Before complaining about the market price of Alaska king crab, check out this gripping documentary series, revealing the mortal perils and intense discomfort that fishing crews face to catch the delicacy; those perils include 40-foot waves, 700-pound crab pots that can easily crush a careless crewman, and freezing temperatures around the clock.
The captains are left reeling when their crab quota is slashed. Should they continue fishing the depleted red grounds or risk everything to find elusive blue crabs?(S08,E01)
On the Blue grounds, a captain's bet has the boats jockeying for position, while on the Red grounds, a returning veteran proves his worth.(S08,E02)
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.(S08,E03)
Halfway through the King crab gauntlet, the crews must dig deep to get over the midseason hump. The skippers give their youngest deckhands a choice: step up or step off.(S08,E04)
Both man and machine are showing signs of wear. The Ramblin' Rose struggles with engine failures, while The Wizard's greenhorn grapples with doubts.(S08,E05)
The crew of the Wizard face a life-or-death situation when a deckhand collapses. On the Seabrooke, Scott is determined to win the captain's wager - but at what cost?(S08,E06)
In a rush to help their collapsed greenhorn, the Wizard crew calls in a Coast Guard helicopter, and the remaining fleet race to haul crab ahead of the hurricane.(S08,E07)
A treacherous arctic hurricane decimates the crab grounds, forcing captains Elliot Neese and Scott Campbell Jr to face some of their toughest decisions yet.(S08,E08)
Tempers flare on the Northwestern and the future looks uncertain for the Seabrooke as the fleet prepares to begin their winter hunt for Opilio crab.(S08,E09)
As unrelenting winds rip across the crab grounds, the Wizard prepares to do battle with the descending polar ice pack. Meanwhile, tempers flare on board the Kodiak.(S08,E10)
The captains battle to save their pots and keep their opilio season alive. Meanwhile, Northwestern and Wizard struggle to escape St Paul harbour.(S08,E11)
As the ice pack invades the opilio grounds, the captains are forced to make a difficult decision - grab their gear and run, or keep fishing and fight the floes.(S08,E12)
The ice pack has a chokehold on the opilio grounds and captains across the fleet must make the call to stay or go. Some run, and others stay to battle the elements.(S08,E13)
One of the boats suffers a total blackout while navigating an iceberg minefield. Meanwhile Elliott gets a rude awakening, and a greenhorn learns a deadly lesson.(S08,E14)
Frustrations mount as more ice forces the Time Bandit off their fishing grounds. Meanwhile, the crew of the Northwestern fight to stop their boat from capsizing.(S08,E15)
The fleet head back out on the perilous waters of the Bering Sea for the final stretch of a merciless opilio season. Will they all make it back safely?(S08,E16)