Deadliest Catch

Behind the scenes on the making of season 3.

It's the first day of work at the world's deadliest job. Approximately 1,500 fishermen and 250 boats have converged on Dutch Harbor, Alaska, for the 2005 Alaskan king crab season. Each individual old salts and greenhorns alike ” is here to stake his claim on the 14 million pounds of crab that the season is expected to yield, and the chance to earn a year's wages in just one week. To that end, each boat's captain has his own strategy for success.With a radio countdown, the season begins and the first pots are dumped into the sea. It will be many hours before all the pots are set and even longer before anyone rests. But soon after the start, the stabilizer breaks on one of the boats, forcing its crew to fish with a potentially deadly problem. For others, it's fish guts and crab pots as they desperately grasp for their piece of the $80 million king crab pie.

After a long, sleepless night of baiting and setting crab pots, the fishermen anxiously await the captain's call to begin hauling them in. What's in the first pot of the season as it's pulled onto the deck sets the mood for the crew, and the questions on everyone's mind are who's got crab and where are they fishing?Some boats are ""on the crab,"" while others are ""pulling blanks."" The early losers agonize over strategy, hoping to make up for lost catch, while the winners try to figure out how to keep the crab coming. Others just want to start fishing ... One boat has broken the bin boards in its storage tank, which must be fixed before they can pull in their first pot. Every minute spent repairing broken equipment costs the crew serious money, and the greenhorns learn quickly that there's no sympathy for fatigue.

It's hour 42 of the Alaskan king crab season and every captain feels the pressure, especially since the Alaska Department of Fish and Game just announced an early closure to the season. Each boat has 24 hours to pull out the pots they have in the water — and every one of the final pots count. The fishermen either find crab today, or give up their chance at a profitable season; the results can affect these men and their families for the entire year.All of the boats in the fleet face challenges: One captain, nervous about the spot he's chosen to fish, decides to take a gamble on a new location, while another grapples with an injured crew member. And worst of all, some boats still have no crab to show despite the continuous efforts made by their captains and crew.

Back out on the Bering Sea, the crews set sail for this round of crab fishing. With new rules and more time to fish, the stakes are still high.

With the weather calm on the Bering Sea the fleet takes full advantage. With a storm brewing out at sea, the decision to stay or run needs to be made.

With Mother Nature in full force, crews decide to stick it out in search of Alaskan Gold.

The 2006 Crab season is underway in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Fishing vessels and crews are preparing for the harsh conditions they will endure. Fierce seas, high winds, and ice build-up will make this season of Deadliest Catch…deadly.

Fishing is put on hold for boats in the area of where a fellow vessel sank, fellow fishermen search with the Coast Guard to locate survivors. Between faulty equipment and bad fishing crews are struggling with a rough start to the 2006 season.

The Bering Sea is relentless this season, claiming one life after another. The high seas are a dangerous place to work, a deckhand on board the Wizard is badly injured causing the captain to rush back to shore.

It's the beginning of a new king crab season and everyone's looking to cash in. Some boats are slow to start but eventually get to catching some king crab.

Everyone ships looking to get some good crab numbers this season, but the Bearing Sea won't let them off so easy. A new greenhorn for the Wizard starts falling apart after only 48 hours of working. Meamwhile the Early Dawn countines to fish for Brown King Crab.

The King crab season is well under way, but ships and people are already showing signs of weakness; The Northwestern has a mechanical breakdown, the Wizard's greenhorns are lost in the midst of work and the Cornelia Marie's captain's health is failing which greatly affects the crew.

The 2008 King crab fleet faces huge stakes - before boats even cast off. Skippers Keith and Phil could be sidelined by life threatening illnesses and all the boats are in debt from summer repairs. A skipper is pressured to take a potentially fatal risk.

A vicious storm kicks up and a Mayday goes out. The Skippers are glued to their radios -- waiting to hear the fate of 11 brother fishermen in distress...

The fleet is still dialing into the crab, and already a typhoon has taken its toll. A boat has sunk - and bone-chilling accounts of the fate of its men relay around the fleet.

The 2009 King crab season begins with tensions at an all time high. One deckhand threatens to quit, while another sets his pre-mature sights on the wheelhouse. When the captains gather for their annual meeting, a line is crossed.

It's week two of King Crab season and a storm looms as the fleet hauls their first crab. One greenhorn cramps up after just a few pots, while two junior deckhands are tested on unfamiliar boats. But it's the veteran deckhands that really try the skippers' patience.

It's the third week of hunting King crab and Captain Phil and Captain Sig's experiment in trading junior deckhands comes to a close. The young crew members are tested by big waves and cruel pranks until the end. Meanwhile, conflict between skippers and deckhands continues to rage unchecked.

Fresh blood join the crab fleet as the 2010 crab season begins; new skippers are Scott Campbell Jr. on the Seabrooke and Elliot Neese on the Ramblin' Rose.

Across the Bering Sea crab fleet, bad fishing causes high tensions and low morale as empty pots whittle away profits and nerves among the men

Jake Harris gets a sink-or-swim lesson on driving the Cornelia Marie as danger strikes the Wizard when a crew member gets caught in the line.

