bet has the boats jockeying for position while a returning veteran quickly proves his worth on the red crab grounds.
Weak Links
As the fleet grinds through injuries and mental mistakes, the Bering Sea exposes soft spots and weak links in each crew.
The Hook
Halfway through the king crab gauntlet, the beaten-down crews must dig deep to get over the midseason hump. As the crab counts dwindle, the skippers challenge their young deckhands to either step up or step off.
Alien Abduction
Past the halfway point of the king crab season, man and machine alike show signs of wear under the brutal hand of the Bering Sea. While repairs can be made to the equipment, the fishermen must dig deep to soldier on.
Vital Signs
As king crab season nears the finish line, the crew of The Wizard faces a life-or-death situation as a deckhand collapses and struggles to hold on.
I Don't Wanna Die
In a scramble to help their collapsed greenhorn, the Wizard crew calls in a Coast Guard helicopter while the rest of the fleet races to haul crab before a hurricane hits.
The Aftermath
In the aftermath of an arctic hurricane, the fleet struggles to reach the finish line of a brutal king crab season. Poor fishing and quarreling crews make this final push a painful one for every man on the Bering Sea.
Nowhere to Go But Down
It's winter in Dutch Harbor, and the fleet is preparing to hunt opilio crab. The season looks promising with the quota up and the prices high, but tensions begin to rise before the lines are even thrown.
Rise and Fall
With unrelenting northerly winds bearing down on the fleet, every skipper steels himself for battle with the descending polar ice pack. And as temperatures drop on the grounds, tempers on deck flare up.
No Exit
Captains battle the descending polar ice pack to save their pots, and it's a losing war. The Northwestern and Wizard struggle to escape St. Paul harbor while the rest of the fleet scrambles to keep their opilio season alive.
Collision Course
The polar ice pack invades the opilio crab grounds, forcing the captains to make a decision: grab their gear and run, or keep fishing and fight the floes.
Landlocked
The ice pack has a choke hold on the Bering Sea opilio grounds. Nearly iced up, captains across the fleet must make the call to stay for a big payday or run from the ice.
Fearless Leaders
Attempting to return after one of the worst ice events in history, one boat suffers total blackout, Elliott gets a rude awakening, and a greenhorn learns a deadly lesson.
Release the Beast
Two brothers find themselves in the same dire situation that sank their father's boat. After a midseason hiatus, the fleet returns to the Bering Sea, but the ice is back and worse than before.
The Bitter, Bloody End
In the final stretch of a merciless opilio season, the fleet gives it everything they've got, and the Bering Sea just takes more.
Mutiny on the Bering Sea
After a devastating 2011 opilio season, every ship in the fleet -- including two new boats -- is looking to make a comeback in 2012 for king crab season.
Dagger in the Back
It's cloak and dagger time on the Bering Sea as Keith and Junior form -- and break -- a covert alliance.
Blood in the Morning
On the blue crab grounds, competition leads to more deceit among the captains. Serious injuries plague the fleet, and Junior's betrayal of his alliance with Keith comes back to haunt him with potentially lethal consequences.
The Crooke and the Tangler
On the blue crab grounds, a showdown between the Saga and Seabrooke takes an unlikely turn. On the Northwestern, Captain Sig must make a decision about his brother's future, and the Time Bandit has a close call in False Pass.
Judgment Day
Change is in the air on the Bering Sea just five weeks into king crab season. Big moves are made on some boats while it's the same old story on others. Still, the hunt for the elusive blue crab is on everyone's radar.
Fist to the Face
On the Northwestern, Jake's dark secret sets off a fistfight that throws Edgar's new captaincy into jeopardy. Tempers flare on the Saga and Seabrooke when Elliott grows wise to Junior's devious ways.
Goodbye Jake
Life-changing decisions are in the air as king crab season comes to an end. Young Jake Anderson struggles with his decision to leave the Northwestern, and Josh Harris plots to buy his father's old boat.
Kicking Off With a Bang
Skippers and crews lace up for moneymaking opilio season and come to terms with all they leave behind. An accident on the Time Bandit has them racing for shore, and Jake Anderson gets a not-so-warm-welcome on his new boat.
The Storm of the Season
A Category 4 storm has landed on the fleet two weeks into opilio snow crab season. As the first pots come aboard, some captains are dialed into the crab and others are not -- but they're all struggling to stay afloat.
Sleeping With the Enemy
The fleet captains battle their way through a ferocious Arctic storm. Junior takes a huge risk in order to get back in the game, two greenhorns struggle to fit in with their crews, and Elliott's problems on land continue.
We're Not Gonna Take It
The crab are still not biting and desperate to make their offload dates, captains mercilessly grind their crews. But some deckhands, tired of being bullied when they're not making any cash, aren't gonna take it.
Listing Lover
The crews and battered boats are feeling the brunt of one of the most difficult opilio crab seasons on record. While some battle potentially catastrophic breakdowns to stay on the grounds and keep fishing, others call it quits.
So You Wanna Be a Boat Owner
It's midway through the winter crab season, and the Bering Sea is taking a toll on the boats and the men. The northernmost boats are in a race to save their gear as the polar pack ice descends onto the fishing grounds.
Ship of Iron, Men of Steel
With only three weeks left in the opilio crab season, the fleet prepares to make the final push to wrap it up. Nothing comes easy though, as the captains battle weather, equipment and their own men in their sprint to the finish.
Man Overboard
After enduring months of mechanical breakdowns, sleepless grinds and infighting, the fleet is starting to crack. When the Wizard crew can't lasso a floating walrus carcass, Freddy Maugatai takes matters into his own hands.
The Final Battle
The younger generation is put to the test as the fleet races to finish a grueling opilio crab season. As defiance on the Wizard turns brother against brother, an accident brings one crabber's career to a gruesome end.
Careful What You Wish For
A government shutdown shortens the season and forces the fleet to fish harder and faster to make the market deadline. One boat goes up in flames, and many are left to wonder if this is really the life they wished for.
Family Affair
After a government shutdown and now a massive arctic storm, the fleet is already behind two weeks into the king crab season. On the Cape Caution, Captain Bill Wichrowski nearly loses his new greenhorn.
