Massive storm waves tear up the decks of the Early Dawn, North American, and Northwestern. On the Cornelia Marie, Capt. Phil injures his ribs and begins coughing blood, after he tossed from his bunk due to a wave hitting his boat but he won't head in for medical attention until his crew refuses to work any more.

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.

Greenhorns, skippers, and family fishing dynasties begin to crack. On Northwestern, Sig and Edgar have a "last man standing" contest to see who can fish the longest without sleep. Time Bandit's Captain Johnathan has a brush with death.

The seas are rough and they'll only get rougher.The Time Bandit has a dangerous electrical short. On the Cornelia Marie, Phil's health deteriorates. The Early Dawn boats driving with a sleeping greenhorn at the wheel. Fights between deckhands break out on the Northwestern.

With the king crab season nearly over, everyone's feeling the pressure. Captains are pushing their boats and their crews to the breaking point.

As the King Crab season drawls to a close, a mass amounts of stinging jellyfish by catch in unfilled pots add insult to injury. The Cornelia Marie could face losing their captain for good. The crew mistakes onboard Northwestern could be costly.

As the king crab season comes to an end, a totally exhausted crew fills the Northwestern's crab tanks to the brim. Cornelia Marie has a blackout. North American does a "Hail Mary". Wizard and Time Bandit race for the "String of the Week" prize.

The Opilio season begins. A dual storm system challenges a patched Cornelia Marie and almost costs the Time Bandit two of her men. A medical emergency on one of the boats brings in the U.S. Coast Guard, but the dangerous freezing spray puts everyone's lives at risk.

A routine Coast Guard rescue becomes a battle against nature. The Cornelia Marie heads to land for repairs. Fatigue is causing mistakes on the Northwestern. On the Wizard, Greenhorn Moi locks horns with Capt. Keith. The Time Bandit heads for better grounds.

On the Time Bandit, Capt. Johnathan joins the deck crew and promptly has an injuriy while showing off his deck skills. The Northwestern crew is irritating Capt. Sig. Lenny from Wizard barely escapes a huge wave. The North American greenhorn is hazed.

When Capt. Phil heads for the hospital for the treatment of his spitting up blood, Murray takes command of the Cornelia Marie and struggles with his new duties. The Northwestern's crane strains to its breaking points and put the boat peril. The Wizard goes through a serious leak and Moi, the boat's greenhorn, gets the axe.

The Northwestern fights the ice pack. The Wizard sets off with tempers flaring and a new greenhorn. Phil's future on the Cornelia Marie is questionable, so the crew struggles on without their captain. The Time Bandit has a near fatal mistake and a tough choice.

As the Oppie season drawls to the end the captains race to catch the last of their remaining quotas, battling ice and equipment issues. The Time Bandit's Scottie makes a near fatal mistake working the hydraulic system. An ominous message comes across the radio as the men head for home ports.

The Arctic ice pack descends on the fleet as they make their final runs. Both the crews of the Northwestern and Wizard battle freezing spray. The Cornelia Marie's crew suffers from "Bering Sea dementia" while the Time Bandit's crew is at its breaking point.