Accounting for the extreme dangers and relentless pressure of working on a crabbing vessel, the close-quarters nature of life at sea, and the potential for any given trip to carry on for several months, it's easy enough to imagine much of the inter-crew drama fans see in "Deadliest Catch" is legit enough. And as David Reichert made clear to Gold Derby, once you're out to sea, there's no turning back. "You're out there," he said. "You're on the boats 24/7. You'll come in, offload you're crab... and you're back out."
According to the website for Alaskan King Crab Co., however, the rules used to be quite different in regards to how long a crabbing vessel might be out to sea in season. In fact, AKC claims as recently as a decade ago, it was not uncommon for a vessel to catch its quota in a matter of days. That's because in those days the fishing season was conducted in more of a derby style, with as many as 250 vessels signing up for a mad, days-long dash to grab as much king crab as they could. Of course, such practices led to overfishing and lower market prices for the prized delicacy.
Those very issues have contributed to cancellations in the red king crab fishery and more in recent years. But with things more or less back on track, the "Deadliest Catch" crews are now looking to make the most of their opportunities — no matter how long it takes.
