m NORTH WESTERN Captain Sig Hansen Aboard the Northwestern, Sig Hansen revels in the strategies and competition

of crab fishing. He has been a captain for 18 years, and is the eldest of the three brothers who own the fishing vessel. A fourth-generation Norwegian fisherman, Sig is extremely superstitious. His list of musthaves before he starts each season includes yellow Post-it notes and pencils with erasers taped to the tops. Edgar, the deck boss, is the youngest brother and is always ready with an opinion even if no one wants it. Norman is the more reserved middle brother and works as a deckhand. Other deckhands working alongside the Hansen brothers are Nick Mavar Jr and Matt Bradley, both of whom have been a part of the crew for several years.

TIME BANDIT Captain Johnathan Hillstrand The Hillstrand brothers don't do anything by halves. Designed by the Hillstrands' father and custom-built by the brothers, the Time Bandit features luxuries unheard of on other crab boats, including staterooms with queen-sized beds, a four-person sauna and a dishwasher. Johnathan and Andy share the skippering duties on board this family-operated vessel. Johnathan is the captain during king crab season. He runs a tight ship, and is not afraid to speak his mind. The Alaskan resident enjoys life on the edge - his Harley-Davidson motorbike is rigged to reach 120mph (193km/hr) at the touch of a button. Andy is the skipper during the opilio season, and spearheads the business side of the family's fishing venture. During the off-season, he spends time at his ranch in Indiana, USA, indulging in his other passion, training horses. The youngest brother, deckhand Neal Hillstrand, is the cook and is also responsible for preparing the boat at the start of each season. Neal resides in Homer, where he also owns and operates a hydroseeding company. TRAILBLAZER Capitn Wayne Baker Conocido por la tripulacin del Trailblazer por su sentido del humor, el capitn Wayne Baker se ha dedicado a la pesca desde 1974. Cuando Wayne le ofrece a su tripulacin la opcin de descansar o de tirar de las cuerdas, ellos jams dejan de tirar para no defraudarlo. A pesar de que la mayor parte de su tripulacin es relativamente nueva en la industria, trabaja duro y cumple su objetivo.

El Trailblazer es un barco pesquero de 40 metros de popa que transporta 250 trampas de acero. Puede contener hasta 100 toneladas de cangrejos.

LISA MARIE Capitn Wade Henlen El Capitn Wade Henley trabaj como marinero toda su vida, luego de aprender el oficio de su padre. Ha estado pescando cangrejos desde 1992 y se encuentra al mando de la embarcacin Lisa Marie. Posee muy mal carcter y su tripulacin no siempre est de su lado. De hecho, a este barco lo gobierna una estrategia de pesca democrtica. Con apenas 24 metros, la embarcacin Lisa Marie es la ms pequea de la flota. Transporta 55 trampas de acero y tiene capacidad para 47 toneladas de cangrejos.

WIZARD Captain Keith Colburn Captain Keith Colburn of Redmond, Washington, has served at the helm of the Wizard for the last 14 years. In 2005 he took a huge risk in purchasing the Wizard without any of her valuable crab quota. The Wizard is a World War II era ship that was converted into a fishing vessel in 1978. The boat, a perennial top five producer, is one of the largest vessels in the fleet at 155 feet in length. Being forced to lease his entire crab quota, Keith struggled in his first year as captain of the Wizard. Joining Keith are his brother Monte, an experienced deckhand who takes over as skipper for the last half of opilio season; first mate Gary Soper, a fishing veteran of 20 years; and deckhands Art Peterson, Lenny Lekanoff, Crosby LeVeen and Nick Maurer. Keith is also keeping a close eye on his greenhorns this season. One is only 21, the other is 10 years older, but both are being tested by the Bering in their own ways Keith started out as a deckhand on the boat in 1988, and eventually took over the skipper duties in 1994. When the owner was looking to sell the boat, Keith took a gamble and purchased it in 2005, knowing he would have to lease virtually all of his crab quota since he didn't own the boat when IFQs (individual fishing quotas) were issued to boat owners earlier that year. The IFQ situation forces Keith to lease his quota from other boats year after year, as well as hire cheaper greenhorns to keep his costs down -- making the stakes much higher. Always the adventure seeker, Keith recently ran with the bulls in Pamplona. He lives outside Seattle, Wash., with his wife and two children. CORNELLA MARIE Captain Phil Harris This season marks captain Phil Harris's 17th year onboard the Cornelia Marie, and his 30th year as a crab fisherman. Despite some major mechanical difficulties, Phil made the Cornelia Marie one of the top-performing boats last season. Phil will be joined this season by his two sons. Jake turned 21 at sea during crab season and now returns for a fourth year. This time he'll be working as a deckhand, earning a full share of the profits. Alongside him will be greenhorn Josh - this is Josh's second season crab fishing in the Bering Sea. Joining the Harris clan is first mate Roger Jensen, who has been Phil's loyal and trusted deckhand since 1988; deckhand Dave Millman; and engineer Mark Anderson.

A highly experienced seaman, Captain Phil Harris has worked in the commercial fishing industry for over 30 years. He has spent 17 of those years operating and co-owning the Cornelia Marie. Phil lives in Seattle, Wash., during the off-season, where his hobbies include building handmade bird feeders and riding his Harley.