Alaska: Battle on the Bay
2015 · Animal Planet · 60 min · 1 season
S01E08 · Cashing In
Fri, 20 Feb, 2:00 pm
As the Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon run comes to an end, Captains battle for the last fish of the year and try to hit their season goals. Capt. Luke struggles to keep the Jimmy Jeff running long enough for him to hit 100,000 pounds.
About
Alaska: Battle on the Bay submerges viewers within a high-stakes fishing drama as 1,800 captains and their crews draw the battle lines to help protect Alaska's ecosystem from the 44 million strong sockeye salmon migration and reel in a massive payday.
On the bay, the arm of the law is long, tempers are short and every single decision is the difference between drawing a huge income and settling for pennies. The series opens just days before the annual migration of more than 44 million sockeye salmon in Alaska's Bristol Bay and closely follows five captains and their ships. This battle comes with several tough challenges: all 1,800 boats must fight the elements and each other within highly policed areas of water "districts" during a tight four-week fishing season.It's environmentally necessary to fish for almost half a billion salmon since they may wreak havoc on Alaska's waterways, so fish and game dictate very stringent times and boundaries for fishing and utilize recon helicopters and police squads to monitor the quantity of the fish hauled out. But, the police presence does nothing to deter fishing boats from becoming battering rams and crashing into one another for prime position.
Episodes
- E01
Let the Battle Begin!
Fri, 9 Jan· 60 minEvery salmon season on Bristol Bay is a war, but this year promises to be legendary. The price is historically high, the stocks of fish are huge and the only thing guaranteed is a battle on the bay.
- E02
The Big Gamble
Fri, 16 Jan· 60 minHigh-powered high-liner Taran fires up his boat's dual jet engines to scour the bay and nets a promising first haul in Naknek. In Egegik, Luke and crew are dead in the water as they race to get the broken down boat the Jimmy Jeff back in action.
- E03
Bristol Bay Jackpot!
Fri, 23 Jan· 60 minKicking off the fishing in the Naknek district, the Ferrigno family quickly sets the bar with a monster haul. Also in Naknek, the high-octane Thunder is hot on the Salmon trail, but a freak encounter with another boat causes a terrible reversal of fortune.
- E04
A Whale of a Catch
Fri, 30 Jan· 60 minThe darkest day of Captian Luke's career turns to sunshine with some help from Mother Nature. In the Naknek district to the north, fishing starts strong for the Thunder but after a series of empty nets they set out for new - but risky - territory.
- E05
Peak Season
Fri, 6 Feb· 60 minIt's make or break time in Bristol Bay, Alaska and peak of the Salmon season arrives with a vengeance. Things are looking bleak for the crew of the Jimmy Jeff until Captain Luke's risky move of secretly fishing the shoreline pays out in red gold.
- E06
Fireworks
Fri, 13 Feb· 60 minIt's July 4th and Alaska Fish and Game has declared open fishing in Bristol Bay. As Captains scramble for their share of the record Salmon migration, Irishman Tom Walsh finally turns tables on fishing partner Vince and comes out on top.
- E07
The Grind
Fri, 20 Feb· 60 minAs the Bristol Bay Salmon season grinds to a close the crews are beginning to feel the fatigue. Captain Luke and the crew come to the rescue of a fellow captain and save him and his crew from a dangerous boat fire.
- E08
Cashing In
Fri, 20 Feb· 60 minAs the Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon run comes to an end, Captains battle for the last fish of the year and try to hit their season goals. Capt. Luke struggles to keep the Jimmy Jeff running long enough for him to hit 100,000 pounds.