The Deadliest Catch: Are You Hooked?

I must say, when I first saw the trailers for The Deadliest Catch, I really wasn't impressed. A show about a bunch of tired, grouchy men on freezing crab ships just does not seem all that appealing. After watching an episode however, I've discovered it's a heart-wrenching show about the most dangerous job in the world.

The Deadliest Catch, for those who are uninitiated to the show, is a documentary show chronicling the lives of crab fishermen. The majority of the crab fishing done on Earth is done in the region of the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Russia, and it is truly an unforgiving job site. Wild storms, freezing temperatures, and unpredictable Mother Nature make the sought-after crab worth their weight in gold. There are two types of crab typically fished and sold: King crab, which is typically fished for in the earlier season, and opilio crab, which is harvested later in January. King crab fetch a higher premium, as they are the much larger and meatier of the two species, but both are very valuable.

The show highlights different fishing boats and their crews, not only displaying their fishing prowess, but their true, raw human emotion. Crab fishermen put their lives on the line every time they venture out into the ocean in search of their elusive prey, and it's evident in watching the show. Babies are born, family members are sick, injured and occasionally lost, all while these men chase the crab prize, yet they return year after year in hopes of striking it rich.

Crab fishermen work for hours on end, first grinding and preparing the bait, setting up the gear, dropping the pots (pots are, in essence, large wire baskets into which the crabs crawl and are captured), pulling the pots, sorting the crab, and re-launching the pots, all with little to no sleep. Sleep and food are two of the only comforts a crab fishermen will be able to enjoy while out to sea, and even those are few and far between. The dangers of fishing for crab are evident on the show. The weather on the Bering Sea changes in the drop of a hat, and while it might me 10 degrees and sunny now, in 20 minutes it could be 15 below and icing over. The crew must be vigilant and keep ice from forming on the deck, as just an inch of ice can add tons of weight to the ship, making it grossly overweight, and extremely dangerous.

The show is highly addicting, as it shows every facet of the human condition during the few weeks these men are at sea. Many people wonder why on Earth would you risk you life doing a job like this year in and year out? Crab fishing is one of the few professions left in which you can easily make $30,000+ in just a few days time if the fishing is good. The money the fishermen make during crab season is often more than they make in an entire year in their normal jobs. As the show says, crab fishing on the Bering Sea truly is "The last great American gold rush."

If you haven't yet become hooked on The Deadliest Catch, I highly recommend it. The combination of raw Mother Nature and the undeniable human spirit is something not to be missed.