Captain John Skarr

One of the new boats taking on the Bering Sea in this season of Deadliest Catch is the North American. It’s a 110-foot house forward fishing vessel, built in 1975, and bought new by Erling Skaar. The North American is Deadliest Catch’s first “green” fishing vessel.

It has a Gen-Tech engine, designed by the Skaars to use hydraulics to power a backup engine, allowing greater fuel efficiency. On its trips between Seattle and Dutch Harbour the hydraulic-driven generator cuts out nearly 12 tons of carbon emissions.

Sig’s father taught the Skaars how to fish, then they struck out on their own, competing with the Hansens for the Bering’s crab bounty and the biggest catch. The Skaars have been out of the game for a while, using their boat as a research vessel to track global warming in the Arctic Circle. But Erling's sons, Sten and John, are back and bring the start of a fierce fishing rivalry with them. They say they can outfish the Hansens any day.

Both of Norwegian descent, the two families run the same style Marco boats. John Skaar, 38, as deck boss and engineer, is the man behind the day-to-day upkeep of the North American and its experimental technology. He will be joined by Eric Nyhammer, 46, and Davin Ness, 39.