Darwin's Law
After a storm shuts down the fleet, an even bigger one spreads across the Bering Sea. The captains try to stay the course, but the never-ending grind, greenhorn problems and mechanical malfunctions conspire to shake their resolve.
Against the Law
As the fleet hurtles towards the king crab finish line, the captains grow desperate. On the Seabrooke, Junior pits his failing back against the worst storm of the season, and the Wizard’s fishing strategy lands them on the wrong side of the law.
On The Rocks
As crews prepare to head to the bairdi crab grounds, a mayday call prompts a dramatic rescue. On the Cape Caution, Bill's greenhorn looks for a way out, while Edgar on the Northwestern takes a big risk his first time as captain.
Falling Down
With one captain in the hospital and another on a bender, fishing has come to a halt on two boats. Out at sea an alleged felon is trapped, a boat goes dark and on the Time Bandit, Johnathan Hillstrand just wants to be young again.
Lost at Sea
One captain faces what might be the end of a career and another struggles to check into rehab. Meanwhile, the United States Coast Guard loses one of its own while performing a rescue of five survivors stranded on a fishing vessel.
Cornelia Marie Blue
Opilio crab season kicks off with the return of the Cornelia Marie. Josh Harris bought back the boat that helped make his old man a legend. Eighteen-year-old Mandy Hansen arrives to convince her father, Sig, to take her fishing.
Skipper Harris in Training
Blood is spilled on the Cape Caution and rookie boat owner, Josh Harris, swallows his pride. Captain Sig fights to keep the Northwestern from going up in flames and Captain Keith battles boat-sinking ice.
Fisherman's Daughter
A major hydraulic leak on the Time Bandit primes the engine room to explode. And after four generations of Hansen fishermen, the next in line is a woman. Sig welcomes their newest greenhorn, his daughter, aboard at Dutch Harbor.
Blonde Ambition
While the rest of the fleet have their doubts about a woman's place on a crab boat, the Northwestern crew must train their new recruit, Sig's 18-year-old daughter, Mandy Hansen.
Women Drivers
As the opilio crab season roars on, Sig puts Mandy at the helm in boat-crushing seas. Josh Harris struggles quash a rebellion. Elliott's new girlfriend arrives, much to his crew's chagrin. Zack Larson feels Wild Bill's wrath.
Greatest Game Ever Fished
It's Super Bowl Sunday on the Bering Sea. The Cornelia Marie battles rocks and breakers at port, “Wild” Bill takes his deck boss to task when his partying gets out of hand, and a rift pulls the Hillstrands apart.
Breaking Mandy
One of the final episodes of a season nominated for four Emmy awards, Sig orders a classic Northwestern grind and Mandy learns what it's really like to be a greenhorn. With major repairs on the Time Bandit, Andy makes a decision.
Sabotage
With the end in sight, crews work to keep it together. A saboteur seeks an end for the Cape Caution. On the Cornelia Marie Josh Harris and Casey McManus fight to control the crew. On the Time Bandit a long lost Hillstrand returns.
My Name Is the Lord
The finale to the season nominated for four Emmy awards: An arctic hurricane strikes; the Cornelia Marie faces sinking; blood is shed on the Time Bandit; the Northwestern needs repair and the Wizard has a near perfect run.
A Brotherhood Tested
The Emmy Award-winning series is back! King crab season kicks off with a 12-million-pound bairdi quota increase that causes a derby-style frenzy, a boat is stolen the night before launch, and the unlikeliest of alliances is born.
Prodigal Son
The cutthroat race for king crab is in full swing, and with an extra 15 million dollars up for grabs this year, the stakes and competition have never been higher. Captain Sig’s relentless grind of his crew earns him the lead, but at a big price.
The Ultimatum
A mutinous Wizard crew meets their match in Captain Keith Colburn.
Super Typhoon Part 1
A super-typhoon roars across the sea as the captains prepare for the impending hit.
Super Typhoon Part 2
Super Typhoon Nuri hits with a vengeance as the vessels fight for survival.
Wasted Talent
Elliott's personal issues threaten to destroy his career on the Saga, while expectant father and Northwestern deckhand Jake Anderson advances his own future by taking on more responsibility.
Heavy Lies The Crown
The Northwestern's Sig Hansen dishes out tough love to aspirant boat captain Jake Anderson.
Zero Hour
The captains scramble to collect their pots and make their quotas as the season's end draws near.
Hell's Bells
The Time Bandit spends Christmas at sea but life on the boat is far from merry due to the erratic behavior of a veteran deckhand.
Lunatic Fringe
Tensions explode on the Time Bandit when a rebellious deckhand antagonizes the crew.
New Captain on the Block
Jake Anderson fights internal doubts that he can skipper a boat after visiting his old boss Sig Hansen.
5-Year Storm Part 1
A huge storm barrels down on the fleet in the middle of opilio season threatening the lives and livelihoods of everyone on board.
5-Year Storm Part 2
The brutal arctic storm continues to devastate the fleet but two captains risk it all and navigate straight into the squall.
Bite the Hand
The exhausted crews have to make up for precious lost time as the brutal storm persists.
New Blood, Old Wounds
The crews show signs of burnout with sick and injured deckhands slowing the pace in the final days of opilio season.
Beastmode
Two boats devise a plan to watch the Seahawks play in the Super Bowl while at sea.
I'm the Captain
The ice has arrived and the fleet races to reach their opilio quota before they are forced off the sea.
We Have Not Yet Begun to Fight
Jake races to save the crew after hearing an ominous banging sound coming from the bowels of the boat.
Carpe Diem
Crab fishing season begins and an eager new captain joins the fleet to fish bairdi for Sig.
First Timers
Jake has second thoughts about hiring on a good friend with a bad attitude.
Legend Of The Wizard
Captain Keith Colburn takes his first steps into the salmon industry to secure the Wizard’s future.
No Good Deed...
Josh Harris forgets vital gear on land and asks Wild Bill to bail him out of a jam.
Swedish Twins
Captain Sean Dwyer experiences his first spate of harsh weather as he struggles to fill Sig's quota of bairdi.
Million-Dollar Bet
Jake maneuvers the Saga through a risky path which could jeopardize a million dollars worth of crab.
100% Injury Rate
A hurricane-force storm looms but the fleet continues to fish and several crew members are injured as a result.
