Deadliest Catch

Fishing Vessel: NORTHWESTERN
Sig Hansen revels in the strategy and competition of fishing. He has been a captain for the past 18 years, and is the eldest of the three brothers who operate the family-owned vessel. A fourth-generation Norwegian fisherman, Sig tends to be very superstitious. The Seattle, Wash., resident operates the Northwestern with help and unsolicited opinions from his younger brother, Deck Boss Edgar Hansen, and his more reserved brother, Deckhand Norman Hansen.

Working alongside the Hansen brothers as deckhands are Nick Mavar Jr. and Matt Bradley, both of whom have been a part of the crew for several years.

Fishing Vessel: TIME BANDIT
Brothers Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand share the skippering duties on board their family-operated vessel, the Time Bandit. Designed by the Hillstrands’ father and custom-built by the brothers, the boat features luxuries unheard of on other crab boats, such as staterooms with queen-sized beds, a four-person sauna and a dishwasher.

Johnathan is the captain during king crab season. He runs a tight ship and is not afraid to speak his mind. When he’s not embracing the elements at sea, the Homer, Alaska, resident enjoys a zest for life on the edge that includes riding a Harley that is rigged to rocket to 120 mph at the touch of a button.

Andy Hillstrand is skipper during opilio season and also runs the business side. During the off-season, Andy spends time at his ranch in Indiana, where he engages in his other passion — training horses.

The youngest of the brothers, Deckhand Neal Hillstrand is responsible for prepping the boat at the start of each season and serves as the cook. Deckhand Nathan Vandecoevering also returns to fish on the Time Bandit. New to the boat this year is Deckhand Russ Newberry, who brings with him nearly 20 years of crabbing experience.

Fishing Vessel: CORNELIA MARIE

This season marks Capt. Phil Harris’ 16th year with the Cornelia Marie and his 30th year in the crab-fishing industry. As a co-owner, Phil was responsible for making the Cornelia Marie one of the top-performing boats last season, despite some major mechanical difficulties.

Phil, who resides in Seattle, will be joined this season by his two sons: Jake (who celebrated his 21st birthday while out at sea during king crab season) returns for his third year as a deckhand, this time earning full share. Taking his place on board as the greenhorn this year is his older brother Josh (23). This is Josh’s first season crab fishing on the Bering Sea, and Jake is eager to show him the ropes.

Joining the Harris clan is First Mate Roger Jensen, who has been Phil’s loyal and trusted deckhand since 1988; Deckhand Dave Millman, who is returning after suffering an injury last opilio season; and Engineer Mark Anderson, new to the Cornelia Marie this season.

Fishing Vessel: MAVERICK
Greenhorn Capt. Blake Painter takes the helm of the Maverick while husband-and-wife owners Rick and Donna Quashnick take off this year’s king crab season. Rick and Donna return to run the boat for opilio season.

A second-generation fisherman from Astoria, Ore., Blake started fishing at the age of 3 and made his first professional fishing trip to Alaska when he was 13. Blake, now 26, has been fishing on the Maverick for the past six years.

Deckhands Mike and Marvin Johnson are Blake’s former roommates and long-time friends. The brothers are also second-generation fishermen who worked in the logging industry in Astoria prior to fishing the Bering Sea. They both credit Blake for getting them into the crab-fishing industry.

Greenhorn Ed Green played high school football with Capt. Blake. He has seven years of fishing experience and his captain’s license, and he spent several years skippering a charter boat but this is his first season on a crab boat. The crew’s most experienced fisherman by far is Deck Boss Scott Templin, who is entering his 18th year of crabbing. He has worked with Blake in the past on some of the Maverick’s partner boats, and fished last year with the Aleutian Ballad.

Fishing Vessel: ALEUTIAN BALLAD
Capt. Jerry “Corky” Tilley of West Port, Wash., began fishing professionally during the summers at the age of 12 and got on a crab boat when he was 16. He made his first trip to the Bering Sea right after high school and has been fishing ever since. As captain and part-owner of the Aleutian Ballad, Corky says this will be his last season at sea.

But for now, Corky has a lot riding on his final season, including his daughter Nicole and son Matthew, who serve as deckhands. Twenty-six-year-old Nicole dropped out of beauty school to join the family’s fishing business, where she works hard to prove herself to the guys on deck. Matthew, the greenest deckhand on the Aleutian Ballad, has worked alongside Nicole on other fishing boats in the past, and the two have a good working relationship.

Joining the Tilley family for their final voyage together aboard the Aleutian Ballad are Engineer Brandon Krenz, Deckhand Allen “Kiwi” Brant and Deckhand Kenny McMahon.

Fishing Vessel: FARWEST LEADER
Capt. Greg Moncrief is called “the natural” by many of his fellow fishermen because he is naturally gifted at finding crab. He’s a 20-year veteran of the fishing industry and has spent the last five years on the Farwest Leader. Greg resides in the Harbor Point area of Washington with his Norwegian-born wife Ragnhild and their two daughters. This season, Ragnhild is taking some time off from her full-time job as a travel agent to join the crew as a deckhand and cook.

Joining the husband-and-wife team are Engineer Chris “Chilly” Anderson and deckhands John Mavar, who has been with the Farwest Leader for the past four years; Tico Tyson, a Seattle resident who has spent six of his eight years in the business crabbing on the Farwest Leader; and Ricky Lopez.

Fishing Vessel: THE WIZARD

Capt. Keith Colburn of Redmond, Wash., has served at the helm of the Wizard for the last 14 years. He took a huge risk in 2005 purchasing the Wizard without any of her valuable crab quota. A World War II-era ship that was converted into a fishing vessel in 1978, the Wizard, 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 owning the Wizard. This season the stakes are that much higher for his ship and crew.

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 20-year fishing veteran; and deckhands Art Peterson, Lenny Lekanoff, Crosby LeVeen and Nick Maurer (who returns to fishing two years after surviving a car wreck that broke both his legs).

Fishing Vessel: EARLY DAWN
Capt. Allen Oakley, an intense and focused man, has served on the Early Dawn for the majority of his 21-year career, and has skippered the boat for 15 of those years. Allen saw the Early Dawn for the first time when he took a summer off from college to become a fisherman and knew that “Someday, I had to get on that boat.” Little did he know that serving as a deckhand on the Early Dawn would lead to his partial ownership, as well as command, of the craft. Allen, who resides in Blaine, Wash., also owns partial shares in three other fishing boats.

Accompanying Capt. Allen as a greenhorn is the co-owner’s son, Bryan Mezich. Standing 6′6″ tall, Bryan certainly has the size to become a skilled hand, and he postponed his college career to try the family business. Bryan will be mentored by 20-year veteran Pat Quinn, who has worked the past five years for Allen. Rounding out the crew are Engineer Mike Fish and Deck Boss Rick Fehs.