Join Captain Rick Mezich and the crew of The Fierce Allegiance as they work the frigid waters between Russia and Alaska during the brutal '99 snow crab season, a season that took the lives of seven good men. Crab fishing in the middle of winter off the coast of Alaska is extremely dangerous. On average, one man will die every week, sent to a watery grave by rogue waves and sinking ships. Why do they do it? Perhaps because crab fishing is thought to be one of the last great gold rushes in the world. In a good year, an experienced deck hand working the short, eight-week season can bring home almost $50,000. But this isn't easy money. Crushed fingers, crippled hands, cracked ribs and broken feet are common in this working environment where the injury rate stands at almost one hundred percent.