Cold War
A war erupts aboard the Northwestern when deckhands lose faith in their captain.
Winter Is Coming
A monstrous arctic storm threatens to prevent the fleet from filling their crab quotas as the end of the season draws near.
Into the Gale
A mammoth arctic storm has arrived alongside the winter opilio crab season.
Proving Grounds
Jake is enraged when his deckhand falls asleep on night watch putting the entire crew at risk.
Raw Deal
Captains Keith Colburn and Johnathan Hillstrand team up to find the best crab hot spots.
Settling the Score
The fleet races to catch crab after poor fishing threatens to end their seasons under quota.
Fire at Sea: Part 1
A fire causes a power failure on the Northwestern hundreds of miles from land.
Fire at Sea: Part 2
Captain Sig fights to save his crew when fire breaks out in the engine room on the Northwestern.
Blood and Guts
Captain John Hillstrand experiences a scare when his nephew is injured by a crab pot.
Life or Death Decision
Zack Larson acts quickly when a rogue wave could spell death for a fellow deckhand.
The Widowmaker: Part 1
Captain Sig suffers a health scare that may end his season and possibly his career.
The Widowmaker: Part 2
Captain Sig Hansen is medevaced to Anchorage after suffering a massive heart attack.
Sig Hansen Legacy
Captain Sig Hansen discusses how a heart attack has changed his outlook on life and fishing.
Uncharted Territory
Captain Sig Hansen is back in the wheelhouse after suffering a massive heart attack.
Seismic Shift
The first storm of the season hits the fleet and the Time Bandit gets the worst of it after John Hillstrand gets a late start out of port.
Down in Flames
Wild Bill fears he could lose deckboss Nick to a terminal illness.
Crushing Blows
Wild Bill discovers the real cause of his best deckhand's illness.
Bad Moon
The brothers Hillstrand fish together for the last time but it's not the easy trip they had planned.
Hail Mary, Full Of Crab
Captain Sig Hansen is shocked when a deckhand asks for his blessing to marry daughter Mandy.
Poisoned at Sea
The crab season nears its end as the captains race to hit their quotas and cash in while they still can.
40-Foot Monsters
Wild Bill realizes that he has more to learn about his new boat when he struggles to maneuver it in rough seas.
The Russian Line
The fleet is stunned to learn that the winter opilio crab quota is drastically reduced from prior years.
Back to the Killing Season
Sig makes a triumphant return to opilio fishing after suffering a massive heart attack last season. On the Wizard, Keith's greenhorn son feels the pressure to live up to the Colburn name, and Jake Anderson introduces a new deckhand to the Saga crew.
Hurricane Alley
A hurricane slams into the fleet at the start of opilio season but poor fishing may be a bigger problem for the captains.
Arctic Mega Storm
A massive storm ushers huge waves onto the fishing grounds as the fleet braces for impact.
Dead-Stick
An Arctic mega-storm barrels down on the Bering Sea as the captains prepare for the impending hit.
450 Mile Storm
Sig, Johnathan and Jake attempt to run from a second arctic hurricane, but Keith refuses to heed the warnings. Stress-induced chest pains threaten the remainder of Sig's season.
Respect Earned
After suffering chest pains, Sig awaits news in the hospital for the second time in less than a year. Wild Bill struggles to stay out of harm's way while also handling dissension on deck, and Sean lays down the law with his crew.
Man Down
When Mother Nature stirs it up on the Bering Sea, Sean is set on a collision course with another boat, two deckhands get taken down on the Wizard, and Jake almost loses a deckhand...twice.
Hillstrand's Last Catch
Two old friends race to finish their seasons, but one hopes to cap a storied career. The Wizard crew fights rough seas hoping to finish the season strong, and Johnathan Hillstrand wants to bid farewell in a blaze of glory.
Lost at Sea
The U.S. Coast Guard scours the Bering Sea for a missing crab vessel, while the fleet anxiously waits to discover the fate of its crew. Captain Keith works to save the Wizard from disaster, and Sig contemplates an early exit.
Last Damn Arctic Storm
In the wake of the Destination tragedy, one last storm bears down on Edgar, Bill, Sean and Jake. The Coast Guard attempts to save the crew of a fishing vessel while their boat takes on water.
Battle Lines
Departing Dutch Harbor for Alaska's 2017 fall crab season, the fleet's veteran captains battle the deadly Bering Sea as well as their younger rivals to get their piece of a lucrative bounty.
First Blood
As accusations fly and suspicions grow, a twisted triangle of jealousy, betrayal and revenge reveals few can be trusted on the Bering Sea. Captain Keith offers to take on Jake as an apprentice, but Captain Sig plots against him.
Dead in the Water
As the King Crab become harder to find, Sean and Casey forge an alliance. Wild Bill risks it all on a new bait and fish strategy, a dangerous mistake jeopardizes Jake's offload, and the Cornelia Marie is whipped by bad weather.
Salt Wounds
Halfway through king crab season, the Cornelia Marie is suffering from bad fishing and injuries to key deckhands that could force the boat in early. On the Northwestern, Sig goes on a daring midnight mission to shake his rivals.
Collision Void
Captain Keith fights to keep the Wizard afloat when there's flooding in the bow Sig wraps the king crab catch and gives the helm to Edgar, and Josh and Casey worry that their two injured deckhands won't be cleared to fish.
Arctic Hurricane
A hurricane shocks the fleet with high winds and big waves, and an unstable stack threatens to capsize the Saga. As the captains rush to pull and set pots before heading for safe harbor, Wild Bill drives straight into the storm.
Clash of Kings
Jake makes a devil's bargain -- huge crab for hidden perils -- until his boat itself is on the line. Sig serves cold justice at sea, and Wild Bill chases a king crab jackpot.
Becoming Captain
On the brink of failure, Josh discovers secret fishing grounds in his late father's logbooks. A deck mishap on the Saga could end Jake's season, and the Coast Guard attempts to hoist an injured sailor from inside a ship's tank.
Purgatory
At the start of bairdi crab season, Keith hands over the Wizard to his brother, Monte. Josh fights for the helm of the Cornelia Marie despite a bad showing, and engine trouble threatens Wild Bill's season.
