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NARRATOR: On this episode of Alaska Fish Wars,
on the Night Hawk, Captain Dino Sutherland
runs into the long arm of the law.
DINO: Everything in order, officer?
NARRATOR: Captain Taylor Evenson's frustration
boils over.
TAYLOR: If you cork me, man, I'm going to come find you.
NARRATOR: An exhausted Captain Gavin Keohane
makes a costly mental error.
NARRATOR: And Captain Wes Humbyrd snaps
as salmon season nears its end.
WES: You better wise up.
WES: [bleep] you!
I don't give a [bleep]
NARRATOR: 1,475 miles northwest of Seattle lies Cook Inlet.
Every year millions of salmon swim from the Pacific Ocean
through the inlet and up more than 100 rivers and streams
to spawn.
For weeks the fisherman of Alaska
are on a grueling hunt for the fish.
DINO: High hopes for today.
High hopes for the mighty Night Hawk.
I've got to get the crew back engaged here.
So, uh, anything that, you know, we have a big day,
everybody is going to be all smiles,
and that'll just change everything from here on out.
Don't know a whole lot yet about where the fish are.
We're just still a couple, 3 hours away from the opening.
A very important day today, uh, for us,
both financially and mentally.
NARRATOR: Captain Taylor Evenson and the crew of the Nedra E
are also feeling the wear and tear
of a brutal schedule
as they head out for another day of salmon fishing.
TAYLOR: None of us really have much sleep,
everyone is pretty exhausted.
So, uh, there's no concrete expectations.
We'd like to, uh, you know, catch as many as possible.
WES: We're headed out, uh,
one of our guys has been out there this morning,
been seeing lots and lots and lots of jumpers.
And I hope there's some fish show up inside here
so the whole crew don't come out there.
NARRATOR: Veteran captain Wes Humbyrd
has been fishing Cook Inlet for 45 years,
and while many fishermen have hit the wall,
he shows no signs of slowing down.
WES: Gonna be a big day today, I have a good feeling about it.
Keep our eyes open for jumpers and stuff here.
NARRATOR: The early mornings and long days
are starting to take their toll on Captain Gavin Keohane
and especially his deckhand Chris.
GAVIN: I always want him to get as much sleep as he can, but...
Hey, Chris, we're about to drop it.
Hey, Chris.
CHRIS: It's too [bleep] early for this [bleep] [bleep]
NARRATOR: To regulate the salmon population
and maintain a sustainable fishery,
the captains must only fish on Cook Inlet
within a 32-mile-wide, 75-mile-long fishing zone.
The captains can legally fish from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM,
12 brutal hours that get harder as the season wears on.
The crew of the Night's Edge is exhausted,
but must dig deep to keep up with their indomitable captain.
WES: We got a wind, though. This wind could push some fish.
Might lay it out and it might just light right up,
and I would love it.
Yeah, I hope we find something out here.
Let her go!
TIA: Wooo!
DINO: Everybody is in there wiped out.
I'll just set this in the water by myself.
This way I can at least get it in the water,
then we can wait for the tide to turn.
I use to do this by myself years ago.
We'll see what happens.
GAVIN: Watch out for those guys.
Better be careful.
We are nowhere near any lines of any sort.
We're just near the fish.
NARRATOR: This 32-mile-wide, 75-mile-long fishing zone
is carefully monitored by the Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
NARRATOR: The Wildlife Troopers levy a fine of up to $3,000
to any fishermen caught outside its boundaries
with their net in the water.
NARRATOR: Gavin gets a courtesy call from a fellow fisherman
warning him that he has drifted outside the fishing zone.
MAN ON RADIO: Yeah, Gavin, do you, uh, copy that?
GAVIN: Yeah, I do, I don't know what line I have.
NARRATOR: If he puts his net out,
he will automatically be fined.
GAVIN: 60 04.
Oh, yeah.
So what had happened is the boundaries on my chart
weren't quite up to date.
They've changed 'em,
so where we're sitting is illegal fishing.
If there had been fish caught, I might've gotten too excited
and set it out and been in trouble.
NARRATOR: Lack of sleep and a miscalculation
force Captain Gavin to reposition the North Crow,
and it's cost him valuable fishing time.
