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.

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.