Winter's Curse
The supermoon brings the most powerful tidal surges in 150 years. Josh and Monte chase their bounty deep into an Arctic storm, and Wild Bill hopes to get his broken boat off the dock.
Blackout
A blackout leaves Jake and the Saga close to disaster in unfamiliar waters. Sig heads far above the traditional opilio grounds for the second year in a row, and Wild Bill tries to overcome his slow start due to engine repairs.
Winter's Fury
Winter season unleashes 40-knot winds and 20-foot waves, and one Cornelia Marie greenhorn suffers multiple accidents. Tensions between the Wizard co-captains reach a breaking point.
Baptism by Fire
Mandy takes her first shift on the Northwestern in heavy seas. The Wizard crew battles over one crewman who isn't pulling his weight on deck, and Wild Bill changes his strategy when he's battered by high seas.
Supermoon Storm
A 150-year supermoon storm wreaks havoc on tides and undersea currents. The Coast Guard attempts a rescue mission in the heart of the storm, and Wild Bill faces his worst nightmare as a greenhorn goes overboard.
Greenhorn Overboard
A greenhorn's life hangs in the balance as the Summer Bay crew scrambles to steal one of their own from the Bering Sea's icy grip. The Saga and the Cornelia Marie battle the colossal waves of the supermoon storm.
Turf Wars
Sig pushes Mandy to invade the Cornelia Marie's ground, sparking a battle for the crab, and Casey takes extreme measures to defend his turf. A distress signal from the Saga sends panic across the fleet.
No Safe Harbor
A severe Arctic gale batters the fleet, forcing captains to fight extreme wind and waves. Two boats steam out of port to catch crab in the deadly winds and waves while another seeks shelter at St. Paul Island.
Blood & Water
As rogue waves threaten to capsize their boats, captains Jake Anderson and Sean Dwyer must make life-or-death decisions. Wild Bill Wichrowski faces a choice that could end his career, and Keith Colburn returns to the Wizard.
Storm Surge
The captains take on the steepest waves yet in an epic final surge to hit their quotas. The Cornelia Marie's Josh Harris gambles big on his crab count, and engine failure leaves Sig Hansen and the Northwestern dead in the water.
Battle Scars
With scars still fresh from a harrowing season on the Bering Sea, the skippers reveal the most critical decisions they've made and how those choices and actions have made them the captains they are today.
Battle of Kings
Hours before king season, a massive new boat with a renegade captain discovers the crab are all in one spot. As the fleet races to find the quarter billion-dollar hoard, captains battle each other to claim their share.
Super Swarm
Atop the king crab super swarm, full pots boil over into conflict as young guns Sean and Jake join forces to set down Sig.
Knife in the Ribs
As the first arctic storm of the season arrives, Saga's deck boss takes a knife to the ribs. Josh and Casey's record-setting haul gets interrupted when a hand gets tangled in the coiler.
Single Point of Failure
A freak accident threatens the Northwestern crew. Josh changes course on the Cornelia while Casey sleeps. Harley's launcher snaps at the worst possible moment, and a short circuit cuts power to the Wizard's forward lights.
Shifting Stack
Jake faces a life and death decision when a shifting stack threatens to capsize the Saga. Sig and Mandy haul through angry seas, while Josh and Casey gamble on quota but find there's more on the line than sheer numbers.
Blood in the Water
The Bering Sea takes a brutal toll on captains and crew. Jake confronts a disorderly crew, forcing his toughest decision yet as captain. Josh mans the helm as Casey makes a risky ship-to-ship transfer in high seas.
Winter is Here
The coldest weather in nearly a decade threatens to crush hulls and freeze the sea. Monte must fill his tanks fast to get home to his ailing father, while a shocking mishap leaves a Hansen family member grasping for life.
Tough Inheritance
As winter intensifies, Sean faces an engine room fire. Summer Bay deck boss suffers a season-threatening injury. Monte races to fill Wizard's Bairdi quota so Keith can say farewell to their father.
Russian Roulette
Josh and Casey risk a 500-mile trek north to the icy Russian line. Jake tracks his own fast-moving crab horde. Sig does double duty on the Northwestern. The Bering Sea cracks the Wizard's 74-year-old steel hull.
Curse of the Russian Line
Josh and Casey haul their all time biggest pots, starting a gold rush to the Russian line. Captain Bill gets inside intel, while Harley confirms numbers his own way.
Hell Hath No Fury
The wrath of Arctic Storm Elsa hits the Cornelia hardest as a breakaway pot thrashes Josh and Casey's crew. Captain Keith orders deckhands onto the stack as Elsa's icy blasts threaten to capsize the Wizard.
Sixty Foot Monster
Trapped in the crab-rich northern grounds, the Cornelia Marie, Wizard and Southern Wind haul pots as big as the waves, until one boat faces a 60-foot monster.
Crane Wreck
In storm-driven seas, Cornelia Marie's crane goes off the rails, smashing Josh and Casey's wheelhouse and injuring deckhand Taylor. Sig risks navigating a rocky passage in treacherous conditions.
Devil's Cut
Deckhands pay in blood as captains make up for time lost to a storm. On the Cornelia Marie, Josh takes the wheel as Casey does surgery. Brenna A tests an ex-Marine, and Sig faces a worst-case scenario with a call from home.
Unbreakable
Sig's crew pays a price for stuffed pots, while Harley risks gear on an elusive hoard under the ice. Freddy attempts self-surgery on the Wizard, and the Summer Bay crew gets news on Nick's future.
Hell or High Water
Monte returns to co-captain the Wizard just as a freight train of storms slams the fleet from the south. Jake battles the risk of hauling pots in 30-foot seas to return to his family.
Unholy Alliance
As crab turn elusive, veterans Sig Hansen and "Harley" Davidson form an unlikely alliance, but trust doesn't come easy for old school captains.
Dark Ship
As smoke fills the Wizard, the Colburns face a dark ship nightmare. Towering breakers shatter Jake's steel anchor forcing him to fight to avoid the rocks of St. Paul Island.
Time and Tide Wait for No Man
The bone-breaking winter unleashes its fury on the Summer Bay. A rookie mistake leaves Captain Bill short a hand. Jake hits the jackpot at sea, but forces on land cost him dearly.
Dead or Alive
Each skipper's next move determines who survives the final winter dash. Winds put the Wizard on a collision course with a monster. Jake taps a Hillstrand to save the Saga.