30 miles north, Captain Taylor's crew
is also showing signs of exhaustion
as he ratchets up the pressure.
TAYLOR: Let it rip. Drop it.
TAYLOR: Let her rip, yeah, throw it.
Come on, get it out quick, quick, quick.
Pull it out.
Come on, move it!
LIZ: Whoa, whoa, whoa!
TAYLOR: Help her, Raquel. Pull it back.
RAQUEL: It's the net that gets caught.
LIZ: OK.
TAYLOR: Wait a second.
[bleep] you!
If he lays me cork for cork
I'm going to [bleep] punch him in the mouth.
If you cork me, man, I'm gonna come find you.
He's definitely corking me off on purpose.
About as purposefully as you can do it.
I'm picking up because I need to get out from being corked.
Son of a [bleep]
NARRATOR: It's late in the season,
and as the salmon numbers dwindle,
the fishermen get more desperate...
desperate enough to invade the area
Captain Taylor has already claimed.
TAYLOR: God!
NARRATOR: Forcing him to pick up his net and move.
TAYLOR: Come on.
NARRATOR: 10 miles south on the Night's Edge,
there's a palpable tension
as Captain Wes prays for a good first set.
WES: We got to get something going here,
it's getting late in the season.
Oh, it's terrible.
NARRATOR: With each passing day,
the schools of salmon are harder and harder to find.
WES: Ah, man, talk about frustration.
NARRATOR: Captain Wes knows
he doesn't have many opportunities left.
WES: Go ahead and pick it up.
If there are any big body of fish left,
it's going to be damn slim pickings.
And instead of making $10,000
you're going to end up making $5,000.
We're going to run inshore here now,
see if we can find a better spot.
NARRATOR: 20 miles south, the North Crow has repositioned
inside the fishing zone.
GAVIN: About to pull the first set,
so cautiously optimistic.
NARRATOR: Although exhausted, Captain Gavin can't afford
to make any more mistakes.
GAVIN: Oh, yeah. Oh, we got good fish.
Yeah, this is legit.
CHRIS: Getting in it.
GAVIN: Yeah, this is pretty good right here.
Look at this.
Yeah, we're going to stay here.
Lot better than I thought.
Glad we put the net out instead of run around.
This is really good fish, actually, look at that.
GAVIN: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Captain Gavin's instincts and patience
have paid dividends, and the fish keep on coming.
GAVIN: Alright, we're going back out with it, Chris.
We got 100 in that in less than an hour, so that's good fishing.
We'll do this all day.
CHRIS: There it is.
NARRATOR: 10 miles to the east,
Captain Dino's decision to let his crew sleep in has cost him.
Now he's alone and facing dangerous waters.
DINO: We're in the most intense fishing we can.
It's blowing about 25.
Very intense currents and wind and everything
going on right now.
And, uh, I've got no crew.
In this situation, I mean, it's all hands on deck
because I can't let go of the wheel now.
I can't leave.
I make one mistake, boom, we're balled up in here
with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 boats.
This is an intense situation.
Lance?
DINO: In this situation, I mean, it's all hands on deck
because I can't let go of the wheel now.
I can't leave. And I got no crew.
I make one mistake, boom, we're balled up in here
with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 boats.
This is an intense situation.
NARRATOR: Dino can't leave the wheel or risk catastrophe.
When this many boats are crowded together in such rough waters,
their nets could easily tangle,
or worse, the boats could collide.
DINO: This is about as intense as it gets here, Lance,
but this is where the money is made.
Right now we've got about 6 boats right in the same area
about the size of 2 football fields
and the currents are really cramming us all together.
Oh, big hit!
Big hit!
Look at all the fish in there.
LANCE: Yeah.
DINO: Whoo!
Look at that!
Woo hoo!
Boys, we're fishing.
[snoring]
NARRATOR: With Lance finally on board, Captain Dino
has the manpower he needs to reel in a large school of fish.
DINO: Look at the fish! Whoo!
About 15 fish hit right here.
Yeah!
You want to go holler at the boys?
LANCE: Alright.
LANCE: Andrew and Luke, time to rise and shine.