A slashed crab quota has captains reeling before the boats hit the water. With the fleet set to fight over half the catch, each skipper is forced to decide: roll the dice on the depleted Red grounds or risk it all to hunt for the elusive Blue crab.

With the fleet split, a tale of two fisheries emerges. On the Blue grounds, a captains' bet has the boats jockeying for position. On the Red grounds, a returning veteran quickly proves his worth, while another boat copes with a fallen deckhand.

As the fleet grinds through injuries and mental mistakes, the Bering Sea exposes soft spots and weak links in each crew. While the skippers wonder which deckhands have the right stuff, the Time Bandit says goodbye to a crewmate who never made it back.

It's October in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and after a devastating 2011 Opilio season, every ship in the fleet — including two new boats — is looking to make a comeback in the 2012 King Crab season. But it won't be easy for any of them.

Keith and Junior form an alliance, but will it last? The Northwestern crew knocks out their rocky string but then faces a surprise challenge. Elliott finally debuts his new boat on the dangerous blue crab grounds.

On the blue crab grounds, brutal competition leads to more deceit amongst 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.

A government shutdown shortens the season and starts off a chain reaction that 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.

Two weeks into the King Crab season the fleet is already behind due to the government shutdown and, now, a massive Arctic storm. A harrowing Coast Guard airlift must abort as 100-knot winds whip over the fishing grounds.

After a storm shuts down the fleet, an even more severe weather system hits them again. While the captains do their best to stay the course, greenhorn problems, mechanical malfunctions and bad fishing conspire to shake their resolve.

A 12-million pound Bairdi quota increase causes a fishing frenzy. A boat is stolen on the eve of a launch. An alliance takes root.

The fleet goes into a fishing frenzy for additional millions. The Time Bandit and Wizard bury the hatchet. Josh learns a difficult lesson.

A fire threatens the Cornelia Marie. Keith has a showdown with his crew on the Wizard. Sig receives a shocking surprise aboard the Northwestern.

An adrenaline-packed new season brings a new face: 23 year-old Sean Dwyer –fighting for the legacy of the father he lost too soon. The Time Bandit squares off with the law, Captain Keith’s life spirals, and Sig torments his former protégé.

24-year-old Captain Sean Dwyer & crew prepare for their first crab season aboard the Brenna A. Jake Anderson fears he made a big mistake. Wild Bill handles a challenging deckhand. Keith gets support from an unlikely counselor, Johnathan Hillstrand.

Wild Bill risks his biggest lead in history to bail Josh Harris out of trouble. Sean Dwyer finds out if he has got what it takes. Veteran skipper Johnathan Hillstrand leans on his crew and a little tip from a friend to turn his season around.

The crabs have vanished, which ignites a grueling hunt to save the fleet's way of life. Captain Sig returns to the helm after a major heart attack. Wild Bill debuts his own brand new boat in a crisis season. A rescue is attempted for a heart attack victim.

The fall season begins with some uncertainty. A seismic shift in sea temperature sends the fleet searching for displaced crab and then they must fight through an unseasonably large first storm.

Rising sea temperatures test the fleet. Toxic smoke engulfs the Saga. Sean struggles to save the family business on the Brenna A. Wild Bill fears he could lose Nick to a terminal illness.

Sig and Jake have a massive falling out, leading to new strategies and new alliances. Josh Harris returns to captain his father's boat. Sean plays dirty, but Wild Bill shows him he's messing with the wrong Captain. With big rewards, come big risks.

Bering Sea draws first blood in a daring Coast Guard rescue. Jake strives to become an independent Captain, and Keith offers to take him on as an apprentice, but accusations fly and suspicions grow as the captains plunge head first into a brutal start.

Wild Bill risks it all on a new bait and fish strategy hoping it will pay off big. Sean and Casey forge an alliance, but when one strikes crab, will he betray it? A dangerous mistake jeopardizes Jake's offload.The Cornelia Marie is whipped by bad weather.

Hours before king season, a huge new boat with a renegade captain finds the crab are all in one spot. The fleet races to find the hoard and fight for their share.

Atop the king crab super swarm, full pots boil over into conflict as young guns Sean and Jake join forces to set down Sig. Keith and Harley reignite a decades old rivalry, and Sean faces the long arm of Alaska law when crab in his tank come up short.

In storm-driven seas, Cornelia Marie's crane goes off the rails; Sig risks navigating a rocky passage in treacherous conditions, and the Wizard crew face a rogue wave without warning.

A dramatic change in the Russian crab industry rocks global markets and drives new competition between Dutch Harbor captains and their Russian adversaries. As crab prices skyrocket legendary captains return to claim their piece of a historic payday.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When the government closes the king crab fishery, captains must save an industry they worked to create. Plus, Sig pursues invasive Russian king crab in Norway.

Captain Sig suddenly loses power as he battles to launch his new Norwegian fishing operation. Plus, Captain Rip Carlton races to save an injured deckhand.

Captain Rip heads into an Arctic storm to attempt the riskiest helicopter rescue in recent history. Plus, John fights to save the Time Bandit at anchor.

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.

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.

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.