How Long Is Crabbing Season For ‘Deadliest Catch’ Crews?
Deadliest Catch fans see that the Discovery Channel reveals a very dangerous job for the crews who go crab fishing. There’s good money to be made, and competition is tough. But for how long do the vessels go out on the Bering Sea each year? Read on to find out.
Deadliest Catch Is Not Easily Scripted
Quite a lot of fans suspect that there is plenty of scripting going on when the vessels are out after crabs. However, there’s not a lot anyone can do to script dangerous weather. Perhaps there is some of it with the captains and their kids, but it’s a hard enough job for everyone without adding too much drama.
In Season 20, Deadliest Catch fans see that there’s a lot of competition for red crabs. That’s why Captain Keith Colburn got so angry with Jacob Hutchins who laid his traps next to his line. This season, there was already fire aboard F/V Wizard, and in the past, bad accidents happened. So how long do the crew members spend out doing their exhausting and sometimes scary job?
Discovery Channel Crabbing Season
The season for crabbing is in winter, making a dangerous job more miserable for the crews. According to Distractify, the Discovery Channel follows the fishermen between October and January. However, due to quotas, it could be shorter or longer. Additionally, if the filming teams are done, it doesn’t mean a nice rest for the crews.
The outlet cited “Deadliest Catch cinematographer David Reichert” as telling Gold Derby:
You’re out there. You’re on the boats 24/7. You’ll come in, offload [your] crab… and you’re back out.
Why Do People Risk Crabbing?
People have died at sea, so Discovery Channel fans who sit in safety doing less adventurous jobs might wonder why they do it. The bottom line is that there’s plenty of money to be made for the owners of the vessels. However, in another article, Distractify noted that Kenny Ripka said in 2016, that a deckhand “can typically make anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000 for a couple months of work.” But it is seasonal and can vary.
Obviously, the more experienced hands will earn more. As for the owners, the vessels are not cheap to maintain, and while they can earn good money, fortunes could change in the blink of an eye. Some of the captains spent almost their entire lives at sea. For them, it’s possibly the lifestyle that attracts them
What are your thoughts about the crew on the fishing vessels being out for up to four months at a time? Sometimes, they fish for crabs for shorter periods, depending on the quotas. Could you do that job day after day in cold and dangerous conditions? Shout out in the comments below, and come back here often for all your Deadliest Catch news.