DINO: Tell them breakfast is being served on the aft deck.
Ha ha! Look at this coming up.
I think we landed on a school of fish.
Yeah, yeah, ha ha.
We're on the fish, and now the crew is getting up.
Rock and roll.
Night Hawk, soar.
We got something to work on now.
NARRATOR: As the Night Hawk reels in a huge first set,
33 miles north, Captain Taylor and the crew of the Nedra E
are already a few hours into the day
and have yet to pull a single fish.
NARRATOR: The salmon grow more and more scarce as the days pass
and Captain Taylor needs to get his net in the water fast
if he hopes to salvage his disappointing season.
NARRATOR: A rip forms
when two opposing bodies of water collide.
It creates a channel that traps food for the salmon
and attracts the fish,
but it also draws in dangerous debris
which can destroy a fisherman's net.
TAYLOR: Drop it.
TAYLOR: Throw the ball! I'm serious, please!
LIZ: Don't get that over it though, be careful,
just feed that out.
TAYLOR: Come on, quick, roll it out.
[radio chatter]
LIZ: Woo woo!
TAYLOR: You want to get the leads up, Raquel, the leads.
TAYLOR: Do not throw the leads over the corks.
NARRATOR: Captain Taylor pushes his mother and sister
to set the net,
but they're exhausted from the long season,
and patience is wearing thin.
TAYLOR: We're dead in line with these boats.
Right on the same rip.
It'd be nice to have some fish.
NARRATOR: Desperate for salmon,
Captain Taylor took a big risk fishing on a rip,
and now debris threatens to drift into his net.
TAYLOR: Oh, what?
Start picking it, Mom.
Come on, quick.
We're going into that rip, let's go.
Step on it.
Things have to happen quick, we're on a rip.
It's important to move fast when you're in a rip
because if you get sucked into the rip
when there are sticks in it like there are now,
it's gonna wrap your net up in a bunch of sticks
and break gear and just waste a ton of your time.
[bleep]
NARRATOR: 6 miles south on the Night's Edge,
along the eastern border,
Captain Wes has yet to find the fish,
and he's feeling the pressure.
WES: Come on, fish, start showing.
Here we go right here, here we go!
Ho ho ho ho!
There's a jumper right there.
Now, Reni, we're gonna get him right there,
there he goes, kapoofa!
[laughing]
Let's go ahead and pick it.
Reach on the other side and grab her, Ren.
Pull it up, pull it up.
See how that works?
Oh, my God, look at this.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, Reni.
NARRATOR: Once again, the experienced Captain Wes
has landed on the fish
and given his tired, worn-out crew
a much needed shot of adrenaline.
RENI: 'Bout time we got some fish.
WES: Whoa, you hear what he said to me?
It's about time we got some fish.
Boy, he is slugging me out.
TIA: Whoa, that was.
WES: Whoa, you're stepping in it, buddy.
RENI: I was talking about, I wasn't talking to you directly.
I was talking to the other guys.
WES: I hear ya, I hear ya.
Got a good crew, makes it work pretty good.
Coming in a little bit, guys, here it comes.
Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.
Can I swear?
TIA: I'll credit you one.
Whoa.
RENI: That's a salmon-lanche.
BONNIE: Salmon-lanche.
WES: What was that?
RENI: It's a salmon-lanche,
a mixture of an avalanche and salmon.
TIA: That was very clever, Reni, I'm impressed.
NARRATOR: At more than $2 a pound,
every fish Wes catches is worth approximately $12.
The fish in this net alone could be worth over a grand.
WES: You tired yet, buddy?
RENI: Hungry. WES: Huh?
RENI: I want to get this boat filled so I can get some food.
TIA: Reni, we're going to pitch till the sun comes up.
NARRATOR: 34 miles to the southwest,
the North Crow thinks they've found a location
flush with salmon.
CHRIS: Ugh!
NARRATOR: But as they haul in their second set,
they realize it might have been fished clean.
GAVIN: Second set is pretty dismal.
I most certainly expected more fish today.
NARRATOR: With the fishing slowing down,
Gavin second guesses his own skill as captain.
GAVIN: I don't know what's going on with the fish.
It's bad.
