The lobster fleet prepares for another tough season on the high seas as Keith points his vessel toward an oncoming storm. Tim struggles with a boat malfunction and Joel bides his time until he can get his dragger fishing boat into the lobster grounds.
During a winter storm, the captains race to protect their equipment from the fishing boats. A crewmember is nearly crushed on the Captain Bligh and Captain Tim fights failing equipment. Only Captain Grant scores a great catch, away on Georges Bank.
Tensions mount with only two days to go before the lobster grounds open up to the dragger boats. The captains face engine failure, tangled gear and a mutiny.
A rogue wave, a rogue lobsterman, rookie deckhand mistakes, sabotage, sleep deprivation and changing regulations threaten lives and livelihoods in the North Atlantic. The captains of the boats fight to protect their investments.
When cold weather approaches, crabs become a more likely catch than lobsters and the captains must adapt. Grant gives control of the Direction to his son; Keith gambles with old bait and Captain Tim deals with an unruly deckhand.
With Christmas just a week away, the lobstermen battle the biggest storm of the season. Norbert is jolted awake by an overnight emergency, Keith struggles to bring in any sort of catch and the storm wreaks havoc on the Courtney Elizabeth.
Keith invades another boat's territory while Joel faces a power outage and a visit from the environmental police. Meanwhile, Tim struggles with life as a lobsterman, Grant mentors his son and Norbert mentors his first mate, an aspiring captain.
The season draws to a close. Tim decides to call it quits; Keith's risky move pays off big; John faces danger aboard the Direction; Norbert decides the fate of his first mate, James; and Joel scores big only to find he must feed his enemy to survive.