Over 21 seasons, Deadliest Catch viewers have watched crews of the various fishing vessels haul crab via crab pots. For long-time viewers of the series, watching the action of how to operate the traps has become old hat. For those new viewers, it may still be a bit of a mystery. Without the crab pots, our crews wouldn’t be walking away with extraordinary paydays.
The crab pots are designed to lure and trap the prey lurking in the depths of the Bering Sea. While they may seem simple to the untrained eye, there is a science behind these sophisticated contraptions. As science and technology have continued to evolve, so have crab pots. The innovations have allowed for more daring fishing, larger hauls, and an increase in catch rates. So, what are crab pots, and how do they even work?
How Do Crab Pots on ‘Deadliest Catch’ Even Work?
As seen on Deadliest Catch, crab pots are the literal way these captains make a living. Sized up to 8 ft. by 8 ft and weighing up to 800 pounds when fully rigged for deployment, according to Huaxing Nets, the inch and a half solid steel bars and wire mesh traps include various size openings depending on the target crab. The pots, which tend to be dropped for one to two days, get even heavier should a good haul come to fruition. Thus, a hydraulic system is used to lift them back onboard. Now, with multiple vessels out at once, how does a captain and their crew find their pots? Colorful buoys and tags, of course!
Without a tag, the pots can be seized as illegal pots. Now, when you’re in direct competition for decades with the same captains as on Deadliest Catch, chances are you’ll know who laid their pots where when you sail by. As we saw recently with Captain Sig Hansen and Captain Keith Colburn, just because you see your competitors set out doesn’t mean you can’t pull it up to see what’s inside.
So, how do they end up actually luring the crab? They use the crab’s instinct to trap itself. Using a particular bait set within the trap, the strategically placed openings are formed so they can enter but cannot escape. Some traps have a ramp-style element to the entrances that prevents escape, as they are smaller on the inside. Deadliest Catch has focused on the period when the crab population was dwindling in the Bering Sea. With the evolution of crab pots and a focus on sustainability, some designs reduce the bycatch of females and undersized males. If a crab pot is lost at sea, a special panel called the cotton bio-escapement panel is sewn into the mesh, allowing it to permanently open. It allows the crabs to crawl out and prevents damage to other vessels.
How Have Crab Pots Been Important in ‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 21?
Now, safety first. While the ship may be able to endure the pounding and banging, especially during drastic conditions, the human body is not. These pots are incredibly dangerous and have been the source of many injuries over time.During Season 10, deckhand Roger Schlosstein had his hand smashed by a loose crab pot. In that same season, greenhorn Myles Johnson was knocked to his feet, causing a huge gash on his nose. Five seasons later, Cody Rhodes suffered a broken leg when a rogue wave hit the ship, and thus, the pot smashed into him. Perhaps the worst crab-pot injury came to Francis Katungin, who became pinned by a crab pot, causing severe damage to his hip and pelvis.
So far this season, crab pots have played a crucial part in the story. We saw deckhand Connor place the bait incorrectly in one of the F/V Wizard pots, which led to a poor catch and thus contributed to his firing. When F/V Aleutian Lady lost power, it seemed all was lost in finding those pots, but thankfully, with the brilliance of Captain Sophia Bob Nielsen, she used modern technology of GPS on her phone to locate them. When Captain Sig and Captain Keith got into a pushing match, Captain Sig had his lines tangled, forcing him to ask for help from his rival. Meanwhile, in episode 10, Keith used Captain Jake Anderson to trick Sig with a decoy string of pots — a deal Jake had to make as he was in desperate need of help to fulfill his quota. Needless to say, crab pots are a huge factor in the world of Deadliest Catch.
Deadliest Catch airs Fridays at 8:00pm on Discovery Channel. All episodes are available to stream on HBO Max.
- Release Date
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April 12, 2005
- Network
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Discovery
