'Deadliest Catch' Season 14, Episode 8 recap: The young captains take the helm

The captains struggled with injuries and illness on Season 14, Episode 4 of 'Deadliest Catch.' (Discovery Communications)

With the veteran captains already finished with their season, it was time for the younger generation to wrap things up on “Deadliest Catch” Season 14, Episode 8.

Things started on Jake Anderson’s Saga, where he was finally getting crab in the numbers he needed to meet his quota. After starting out the season trying to take advice from captains Sig Hansen and Keith Colburn only to find himself pulling up horrible numbers from his pots, he set out on his own. Fortunately for the novice captain, his gamble worked and he managed to get within spitting distance of finishing out his season and getting all his crew paid.

Meanwhile, after striking a bad alliance with Captain Sean Dwyer, who met his quota in this episode despite poaching a higher quantity from Captain Wild Bill, the Cornelia Marie was struggling. Co-captains Josh Harris and Casey McManus were desperate for some kind of relief from poor numbers.

Harris turned to a little family history to help them out. He jokes that he’s cheating by going below deck and getting some records that his late father, Captain Phil Harris, kept about a honey hole nearby. While McManus is skeptical, Harris puts his faith in his dad’s fishing abilities and they cast some pots on a gamble.

One boat that’s not experiencing any problems catching crab is the Northwestern. With Sig Hansen done with his season, the helm was given to his brother Edgar. After initially coming up empty after listening to his brother’s suggestion, Edgar placed pots of his own and boy were they fruitful. One pot raked in 271 useable crab, more than the captain had ever seen in one season. In a string that was so good it was almost anticlimactic, he managed to close out his season as well.

Back on the Saga, Anderson’s luck was beginning to run out. Their pots weren’t pulling in the average they need to finish up the season, but he knew moving elsewhere could be a bigger risk than grinding it out with multiple pots and low numbers. It took a while, but the Bering Sea provided and the crew celebrated as they closed out a $2 million season. This was an especially big victory for Anderson, whose first time as a solo captain came with a hefty price tag that he can now pay off.

The episode ends with the Cornelia Marie. After setting pots based on his late father’s notes, Harris is overjoyed to find that his family of born fishermen still has it, even from the afterlife. While the pots weren’t exactly overflowing, they managed to get enough to meet their quota, close up shop and head back to shore to turn in and celebrate.