I think that the fish are still coming.
But that's just speculation.
That's what's so difficult about this whole situation.
Seeing all these boats going northeast,
it's really tempting to go.
You have to assume that they are going there for a reason.
NARRATOR: Captain Gavin is at a crossroads.
GAVIN: If there was guaranteed fish up there,
I would definitely go,
but there's no such thing as guaranteed fish.
NARRATOR: Follow the pack or stick to his guns?
His decision could make or break his day.
GAVIN: I don't know what's going on with the fish.
It's bad.
I think that the fish are still coming.
NARRATOR: Captain Gavin's second set came up empty,
and watching the fleet head for greener pastures
has been unnerving.
Trust his instincts or chase the crowd?
He can't afford to make the wrong decision.
GAVIN: So the move is I got to stay here.
NARRATOR: As they reset the net and wait for the fish,
they enjoy some of the finest cuisine on the inlet.
CHRIS: TV dinners, yeah.
GAVIN: We're eating microwave dinners.
This is what we live off of.
That's one of the worst things I've ever seen.
CHRIS: Oh, yeah, this is phenomenal.
Oh. Almost as good as McDonald's McRib. Almost.
GAVIN: So it's supposed to be Salisbury steak, a brownie,
corn and potato.
CHRIS: The bottom one is chicken.
GAVIN: Oh, man, there's two different types of meat?
CHRIS: Yeah.
GAVIN: Oh, this is full brownie in the corn.
Ugh.
CHRIS: You dropped the corn in BBQ sauce.
GAVIN: This is one of the worst meals I've ever had, probably.
Yeah, I feel like we have
some of the worst diet on all Cook Inlet.
You can't eat.
I mean, I don't have time to cook,
we're not going to whip up some potatoes and eggs.
I mean, maybe some people do, but I don't have time for that.
I bet the Night's Edge has bacon and eggs.
CHRIS: See that, straight up, chocolate corn.
Good for you.
LIZ: Go ahead?
TAYLOR: Yeah, let her rip.
NARRATOR: 35 miles to the north,
the Nedra E has moved east to avoid a dangerous rip.
The crew is exhausted, but Captain Taylor hopes
that fishing close to the boundary
will finally bring in some salmon.
TAYLOR: Oh, there's a nice hit behind the boat, look at that!
RAQUEL: Look at that.
TAYLOR: Whoo.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
LIZ: Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo.
TAYLOR: Holy [bleep]
Start picking it, Mom.
Boom, they're still chewing it.
LIZ: Fishies!
TAYLOR: Nice, there are some big reds here.
That's a really good sign,
there's big reds down south here.
This is the third set, and it's pretty alright.
Keep picking.
RAQUEL: Oh, my gosh, that's a lot of fish right there.
TAYLOR: There's a glob.
LIZ: It feels good to be picking again.
NARRATOR: A little success goes a long way aboard the Nedra E.
RAQUEL: Woo hoo!
NARRATOR: But Captain Taylor is fishing near the boundary
and needs his crew to pick the salmon
before they drift over the line.
WES: Now let's pick it up.
Get it on there, Reni.
NARRATOR: Captain Wes has found a prime fishing spot,
but word on the water spreads quickly,
and no one's catch is safe until it's in the boat.
WES: Oh, my, don't you even.
You're going to lay one right there, too, here they come.
Look who corked me.
Look at that [bleep]
Son of a [bleep]
NARRATOR: An old rival is on the horizon,
and Wes can't afford to let him steal his catch.
WES: I'm [bleep] pissed.
This guy corked me off and he's been doing it for 3 or 4 years,
and I'm fed up with his bull [bleep]
So I'm just not gonna, I just won't deal with it no more.
I just got corked off by a son of a [bleep] again.
He waited until I laid my net out
and then he set across in front of me.
He could have went west of me.
I've had it, that's it, I'm not dealing with it no more.
Done [bleep] with it.
GAVIN: Hey [bleep] you.
Stick it in your [bleep]
BONNIE: Who's he?
TIA: Who's he talking to?
BONNIE: Who's he talking to?
RENI: No idea.
WES: You can go take a flying [bleep] at a rolling donut.