Now or Never
In the season finale, with just ten pots to go, a crushing injury requires Coast Guard rescue. Josh and Casey face a huge loss when their offload gets cancelled.
Cold War Rivals
A dramatic change in the Russian crab industry rocks global markets and drives new competition between Dutch Harbor captains and their Russian adversaries.
Typhoon Hagibis
Just as the fleet begins its race to beat the Russians, ferocious typhoon Hagibis turns its deadly gaze on the Bering Sea. Captains must choose whether to risk life and limb for a big payday, or to sit out the storm and fish another day.
Breaking Point
Still reeling from deadly typhoon Hagibis, the fleet claws its way back into competition against the Russians. The pressure to make up ground has mounted and it's do-or-die for the captains, even if it means danger or even war.
Shotguns and Fist Fights
With the Russian menace looming, co-captains Johnathan and Jake blast a shotgun at their problems while a vicious fist fight breaks out on the Seabrooke. Meanwhile, Wild Bill blows an engine and Mandy bets on science to get back on crabs.
Double Agent
The Cornelia Marie taps American satellites to spy on the Russians while Scott Campbell Jr. pioneers a long-dormant fishery. With his quota nearly caught, Wild Bill faces cataclysmic engine failure and squares off with an unruly Russian greenhorn.
The Bleeding Edge
It's all hands on deck to finish King season strong. Johnathan goes under the knife at sea. Junior bets it all while chasing the elusive Golden King crab. Wild Bill goes toe-to-toe with an unruly greenhorn.
Into the Red
Co-captains Jake and Johnathan try to form an alliance with rival Keith Colburn. Junior risks crossing into Russian waters for golden crab and Josh bets it all on a gut feeling. Later, Wild Bill turns to his last resort and seeks work in Russia.
Mayday Mayday
The Coast Guard responds to a mayday call as captains and crew brace for the loss of friends during a brutal winter storm. Sig and Monte track an Opilio hoard at the Russian line, and the clock is ticking for Wild Bill and Junior during the cod derby.
Cold War Heating Up
As the crab biomass migrates across the Russian line, Josh and Casey dump 175 pots on the border. Sig and Mandy go dark ship in towering seas. Jake's new deckhand gets injured while Junior attempts to steam through False Pass in a nighttime blizzard.
Harm's Way
Facing a 500-mile wide Siberian storm, Josh takes a big risk to keep the Cornelia Marie crew safe. Junior loses control of his rudders putting his boat at the mercy of heavy seas. Jake's greenhorn problems get a lot worse when one clogs the toilet.
Chase Boat Rescue
Listing heavily and taking on water, Junior calls on chase boat rescue for the first time in series history. Wild Bill sends Nick 20 feet off the deck in spite of his fear of heights. Josh and Casey hit a massive wave that knocks out greenhorn Maria.
Dutch Harbor Double Cross
On the Summer Bay there's hell to pay when Bill's backup block goes missing. Cornelia Marie skippers Josh and Casey navigate a tenuous partnership at the Russian line. Weighed down by three full tanks, Sig puts a heavy Northwestern in Mandy's hands.
Bomb Cyclone
The Wizard catches fire in a violent storm known as a bomb cyclone. Josh and Casey attempt to fish in 30-foot seas, while two rogue waves slam the Southern Wind. Wild Bill grinds his crew 72 straight hours bringing himself to the brink of collapse.
Bering Sea Crash
Battling exhaustion, Wild Bill and his crew face the full wrath of the bomb cyclone. A snapped tendon puts the Summer Bay down a man. Josh gambles on crab-rich grounds in a costly venture north. An injured Mac fights to get Junior through the storm.
Gut Instinct
As an injury knocks Sig out of his wheelhouse, Mandy takes the helm to face a disgruntled Northwestern crew. On the Wizard, damaged hydraulics and an umbilical hernia deal Keith a double gut punch. Josh and Casey suffer tragedy on the Cornelia Marie.
Bering Sea Wrecking Ball
Stuffed pots come at a price as Jake scrambles to repair a slack tank before it kills his crab or capsizes the Saga. Josh and Casey's rudder fails in heavy traffic and Wild Bill's new greenhorn makes an easy target for an out-of-control picking hook.
Danger Close
Josh and Casey race to haul pots as engine failure threatens their delivery window. As seawater destroys his hydraulic motors, Junior attempts a risky high seas delivery of three new motors. Harley and his crew bang heads over his fishing strategy.
Like Father Like Daughter
Sig and Mandy conspire to get Jake to do their prospecting, but the former deckhand seizes the moment to fill his own tanks. The Wizard crew must break through ice to rush Keith to a doctor. Junior fears the worst as a deckhand falls from the stack.
Rogue Wave Juggernaut
A rare weather event churns up rogue waves as supermoon tides collide with a cyclonic snowstorm. Josh and Casey face a 55-foot monster, while Jake risks capsizing to repair his rudder in unruly seas. Monte's big move north pays off in massive pots.
A Problem Like Maria
As the super snow-moon storm peaks, the Cornelia Marie's deck becomes a gauntlet for Josh and Casey's greenest greenhorn. Ice fog overtakes the fleet as Monte scrambles to stay afloat, Harley loses an engine and Junior fights a sea-flea infestation.
End of the Beginning
As the fleet mounts a final Winter season push, sad news rattles the Cornelia Marie wheelhouse. Lady Alaska greenhorn, Gabby, overcomes a painful injury to support her crew. Wild Bill's deckhands must devise a bush fix or face hauling pots by hand.
Blood is Thicker Than Water
Saga loses a veteran deckhand, forcing Jake to steam a greenhorn army to the Russian line. Amid scuttlebutt that ports are closing due to a virus, Josh fights to get home for a reunion with his brother and Sig's daughter gets rushed to the hospital.
Everything Changes
The Cornelia crew fights to save their gear from sea ice. Jake risks the far north to fill his tanks before his son's birth. Amid news of a looming pandemic, Russian boats mysteriously disappear and captains race to dock before crab prices crash.
Out of the Ashes
With half the crab boats tied up, Sig devises a plan to save the fishery from destruction. As Bering Sea legend Johnathan Hillstrand returns with the Time Bandit to help, veterans struggle to prove they can work together to defend the American dream.
