Is anyone watching "Deadliest Catch"? What are your thoughts?

Cafe Society
1

This show is very difficult for me to watch, and yet I am compelled. My husband is a Bering Sea Crabber.

How heartbreakingly ironic that they show Gary Edwards demonstrating the EPRB, and timing his crew’s scramble into the survivor suits.

I was talking to a friend who fishes with my husband, and he told me that I shouldn’t watch the show. He is of the opinion, as are many of the fishermen I know, that we family members they leave behind “don’t need to know what goes on out there”.

The Discovery Channel had a crew here a couple of weeks ago, filming the 10th episode of Deadliest Catch. I am interested in watching that episode, in large part because I love seeing my home on television.

I have enjoyed this series, even if it has put even more fear in my heart for my husband’s safety, as well as for the rest of the fleet. I was wondering what people with “normal” jobs are thinking while they are watching this.

2

That show made me thankful that I never answered one of the “earn $10,000 over the summer” ads while I was a college student.

My hat’s off to all of the people in the fleet. What a difficult and challenging job they have.

3

TDC had a marathon today, and I watched several episodes. As to my thoughts, well, my two least favorite things are cold and wet. I salute your husband and the other guys who tackle this incredibly tough job.

4

It does make the crab legs taste so much sweater.

5

I’m not sure if you meant “sweeter” or “sweatier”. :wink:

I’ve been watching the show, and I’m in awe of the stamina of those guys! If I go to the bank and the post office both in one day, I’m exhausted. I couldn’t do it… heck, farming lettuce is probably physically beyond me.

As much as it sometimes sucks, viva telephone tech. support!

6

I love this show. It makes me cry sometimes, gets me all stressed out a lot, but I really, really like it. Sig is my favorite!

I know some of the Alaska-based fishermen just from a bar I frequent. They are a different breed of human…but in a good way! I’m just a 30 yr old chick who works in computers, BTW. It fascinates me to see how hard these guys can push their limits, the way they interact in such small quarters and how close they all are to losing their lives.

I do wish they would profile the boys a bit more. I’d like to know more about them. It seems that the opilio season seems to lack the info given for the 1st season.

7

I watched it for three hours straight this weekend. Didn’t mean to - I was just idly flipping channels, looking to fill the odd twenty minutes.

But . . . wow. Utterly compelling stuff. Even with the depiction of the dangers involved, I know that, had I seen this twenty five years ago, I’d have been heading up to Alaska to join the fleet.

8

My uncle was a deckhand on one of the Blue King Crab boats that trolled around St. Matthew’s Island, and he’s given me the opportunity to join him on the rare occasions when I could be used. I can honestly say it’s one of the few life-fulfilling jobs I’ve ever had, and although I’d ended up with a net loss on a few occasions, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world; then again, I’m the type of person that relishes physical labour rather than having a boring 9-to-5 job where almost nothing is accomplished. For me, the first several hours are the most depressing and overwhelming of the entire trip, simply because of the desolation of being in the middle of the Bering Sea without the comforts of civilization is disconcerting. It’s hard to explain just why the hours of physical pain and mental fatigue are worth it, but I’ve always thought it had to do with having a purpose.

But I’m glad I’ve had the chance to experience it while I could, because now the opportunity had dried up. My uncle suffered a life-threatening concussion when one of the pots crashed onto his head, and so now he’s unable to work in such draining conditions; or rather, he refuses to on the grounds that he’s had enough. Not to mention there’s a good chance of crab fishing being a money-sink rather than quick way with money, with demand steadily dropping coupled with the rising price of getting the equipment to go out on the water.

9

I love the show. Before seeing it I had no idea how dangerous a job crabbing was. I’ll never bitch about the price of crablegs again.

10

Fantastic show. New episode tonight (Tuesday). I never imagined the work to be easy, but not that hard either. I’d have to agree with Genghis Bob; had I known 25ish years ago, I might have gone out there and tried it. Although, one show profiled a greenhorn just a bit older than me. Still, I don’t think I’m physically able to hack it any longer. I’ve grown soft sitting at a desk for far too many years.

11

I agree that there’s a lot less profiling than the king crab season, but then again that season was cut pretty short, only allowing the pots to go down and back up once (or maybe twice). That left extra air time to spend on the greenhorns.

There’s been a lot more action during opilio, so that’s been leaving less time to focus on the crabbers. If it wasn’t for that one stressful scene on the Billikin when the hook went flying, I wouldn’t have know that we even had greenhorns on board this time around.

