Cape Carnage: Killer Catch - Season 1

Captained by Bruce, the Wildcard sets off on a 4-month season of fishing for mackerel in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Aided by a highly skilled crew of family and friends, the ultimate target is to catch 45 tonnes and turn a profit – which requires a massive $65,000 worth of mackerel, every single week.

The season gets off to the worst possible start, when bad weather smashes the boat for weeks, making it too dangerous to fish. Finally, the crew start fishing and luck seems to be with them, until the apex predator, the shark, literally moves in for the kill, decimating their catch. The fishing goes from bad to worse, and as crew morale slumps, Bruce steams to a new fishing spot in a desperate effort to get the season back on track.

The new day brings a change of fortune, when the crew hit a hot streak and begin landing huge numbers of fish. But just as Bruce sets a course to the Port of Karumba to unload, a mechanical emergency threatens to stall their progress and derail them from hitting their weekly target.

After five weeks at sea, the Wildcard is heading to the Port of Karumba for their first unload payday of the season. Coming into shore, Co-Captain Tiger must navigate a rushing tide to make sure the boat docks without damage. When unloaded, the 10 tonnes of boxed and frozen Spanish mackerel will earn the crew $230,000 and provide the vital funds for the next 30 days at sea. The crew are under pressure to return to the fishing grounds as soon as possible to net their $65,000 weekly target.

Once back fishing at the ‘Lighthouse Patch', competition heats up between Veteran Tom and Rookie Pete for the biggest catch of the week. Prue takes 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter Ellica out fishing, but a confrontation with a hungry shark puts them both on edge. As the dories find mackerel, the sharks follow – who will come out on top?

Later, an illness on board forces a last-minute change of plans as the Wildcard considers an emergency dash to hospital. Vital repair work requires the boat to find and navigate to a secluded, shallow bay. Barnacle build-up on the hull has the crew concerned about damage to the freezers. Repair will require entering crocodile and shark-infested waters.

Just like the temperamental ocean they are fishing on, this week the Wildcard experience an abundance of jaw dropping highs and crashing lows. The crew are six weeks into their mackerel season – and after a slow start, Captain Bruce steers them to Five Ways, a fishing spot that has never failed them before. ¬

The move pays off, bringing in a record-breaking haul and the most successful fishing day yet this season. But triumph quickly turns to turmoil. Longtime doryman Mick struggles to pull his weight, while Jess, three months pregnant, suffers a shocking injury, stabbing herself in her stomach hundreds of miles from medical help. With one of their dorymen out of action, time pressure piles on top of money pressure – and tensions boil over among the tight-knit crew.

With relationships under strain, the Wildcard pushes forward, landing massive catches and hauling in the largest mackerel of the season so far. But new challenges emerge, leaving the crew's safety and their season target of 45 tonnes hanging in the balance. As carton shortages and circling sharks threaten to halt operations entirely, a sinking dory could also take down twenty percent of their profits with it.

The Wildcard crew is just a week away from unloading their catch at the Port of Karumba. After a bumper haul, and with 21 tonnes of fish on board, they're eager to fill the freezer even more to maximize profits when they sell at unload. Captain Bruce makes a bold decision to head for King Hill, a fishing ground known for its risks — especially its sharks.

While King Hill promises a potential payoff, it's also notorious for tough conditions. Tensions rise as they set out for the spot, hoping to land a big catch. But the true test comes for one of their best dorymen, 22-weeks pregnant Jess. She faces a gruelling and terrifying fishing trial that pushes her to the limit.

Tired and near-defeated by the most aggressive sharks they've seen this season, the crew escape King Hill and steam to a new fishing spot. It's a scramble to hit their $65,000 target before the unload in Karumba, which is now only a few days away. But just as their luck begins to improve, a shock accident forces Prue to confront the perils of parenting at sea.

From feast to famine: after coming off the back of one of their biggest ever hauls, this week the Wildcard's most trusted fishing grounds let them down.

It's now ten weeks into the season. And with 15 tonnes of mackerel on board, the crew head to Karumba to cash in on last week's success. At the port, dangerous tides put their entire month's catch in jeopardy, forcing Tiger to wait another seven hours before unloading.

After a risky but lucrative payday, Bruce steams to the ‘Lighthouse', a fishing ground that has delivered over $50,000 of fish this season. But hopes of continuing their success quickly fade – and with a day already lost to the unload, they quickly travel to another favourite spot, Pimple Point, in a bid to turn their luck around.

But even at the new location, it's one more disappointment after another. And as morale starts to dwindle, Bruce makes a bold call: to cut their losses and head to Cape Carnage.

The crew stop off at Truant Island en route, hoping to test themselves before taking on the ultimate challenge. At long last, the fish start biting, but just as they think their luck is changing, Bruce is hit with devastating news.