Russian Dragger
When Mandy devises a plan for partnering, Sig must rethink his own hard-won tactics. On the Time Bandit, John and Josh conspire to outmaneuver a Russian captain who tells them what to do in US waters. All hell breaks loose as two vessels collide.
Point of No Return
As hundreds of dolphins lead the Summer Bay into an approaching cyclone, Jake attempts a daring nighttime rescue in high seas. Scott Campbell Jr. finds himself out of options, leaving Sig to make a controversial call to save the fishery.
Time Machine
Driving the Time Bandit and Cornelia Marie, Josh and Casey attempt Johnathan's strategy for tracking King Crab across time and space. On the Summer Bay, Wild Bill's crew fights a mid-gale power outage, but the days are numbered for their greenhorn.
Force Majeure
As a typhoon rocks the Bering Sea, the Summer Bay suffers a collision. Sig gambles all his pots in one spot, while Casey takes a scientific approach to finding the elusive Bairdi crab. John and Josh rush a pit stop to get the Time Bandit back in the hunt.
Restricted Zone
Johnathan and Sig partner to hunt the elusive Bairdi hoard at the edge of the Restricted Zone. Jake earns an unexpected windfall of King Crab quota, but extended fishing and mechanical failures put safety at risk just as the Coast Guard boards the Saga.
What Would Phil Harris Do?
With the Bairdi fishery open for the first time in years, Josh and John on the Time Bandit reopen the Phil Harris playbook and ask Casey and Sig to help tank the fleetwide quota. Wild Bill bets on Nick McGlashan to turn the tide for the Summer Bay.
Tangled Web
Time Bandit and Cornelia Marie race for the last spot at the cannery, but as word spreads of an emergency shutdown of the Bairdi fishery, they return to the grounds as Sig Hansen rallies his fellow captains with an unconventional plan.
Dedication
In the Winter premiere, the fleet reels from the loss of Summer Bay deck boss Nick McGlashan. Wizard and Cornelia launch early into a massive Arctic storm. Johnathan can't see eye-to-eye with an old friend and shocking news forces Sig to change his plans.
Truth Will Set You Free
When Johnathan trusts his instincts more than his partners, the Time Bandit makes a surprise appearance in the Northern Grounds just as Josh and Casey need him most. Sig puts his crew exactly where they need to be in a matter of life and death.
Shipbreakers
As seawater floods in, Wild Bill's crew scrambles to locate a hole in the Summer Bay's hull. Johnathan faces a fire on the Time Bandit and a catastrophic hydraulic failure forces Jake to send his chief engineer 25 feet above the Saga's rolling deck.
Extreme Arctic
As a polar vortex storm slams the Cornelia Marie in the far north, Josh navigates the biggest seas of his career while Casey performs emergency surgery. A catastrophic collapse of the Northwestern's crane leaves Sig and Mandy with no way to haul pots.
Of Ice and Men
Sig makes a desperate bid to save his gear from the descending ice pack while Jake dumps pots to avoid capsize. When Wild Bill gets a line caught in his propeller far from Dutch Harbor, he enlists Jake's diver to attempt a risky underwater repair.
The Crush
As the fast-moving ice edge crushes all in its path, Sig and Mandy rush north to rejoin the fray. On the Cornelia Marie, Josh and Casey's race to save their pots comes at a cost in blood and pain. Heavy freezing spray threatens to capsize the Wizard.
Run Silent Run Deep
Skirting the ice line to the deepest set of their careers, Josh and Casey apply frontier medicine to a bleeding deck boss. A block wound sidelines Wild Bill's new rail man, while injuries on the Time Bandit take out two crewmen and threaten family bonds.
First Come First Served
As canneries unexpectedly change delivery rules, captains must race to get to the front of the line. Jake risks a daring entry into St. Paul harbor, as Johnathan seeks help from Wild Bill. Josh and Casey bet their season on a deep set at the Russian Line.
Quid Pro Crab
Captains scramble to meet an expanded quota in the path of a violent system dubbed "Squall-pocalypse." A breakdown on the Wizard puts Monte in debt to the Time Bandit and Josh and Casey exceed their own quota when it comes to injuries on deck.
Winter's Gambit
An Arctic storm blasts the fleet as Sig ventures to deep waters he hasn't fished in 17 years. Johnathan steers the Time Bandit into 30-foot waves in a hail Mary run toward Russia. Captain Keith attempts a risky maneuver to save the Wizard's pots.
Wicked Game
Josh and Casey follow a blind tip from an unknown fisherman into uncharted waters. Johnathan fears for the worst when Freddy lands in the icy Bering Sea. On the Wizard, Captain Keith tempts fate, risking thousands in crab gear right at the ice edge.
Over the Rail
Jake battles a hurricane in the fleet's smallest boat while Keith orders crew over the rail to avoid capsizing. When Johnathan discovers crab in his cod pots, his crew scrambles to locate the hoard as "Blind Dog" finds himself in a bone-crushing position.
First in Line
When processors shut down due to outbreaks, Sig bets he can zero in on a rare "crab highway" before there's no place to deliver. Josh and Casey race to deliver live crab after their pump fails, while Harley risks shipwreck to be first to enter St. Paul.
The Ultimate Price
In the season finale, Keith risks pushing through jagged ice in search of the Wizard's lost pots. Attempting a risky harbor entry, Wild Bill overturns the Summer Bay and a beloved crewman makes the ultimate sacrifice on the deck of a veteran crab boat.
Long Live King Crab!
When the government closes the King Crab fishery, captains must save an industry they worked so hard to create. Sig pursues invasive Russian King Crab in Norway; John, Josh and Casey chase rising prices for a new species, and Jake mortgages the Saga.
No Sleep Till Rescue
An Arctic storm slams the fleet already reeling from the closure of King Crab. Seeking a new species, Johnathan sets pots deeper than ever before. Sig struggles to launch his Norwegian operation, while a deckhand fights for life on the Patricia Lee.
One Hell of a Story to Tell
His deckhand crushed by pots, Captain Rip charges into the Arctic storm to attempt the riskiest USCG helicopter rescue in recent history. John fights to save the Time Bandit at anchor, while Sig takes his first Norwegian rogue wave, flooding the Staalbas.