When I first saw the promos for Deadliest Catch, I wasn’t too excited since I’d already seen a couple shows on crabbing (I think both were also on the Discovery Channel, including The World’s Most Dangerous Job) and found them fairly boring, so I couldn’t figure how something that made a dull 60 minutes could make an interesting series. When I finally watched an episode (after The Amazing Race ended and looking for something to fill the void), I was hooked. The multiple-episode reality-show format definitely works better than a one-off documentary.
D

12

I think it’s one of the best shows on the air right now. I’ll gladly stay up until 3 in the morning watching it. The show is very compelling.

I wonder if they are going to release the seasons on DVD sometime. I would definitely have to collect them all.

13

As others have said, very compelling. I couldn’t do it if my life depended on it. I also didn’t realize that they only have a crew of six or so.

Makes me appreciate the product so much more!

14

According to the Discovery Channel Store, Deadliest Catch DVD Set has an estimated shipping date of July 21, 2005. Eight hours, 20 minutes on five DVDs.

15

That show is absolutely riveting. I have only watched about three full episodes, but it has been quite an eye opener. I know the sort of people that would do something like that at a drop of a hat - and it’s a special kind. I ain’t one of those for sure.

I hope those crabs make the guys some good money, coz they really earn it. Btw, can anyone tell me what one of those crabs cost on the open market (or are they sold in small pieces) ? And who eats them crabs anyway?

16

If you go to The Discovery Channel and search Deadliest Catch, you will find the dvd’s on sale for about $50.00, I am getting the set for my husband, as he has been fishing through the entire series. I will probably send a few sets as gifts to my family in the Lower 48.

The different fisheries seem to meld into each other, but IIRC the opie season closed after just three days, a record. As for the “big money”, well, this year my husband made a good crew share, but last year it was a very small settelment, IMHO not worth the risk. He has come back from herring grateful that the skipper paid for his plane ride home, arriving with empthy pockets. Fishing is a huge gamble, and with the price of fuel lately it’s often hard for the skipper to break even. The processors pay chicken feed in comparison to the price crab fetches on the market.

The price differential applies to all the fisheries. Right now my husband is out salmon fishing, and the price for reds (sockeye) is .56 cents a pound. The salmon boat he has been on for 11 years regularly catches a million pounds of pinks a summer in order to make a decent settelment, along with as much of the other speicies of salmon as possible. The salmon boat he is on is a regular highliner, which means they are out all season, beating the water for fish when other boats come in and out of town. (www.legaseacharters

It is a comfort to read the reactions to the show. I can tell you there is a lot you aren’t seeing or hearing, but it’s enough, and it is my hope that this will bring awareness that when Alaska crab (and other seafood) is eaten Outside, it comes at a great risk to these ocean cowboys. Requiem Jane, I am sorry about your uncle, and hope that he has no lingering incapacities from his accident. So far the worst that has happened to my husband was when he was fishing a halibut (longline) opener, and a hook caught his glove liner. It ripped the glove off, thank God, but also ripped a chunk out of the back of his hand, it’s a nasty scar. His best friend/deck buddy ripped the muscle tissue in his back, and every time it heals a bit the muscle tissue rips away from the scar tissue again. He is now working as the engineer on the boat.

Any women who are thinking these guys are awesome, which they are, and are thinking about the ratio of men to women, remember our saying, “The odds are good, but the goods are odd”!!!

17

Sorry, I didn’t intend to leave a partial link to the salmon boat, it should be www.legaseacharters.com In the off season the skipper takes charters from all over the world. I went on one day trip not too long ago and outfished every man on the boat, including the Germans who had travelled to Alaska just to fish for halibut! (I don’t have to pay for my boat rides!)

As far as who eats “them crabs”, well, they are found in the better supermarkets either frozen or thawed, as well as in the better restaurants. King (red) crab is known as king crab, opies and bairdis are known as “snow crab”. People “in the know” eat them crabs whenever possible!!! Yummy!

18

I used to love snow crab, and don’t like the little baby crabs we get around here (East Coast US) and won’t bother with them. Last time I had snow crab, it just looked too much like a bug to me, so that was the last time.

However, watching ‘The Deadliest Catch’, I was moved to comment to my husband that he was never, ever allowed to complain about the price of crab ever again.

19

I’ve seen a handful of those shows. I only really have a couple of comments.

  1. Why the hell did they use that Bon Jovi song as a theme song? “I’m a cowboy. On a steel horse I ride.” WTF??

  2. I understand it is a living. These guys do this to make money. But when I watch the show I can’t get past the fact these guys risk their life to provide a luxury food item. The guys that die doing this job died for what? All you can eat king crab leg night at red lobster? It seems like such a waste of life to me.

20

hawkeyejo, I eat ‘them’ crabs every chance I get. Watching the show always puts me in the mood for a crab dinner (not that it’s difficult to put me in the mood for a crab dinner). I find snow and king crabs in the supermarket or fish monger, pre-cooked (a necessity to preserve freshness) and frozen. Steam them, and dip in some clarified butter for real good eating.