Deadliest Catch

Premeiring on April 14, 2005, Deadliest Catch has become one of the most popular documentaries on televisions today. Revolving around Alaskan king crab and Opilio crab fishing, the show is named for the risk and high fatality rate associated with the profession. Airing in over 150 countries, the show recently finished it’s 5th season and Deadliest Catch season 6 is scheduled to air in 2010.

The show covers two of the most dangerous and lucrative crab fishing seasons; October (Alaskan king crab) and January (Opilio crab). Focusing on the real life drama and danger that each of the 8 crews face during the season, the perilous job of both crew members and Discovery camera operators makes for compelling and suspenseful television. During each season of Deadliest catch, crew member’s backgrounds, rivalries between Deadliest Catch boats captains particularly between Sig Hansen of the Northwestern, Johnathan Hillstrand of the Time Bandit and Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie); the usual compelling human drama. Deadliest catch also revolves around the family ties present throughout the industry including the Hansen brothers, who own the Northwestern; Phil Harris and his two sons on the Cornelia Marie; brothers Johnathan, Andy, and Neal Hillstrand and Johnathan’s son Scott of the Time Bandit, and brothers Keith and Monte Colburn of the Wizard.

Commercial fishing is considered one of the most dangerous occupations with a 141.7 per 1000 fatality rate, a 75% increase next to the next most dangerous professions including pilots, flight engineers, and loggers. Alaskan king crab fishing is the single most hazardous vein within the commercial fishing industry due to the conditions of the Bering Sea during the seasons covered by Deadliest Catch. According to the pilot episode, the death rate during the main crab seasons averages out to nearly one fisherman per week, while the injury rate for crews on most crab boats in the fleet is nearly 100% due to the severe weather conditions (frigid gales, rogue waves, ice formations on and around the boat) and the danger of working with such heavy machinery on a constantly rolling Deadliest Catch boats deck.

The first season of Deadliest Catch was filmed before the laws of commercial crab fishing changed from what was known as derby fishing to quota. Derby crab fishing involved fisherman competing against each other to catch crab within a certain amount of time. The laws were changed to the quota system to in theory make the situation safer and let fisherman take a more relaxed approach to the season. Unfortunately for owners of smaller boats, the new system put them out of work because their quotas didn’t prove to drive enough profit to cover operating costs.

Sweeping the world in a whirlwind of reality drama, Deadliest Catch has spawned a series of products aside from the show. A documentary style show called After the Catch follows crews of participants on Deadliest Catch when they’re not fishing and became Discovery’s highest rated miniseries. The show also spawned a series of other “after” miniseries based on Discovery shows. Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand, co-captains of one of the Deadliest Catch boats named the Time Bandit wrote books titled Time Bandit: Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World’s Deadliest Jobs along with author Malcolm MacPherson.There is even a deadliest catch video game.

Those who watch deadliest catch know of its compelling nature and spread from reality TV to a whole line of Deadliest Catch online merchandise, media, and supplemental shows. Capturing the height of danger and human drama within a profession, Deadliest Catch has become one of the surprising phenomenons in reality television and shows no signs of slowing down. The most extreme form of fishing, it is truly the height of danger and excitement within the industry.