Invasive Russian Reds
Sig struggles with a Norwegian crewman who thinks he knows more than the captain. Captain Wild Bill fights to save his boat from the rocky Norwegian coastline with a line snarled in his propeller. Keith's greenhorn faces a violent brush with death.
Desperate Measures
When Shyanne discovers a serious breach on the Saga, Jake and his crew scramble to save it from capsizing. In Norway, Sig drops pots on Russia's western line. As canneries close their doors, Josh and Casey call in a last-minute favor from Johnathan.
Brother in the Bight
Sig scrambles to get home for Bairdi and Mandy's baby as his crew finds a honey hole of Russian King Crab. Josh's brother Shane gets caught in the bight as a typhoon slams the Cornelia Marie. Rip faces a crisis when a greenhorn collapses unconscious.
Follow the Rainbow
Johnathan searches for a pot of Golden Kings at the end of a double rainbow. A medical mystery confounds Captain Rip when his greenhorn regains consciousness on the Patricia Lee. Keith partners with Josh and Casey until John steps in.
Deepest Alaska
Johnathan sets mile-deep pots and pulls up an unknown species. Jake faces reality when his niece, Shyanne, gets injured on the Saga. With Mandy's due date approaching, Clark takes the helm in Sig's wheelhouse to help tank the Hansen family Bairdi quota.
Rip Tide
Mandy breaks news of a pregnancy complication forcing Sig and Clark to reconsider their decision to keep fishing. Jake teams up with Rip Carlton in deep waters but when powerful Aleutian tidal currents unexpectedly shift Jake's string, lines get crossed.
Dark Waters
Jake and his niece set pots on the same waters their ancestor fished in the 1930s. Johnathan risks losing his entire live catch when the Time Bandit ventures into fresh water. Josh experiments with glow sticks to attract crab at the darkest depths.
No Good Deed Unpunished
With dock prices spiking, the fleet races to deliver. Jake witnesses a freighter severing his longline, forcing the Saga crew to drag the bottom for a valuable string of pots. Rip helps Johnathan locate the motherlode only to pay with a broken block.
Sailor's Delight
In an epic Fall season finale, Clark scuttles Sig's partnership with Harley to get home for the birth of his and Mandy's baby. An orca leads the Cornelia Marie to the season's best pots. When John's autopilot fails, Jake is the star that leads him home.
To the End of the Earth
In the Winter premiere, nautical weather slams the fleet as Josh and Casey race north in hopes of beating the coming ice pack. Sig and Keith attempt to find common ground, and on the Time Bandit, Johnathan finds his co-captain a bit wobbly. 300th episode.
Where Eagles Dare
The Northwestern loses steering when a bald eagle lays claim to its mast. Sig and Keith develop an unusual partnership to tank Bairdi in record time. Josh and Casey place a risky bet on hard-to-find quota, while casualties mount on the Patty Lee.
The Crush of Winter
New-mother Mandy returns to Sig's wheelhouse but as heavy ice builds on the Northwestern, she reckons with the risks the family is taking. Jake unveils a new super pot to stake his claim in the unforgiving cod derby as winter weather blindsides the fleet.
No Turning Back
A dangerous list forces Sig to jettison pots or capsize the Northwestern. One wrong move in the narrow False Pass causes Jake and the Saga to hit bottom. There's no accounting for taste when Sean Dwyer devises motivational punishments for greenhorns.
Operation Anvil Drop
Keith recruits Johnathan to intercept a Russian trawler fishing illegally in US waters but the situation intensifies when the Time Bandit crew spots a missile streaking across their position. Bill and Sean fight to defend their pots from rogue trawlers.
Hell on the High Seas
Josh and Casey race to the approaching ice edge as an Aleutian storm slams the opilio grounds. Jake discovers his niece and engineer have been hooking up more than crab gear as they risk life and limb climbing the 30ft crane to make a critical repair.
Avian Apocalypse
The Cornelia Marie crashes into the ice pack when the greenhorn on watch falls asleep at the wheel. Jake's crew experiences a stunning phenomenon when a flock of seabirds bombards the Saga. Wild Bill tackles an unsafe sea state on the Summer Bay.
Frozen
After risking his crew salvaging gear from the ice pack, Sig changes tactics deploying an experimental bait from Norway. On the Time Bandit, frustration boils over as Freddy tests Johnathan. Jake hauls in seas so volatile his crew must take shelter.
Graveyard of Gear
With intense currents holding back the Arctic ice pack, Keith drives into deck-wrecking waves to retrieve his catch before the ice bounces back. Jake and Sean face losing everything when ice swallows their gear as Rip enters a pot cemetery of his own.
Sub-Zero Scramble
The icy depths of the Bering Sea threaten to claim Sig and Wild Bill's gear unless they can move quickly enough to beat the rapidly freezing waters. Rip takes on a massive amount of extra quota and if he can't catch it, he'll have to buy it.
Port of Last Resort
As ice blocks St. Paul Harbor, captains race to deliver their final snow crab. Sig deploys a risky tactic his father pioneered, while Jake battles a slack tank to save the Saga. Keith and John scuttle a plan as the Wizard's 77-year-old hull cracks open.
Call of a New Generation
In the season premiere, a young generation ventures to the Bering Sea forging unlikely wheelhouse alliances across the fleet. But as high prices draw illegal foreign boats, captains young and old must band together to defend America's prized crab grounds.
Wheelhouse Bound
Sig gets tough news at sea forcing the Hansens to make a critical decision as John and Andy lend a hand. With wheelhouse ambitions, Jacob hits a wall with Keith on the Wizard. New captain Jack crosses a line when Harley makes a deal with Jake.
Amazing Grace
Sig buries his beloved mother and the last of his family's pioneering generation. Sean Dwyer joins forces with Rick Shelford but the two captains don't see eye to eye on rules. Jacob fights back on the Wizard and finds no safe harbor from Captain Keith.
Bering Sea Superstition
A new deckhand falls ill on the Time Bandit, raising questions for Andy and warning signs for John. A bait pallet breaks loose, forcing Captain Rick to deal with a severe crew injury. When Wild Bill's plan A fails on the Summer Bay, Maria tries plan P.
