Returning: Deadliest Catch

Deadliest Catch returns for its 15th season with a 2 hour premiere “Unfinished Business” next month on Discovery.

Based out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, it sees a new face out to settle an old score on the Bering Sea.

The battle begins in the 2-hour premiere episode when new boat the Southern Wind blows into town, rumoured to know where over a quarter-billion dollars’ worth of King Crab are located – and the fleet will do anything to get in on the score. An imposing figure on the water, the Southern Wind makes an entrance with new renegade Captain Steve “Harley” Davidson at the helm. The 148-foot-long behemoth mirrors Harley’s aggressive, cutthroat demeanour. Make no mistake, he’s not a part of the fishing game to make friends, least of all in Captain Keith Colburn, who considers Harley enemy no.1. Having captained the Southern Wind for 15 years – the second-largest boat in the fleet behind Keith’s The Wizard – he’s learned the craft of crab fishing and is ready to put anyone on the seas in their place to get what he wants.

It’s the most competitive season of Deadliest Catch yet and on the legendary Northwestern, Captain Sig Hansen has been preparing 23-year-old Maritime Academy alumna and daughter, Mandy to be his relief skipper. But how will she stack up in a season of fierce close-quarters fishing? Sig also drops a bombshell on his crew that he suffered a second heart-attack just days leading up to the season start.

After years of hard work, Captain Jake Anderson has whipped the Saga into ship shape and hired a strong crew. Now, with a growing family, he wants to buy into the boat and become a partner, not just an employee. But in order to gain ownership and secure a stable future for his wife and family, Jake must fish fast enough to bring in USD$250,000 over expenses for the buy in.

With massive boat payments due, Captain “Wild” Bill Wichrowski has his work cut out for him on the F/V Summer Bay. With two untested greenhorns and a furry little dog named Rico, the veteran skipper has a lot to keep his eye on. It’s not long before things take an unexpected turn when one of Bill’s newbies suddenly disappears at sea.

Captain Sean Dwyer of the Brenna A has major ambitions. After his dad passed away five years ago, he took the helm and punched through every challenge the Bering Sea could throw at him. Now, he hopes to convince his mother and business partner that what they really need is to buy a second boat. But with Keith and Sig’s gear standing in his way, Sean must outfox the veterans or say goodbye to his dream of expanding the family business.

Bad blood with Harley isn’t Keith’s only issue this season. The Wizard Captain is eyeing his biggest quota in years, including a newly acquired 100,000lbs which he outlaid USD$200,000 for. But for him to have a shot at making this monster haul and recouping his investment, he needs to make peace with his brother, Monte – who was unceremoniously fired by Keith last season – and get him back in the crew.

Meanwhile all eyes are on Captains Josh Harris, Casey McManus and their fabled Cornelia Marie. Last season, Josh gained notoriety by skirting a series of close calls while filling the boat at a breakneck pace. Now, the young skipper must prove that last year’s success wasn’t a fluke. If he succeeds, he could be entrusted with a million bucks worth of added quota.

Undoubtedly one of the most dangerous professions in the world, if only for the wrath of Mother Nature, the Deadliest Catch crews take a risk every time they head out onto the water, as they attempt to make their quotas. But as tensions rise, the temperatures continue to drop. With the coldest weather in over half a decade, parts of the Bering Sea are beginning to freeze over along with the boats in it. The scent of diesel fuel and fish can signal both victory and danger, but with massive storms causing season-ending injuries and more damage to the boats than the captains have seen in years, it’s truly a survival of the fittest.

No season is ever the same, completely at the mercy of the elements. If the forty-foot waves, hurricane force winds, heavy-machinery and massive icebergs don’t push them, the competition will.

Before the crew can prepare the boats – and themselves – for their toughest, most competitive crab season yet, they must confront conflicts from last season in the 2-hour special Deadliest Catch: Unfinished Business on Wednesday 12 June at 7:30pm. In the aftermath of a season that changed every captain on some level, they regroup in the days before the new King Crab season commences to go head-to-head and air their differences. But how long can they keep the peace when the pressure is at an all-time high.

Wednesdays from 19 June at 7:30pm on Discovery.