WES: I'll talk to you face to face.
I'm not putting another word over the radio again.
I'm done.
WES: Last straw.
I'm not going to be dealing with these guys no more.
He's going to get it now.
WES: Look who corked me.
Look at that [bleep]
Son of a [bleep]
NARRATOR: Captain Wes was on the fish,
but word quickly made its way through the fleet,
and now he's dealing with an unwanted visitor.
WES: I just got corked off by that son of a [bleep] again.
I've had it, that's it, I'm not dealing with it no more.
WES: I'll talk to you face to face.
I'm not putting another word over the radio again.
I'm done.
WES: Last straw.
I'm not gonna be dealing with these guys no more.
He's gonna get it now.
Fish wars, that's what it's all about.
Guys taking, jumping all over your spot, you know,
taking away your spot and cork in front of you,
the fish don't come there.
I'm pissed right now.
TIA: Oh, here he comes.
He's coming for you, Wes.
WES: Good, I hope he does.
Let me get out there, let me get out.
WES: Yeah, you quit corking the guys that [bleep] group
or everybody is going to nail your [bleep]
You got to learn to knock it off.
MAN: [bleep] [bleep]
BONNIE: Stop it.
WES: You've been corking everybody in our group,
and we're [bleep] tired of it.
WES: Oh, really!
WES: You've been doing it to me for 3 [bleep] years.
You can't no more. You better wise up.
[bleep] you. I don't give a [bleep]
WES: Stick them up your [bleep] and walk on your elbows.
You [bleep]
WES: I don't care, you [bleep]
Sorry about that, but he pisses me off.
I'll put $10 in there if I do it to him again.
NARRATOR: 27 miles to the south,
Captain Dino is cashing in on a hot spot teeming with salmon.
DINO: Alright, let's get some.
ANDREW: Uh, yeah.
NARRATOR: His crew was down for the count this morning,
so he's pushing them even harder
to bring the fish the rest of the day.
DINO: Wow, look at this pile of fish down there.
LANCE: This is a nice surprise.
DINO: Just as we're pulling up the net,
it looks a lot better than I thought.
We got the hot spot.
Oh, there we go, we got lively, lively fish.
Go, Andrew, get in there.
Nice.
NARRATOR: While the Night Hawk stacks the deck
with hundreds of fish,
Captain Gavin wonders if his decision
to stay and wait for the salmon has backfired.
GAVIN: No, negative, but we don't have much on it.
NARRATOR: Without a fish in sight,
the situation looks bleak.
GAVIN: Uh, it's kind of frustrating.
GAVIN: Boom!
Boom!
Yeah, yeah!
Yeah, clear that, just when you said that,
we took a group of like 6 or 8.
We hang around long enough, everyone bails,
and sure enough, fish start coming through.
So here we are about 10 miles from the south line,
still drifting south at 4 knots,
just us and a handful of other boats in the area.
Factors start laying into place
to where I think we can make a good day out of this yet.
TAYLOR: Come on!
NARRATOR: After a rough start, Captain Taylor struck gold
near the edge of the fishing zone
and is finally hauling in monster sets of salmon.
TAYLOR: Pick faster.
NARRATOR: Never satisfied, he drives his exhausted crew
to bring in every last fish before they drift out of bounds.
TAYLOR: Come on.
Incredible set, man,
I think it might be 800 or so, maybe more.
NARRATOR: Captain Taylor's gigantic haul of salmon
is worth thousands of dollars,
but it's also a problem that could sink his fortune.
TAYLOR: Holy [bleep]
NARRATOR: Captain Taylor reeled in a massive 800-fish set.
TAYLOR: Hey, throw them all on that side.
NARRATOR: And as he rushes to move the Nedra E
before it drifts out of bounds,
he notices another problem.
NARRATOR: His boat is leaning heavily to one side.
TAYLOR: Holy [bleep]
This whole side is full.
TAYLOR: Hey, put everything else over--
Hey! Raquel!
Look at me! Put all the rest down this side!
We're listing really hard.
Get down there and throw some fish to the other side.
Come on!
NARRATOR: A boat is listing
when it leans precariously to one side
because of an uneven distribution of fish
in its holds.