In Need of Rescue
Sig returns from his mother's funeral only to find his gear in harm's way. Rick and Keith forge a beneficial partnership. Jack makes his first offload as captain. The Coast Guard gets a call to extract a sailor with broken legs 200 miles out to sea.
Blood and Treasure
When Sig and Mandy disagree on fishing strategy, Clark finds himself caught in the middle. Wild Bill comes down hard on inattentive deckhands as Linda gets too close to danger. Keith pulls the Wizard alongside the Saga and unleashes unexpected bad blood.
Cold Hard World
On the Saga, Sean Dwyer joins Jake for a high-risk trek west to Adak Island. Rick attempts a dangerous shortcut through the treacherous tides of Unimak Pass. Sig’s deckhand Lauritz takes a brutal fall while Johnathan bids farewell to a lifelong friend.
Anchor Management
As a continent-size storm pummels the fleet, John and Andy fight to save their anchor and the boat. Rick navigates stormy seas and feuding deckhands. When an orca befriends the Northwestern, Sig and Mandy see a sign of life until it stops them fishing.
Million Dollar Season
With a storm threatening his record-breaking run, Johnathan allies with Keith to triangulate the crab. Jack braves treacherous tidal currents, staking his redemption on loaded pots. In 30-foot waves, chaos strikes the Wizard when its stack breaks loose.
Between Payday and Mayday
An early closure forces captains to work together to get their catch safely to port. Sig crosses a line when he repositions a rookie captain's pots. Jake and Sean race back from Adak while Linda bolsters her east coast reputation in the Bering Sea.
Loose Lips Sink Ships
In the winter premiere, Johnathan hunts for crab in a secret location to which he's won exclusive rights. Sig tries his luck at a derby fishery. Keith risks an at-sea deckhand transfer, and Bob joins a fisherman's strike for higher crab prices.
Tradition of Superstition
Captain Keith eagerly repositions his pots when Johnathan makes an offer he simply can't refuse. Bob follows a pod of porpoises to her first big solo haul. Fired from the Wizard, Jacob chases his dream of becoming a captain to a wholly different boat.
Victory at Sea
Bob's breakout haul as a solo captain takes a turn when another vessel collides with the boat she inherited from her late parents. Cascading engine failures put Sig in a tough spot as the Coast Guard makes a surprise inspection.
The Better Captain
With $1 million in crab at stake, the Wizard battles unrelenting 30-footers. Jake faces a devil's bargain to aid another captain, but the high road may come at a cost. Sig fights to eke out a profit from the derby. The Kodiak crew assesses the damage.
Uncharted Grounds
Winter unleashes its fury, slamming the fleet with tidal surges and storm-driven waves. When Keith's winch seizes, the Wizard crew must work a double shift to retrieve their pots. Wild Bill's erroneous chart leaves the Summer Bay beached on a sandbar.
Pain Level Ten
When a deckhand suffers a possible heart attack on board, Keith goes into emergency mode, attempting to save his crewman's life. An explosion rocks the Time Bandit, burning Freddy and shaking Johnathan to his core. Facing capsizing, Jake must dump pots.
Dead Reckoning
When Sig loses GPS navigation in crowded waters, Mandy must work a decades-old magnetic compass with no margin for error. OJ's replacement on the Wizard makes a misfit crew a bit more awkward. Bob's Bairdi haul earns her bragging rights and breakdowns.
Disorder on the Border
On the Time Bandit, crew conflict in winter weather puts Johnathan's leadership to the test. Sig and Mandy risk a heavy fine chasing the biomass along a boundary line. Jake struggles with managing an injury-prone crew member hellbent on earning his share.
Beware the King Tide
As a monumental king tide amplifies the sea state, Johnathan drives the Time Bandit into towering waves to haul the riskiest set of his career. Jake faces a potentially unstoppable magnesium fire, while Sig deploys evasive maneuvers to defend his catch.
Battleship
Hampered by damage, Sig must outmaneuver an unknown captain to hold onto his ground. Jake allies with Wild Bill to make a critical deadline -- but when Bill calls in his own favor, time runs short. Rick devises a strategy to ensure Jacob makes it home.
Last Stand of John Hillstrand
In the penultimate episode of Season 19, Johnathan scrambles to save his pots from a Bering Sea grave. Sig revives a decades-old fishing computer to find a Bairdi hotspot, while Jake's manpower shortage forces him to put his niece on the hydraulics.
Nautical Deathtrap
In the Season 19 finale, an uncharacteristic error traps Sig's family in unsurvivable seas. A wayward crane breaches Jake's wheelhouse, killing critical systems and his way home. Rick attempts to turn a heart-wrenching tragedy into a triumph for Jacob.
King Crab Derby
In the Season 20 premiere, King Crab's return ignites a derby-style race. After losing the Saga, Jake joins Sig as co-captain. A serious hip injury tests Sophia. A fire on the Wizard traps Keith's deckhand below deck. Wild Bill faces his hardest test yet.
Bering Sea Gut Check
As competition heats up on the King Crab grounds, Jake's next move puts him at odds with Capt. Sig. Wild Bill battles heavy seas and side effects, while Sophia "Bob" Nielsen attempts to pop in a deckhand's dislocated hip to avoid a steam back to town.
A Titan Among Men
After leaving Sig's boat, Jake has a lot to prove on the massive Titan Explorer. Sig and Johnathan jockey to get ahead of a migrating king crab hoard in an underwater canyon. Rick faces Keith's wrath when his captain-in-training launches a rogue set.
Lights Out!
A below-deck brawl puts Sophia "Bob" Nielsen's captaincy to the test on the Seabrooke. A hydro leak on the Summer Bay threatens to send Wild Bill's King Crab season into the red. Rick must make a crucial decision when Jacob's deckmate crosses the line.
Twice Bitten, Twice Shy
When Sig's fishing information falls into the wrong hands, he deals his protégé a lesson he won't soon forget. After his crew gets slammed by back-to-back waves, Rick faces a gun-shy deckhand. Sophia contends with a crewman with a badly infected tooth.
The Purpose of Porpoises
On the Northwestern, Captain Sig contends with a man overboard for the first time in his career. Johnathan comes up short on crab but sees the tide turning when thousands of porpoises guide the Time Bandit in a new direction. Jack tangles with Wild Bill.