The thousands of pounds of fish on the Nedra E
make it dangerously unstable in choppy waters.
If the problem isn't corrected, the ship could capsize
dumping the crew and its catch
into the icy waters of Cook Inlet.
TAYLOR: Drive the boat at 200 degrees.
Holy [bleep]
NARRATOR: With his crew's help,
Captain Taylor has avoided disaster.
Meanwhile, 40 miles southwest.
GAVIN: Oh, yeah!
Yeah!
NARRATOR: Captain Gavin's gamble
to trust his instincts and stay put has paid off.
CHRIS: Wow. GAVIN: Wow.
GAVIN: That is a ball of fish.
GAVIN: People have already gone out of the area
and can't get back.
So here we are all by ourselves with fish.
I got a few fish here.
This is going to be an alright set.
Here's a few more.
NARRATOR: The North Crow is flooded with salmon,
and with no boats in sight,
it's looking like a huge day for Captain Gavin.
CHRIS: Oh, yeah. Bring 'em on in.
GAVIN: Oh, that's the shot, that's the shot.
The decisions to stay away from the fleet
and try to keep on fishing and not move a lot
are paying off.
Having a day like this where our strategy works
puts a lot more faith back into our system and our style.
You know, if we can continue to fish this way,
we'll be right back on top.
It's looking like this might save our season, to be honest.
NARRATOR: 21 miles to the north, Captain Wes patrols the inlet
hoping to find the fish after clashing with a rival fisherman.
WES: Oh.
God.
RENI: Jumper. WES: Huh?
RENI: Jumper. WES: Where?
RENI: Right there. WES: Oh, wow. OK.
You guys let her go, I'm going to catch him.
NARRATOR: Desperate times call for desperate measures,
and for this desperate captain,
the signs of one fish are enough for him to release the nets
in hopes of salvaging his day.
BONNIE: There he is.
WES: I see him. I'm gonna get him.
Hurry up, let her go, let her go!
BONNIE: He's gonna go under the boat.
WES: He's gonna go under the boat.
No, let it go, Reni.
Hurry up, got to get it out.
Oh, we missed him.
RENI: The lead.
WES: Let's wait and see what happens here for a minute.
[Wes groans]
Today ain't my day.
Ugh.
NARRATOR: Captain Wes wasted valuable time
during the confrontation.
Now he finds himself without a fish in sight
and out of answers as the day winds down.
WES: I feel like just taking the boat home and parking it.
That's the way I feel about it.
[bleep] bull [bleep]
Good thing ain't one of them guys standing here right now
because I'd deck him.
I would hit him right in their snot locker.
There's nothing here, we're not getting nothing at all.
5, 4 fish.
We got to put the net in the water
and just spend time,
otherwise we aren't going to make anything.
It's ridiculous.
RENI: Pretty boring.
WES: And look at Tia and Reni.
You know, me and Bonnie
are on Social Security, we can survive.
But that's bull [bleep]
BONNIE: Does the CD player work?
[Reni mumbles]
WES: Reni won't be able to go to school.
I can see it, we're screwed.
Oh, man, I should've got out last year.
We're screwed.
A crock of crap.
What a pain in the ***.
Waste of time.
RENI: I don't know how much more of this I can take today.
WES: It's bull [bleep]
I've had it.
[radio chatter]
Let's pick it up, guys.
I'm done for the day.
NARRATOR: 16 miles to the south,
the crew of the Night Hawk is still going strong.
DINO: OK, let her go!
NARRATOR: Fatigue cost them a few hours this morning,
but with just under an hour left in the day,
Captain Dino still has plenty of time to catch more fish.
LUKE: OK.
LANCE: All clear.
DINO: Clear?
[bleep]
We have State Troopers coming alongside us.
Don't know why.
Luke?
Did you do anything wrong?
LUKE: Maybe.
NARRATOR: Captain Dino prepares for the worst.
Any number of infractions can generate a ticket on the inlet,
and a crippling fine can ruin even the best fishing day.
DINO: Hi.
DINO: Absolutely.
DINO: [bleep]
We have State Troopers coming alongside us.
Don't know why.
Luke?
Did you do anything wrong?
LUKE: Maybe.
DINO: Hi.
DINO: Absolutely.
DINO: He's going to come on board and check our paperwork.
LANCE: What else is he going to want?
DINO: Your permit card and driver's license,
and he'll want to see you guys' deckhand license.
DINO: So we have a, we have a permit holder.
And we have a captain, and we have two deckhands.
They're just doing their job, making sure everybody is legal.
They'll do a sampling of the fleet,
and, uh, they may catch a bad guy.
LANCE: OK?
DINO: Everything in order, officer?
DINO: Thank you for coming by today
visiting the mighty Night Hawk.
Hey, if you guys board a boat that's catching a lot of fish,
will you get back to us?
ANDREW: Nice.
NARRATOR: Captain Wes lost his temper out on the water,
but it's his wallet that took a hit.
All he can do now is head back to port
and offload his meager haul for the day.
WES: Yeah, Inlet Fish, Night's Edge.
MAN ON RADIO: Yes, Night's Edge.
WES: Yeah, I'd like to get on the freighter list, please.
MAN ON RADIO: You pull in,
you're right after the Lorri Lee.
WES: Yeah, OK, thank you.
What a pain in the butt today.
We should have not even fished.
Well, we'll go home, get regrouped and come back.
Can you reach me there?
We had a bad day, you know, nobody's getting no sleep,
everybody's cranky and grouchy, tired.
[bleep] it.
I'm caught now.
Put a line on there someplace.
[bleep]
Get a line on it.
Everybody is beat up, and we ain't making no money fishing.
And if they're not there,
there's no sense of me sitting out there burning up fuel.
So I might as well tie the boat up and rest
and get ready for the next day.
We don't want to rest, we'd rather fish,
so we're basically spinning our wheels,
but we're going to keep going
and, uh, when we're done, we're done.
NARRATOR: The Night's Edge brought home 650 pounds of fish
valued at $1,061.
Captain Dino returns to harbor,
thankful that the surprise State Trooper inspection
went well.
DINO: We felt good today, you know?
It's been a long struggle.
It seemed like everything started firing on all cylinders.
You know, I wanted more.
But it's a tough deal, you know, we were out there a long time,
and, you know, they're a little tired.
What's the weight on that?
MATT: 5, 6, 8. LANCE: 5, 6, 8.
DINO: Yeah, slow.
Not what I wanted, that's for sure.
You have to be on it all day every day
to maximize your chances to make a ton of money.
You have to put yourself off to the side, you know,
because you have to do what's good for the boat.
It's a lifestyle, it's a passion,
and that's what it takes to stay up those 36 hours.
You know, 'cause if you go into it thinking it's a job,
well, you're screwed.
NARRATOR: A promising day came up short
as the Night Hawk hauled 568 pounds of salmon worth $1,256.
[gull squawking]
TAYLOR: It was a pretty successful day
as far as how many fish we caught,
but we didn't get any fish in the beginning of the day,
was a couple blank sets.
You know, sleep has been at a very minimal amount.
RAQUEL: That's good, thank you.
TAYLOR: We all need sleep and a little bit of a recovery,
a little morale booster,
and, you know, we finished off the day really strong.
You know, I think we did pretty well today.
I'm happy with everyone's performance, you know,
it was a good day.
NARRATOR: Despite their fatigue, the crew of the Nedra E
hauled in 2,275 pounds of fish and took home $3,666.
GAVIN: It was a long day.
Uh, ended up with a few more fish than I thought, though,
which was a really good thing.
CHRIS: We are looking all right?
We'll get a few hours of sleep, get up,
work on the boat and do it again.
GAVIN: I think if you're in it for the long haul,
you got to make sure all your equipment works
and everything is good,
and your crew is happy and everything,
and that was the case today, so the fish is a bonus.
We got a good bonus, I'm happy and enthusiastic.
NARRATOR: The North Crow caught 3,568 pounds of fish,
bringing home $5,931.
Wes of the Night's Edge
and Dino of the Night Hawk are still one, two.
But Captain Gavin's North Crow made up some ground
with the catch of the day.
Stuck in last place,
Taylor's Nedra E can't seem to get out of the cellar.