The Alaska Ocean is the largest factory-fishing boat in the US fleet. The crew's mission: hunt down, catch, and process 30,000 tons of Alaskan Pollock each day on the unforgiving waters of the Bering Sea. We travel with them on the last voyage of a long and grueling season. The crew reveals the inner workings of one of the most sophisticated and complex vessels afloat. It is half fishing boat, half floating factory, processing and flash freezing Alaskan Pollock as fast as its crew can catch it. To meet their seasonal quota of Pollock, the crew must overcome obstacles of weather, mechanical dangers aboard the sea-tossed ship, and the wiliness of the fish themselves. Captain Scott Symonds takes us inside the amazing ultra-modern world of high stakes commercial fishing where a wrong decision on his part can cost not just the season's catch, but also the lives of his crew.

Battered and fried or simply raw--seafood is a popular dish, no matter how you serve it. Americans consume more than 5-billion pounds yearly, an order that takes more than a fishing rod to fill and worries conservationists. We follow the fish, the fishermen, and the science trying to preserve fisheries for future generations--from ancient ships on the Nile to a modern technologically sophisticated factory trawler on the Bering Sea to the University of New Hampshire's open-ocean aquaculture research project. And we witness a wide variety of fishing methods--from gillnetting and longlining to lobster trapping. Hop aboard and sail through time and around the globe as we explore the harsh conditions of life at sea and experience firsthand one of history's deadliest jobs. Brace yourself and feel the ice-cold, salt spray on your face as we explore commercial fishing!

Begun in 1817, the Erie Canal was an engineering wonder - 363 miles of water highway linking the western frontier to the Atlantic seaboard. It took eight years to construct and thousands of hours of brutal labor, but by the time it was done, 3,000 canal boats traveled the new corridor, making New York City a commercial capital.

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab Republic of Egypt's first prime minister, had a plan to bring his poor country into the 20th century. To pull it off, he needed to harness the flow of the world's longest river--the Nile. The ambitious plan called for construction of a high dam in southern Egypt at Aswan. But the builders of the pyramids and the Suez Canal were no strangers to large undertakings. We'll see how the Aswan High Dam socially, politically, culturally, and agriculturally affected Egypt.

When completed, China's Three Gorges Dam will tower 607 feet in the air and weigh 40 Great Pyramids. Other than China's Great Wall, it will be the only man-made object visible from the moon. Supporters see it as key to a new China, controlling floods and bringing hydroelectric power to one of its least-developed areas. Critics voice a litany of concerns--from environmental issues to flooding the spectacular area for which it's named. We trace its story--from ancient flood control to current controversy.

In antiquity, a hollow reed served as an underwater link to oxygen. As in days of old, humans still need self-contained breathing equipment for a variety of reasons--food-gathering, commercial, recreational, military, and scientific. Dive with the best as we test scuba diving's past, and look to a future of mechanical gills.

Plumbing its the arteries of civilization, surging with life-giving water and tons of waste. It feeds the fixtures that spoil us and flushes us with pride. Its potential is explosive, and its history overflows with innovation.

Many rivers quenched the thirst of millions in the American west and around the world. Without these aqueducts, some of the earth's largest cities would turn into gigantic ghost towns.

The Alaska Ocean is the largest factory-fishing boat in the US fleet. The crew's mission: hunt down, catch, and process 30,000 tons of Alaskan Pollock each day on the unforgiving waters of the Bering Sea. We travel with them on the last voyage of a long and grueling season. The crew reveals the inner workings of one of the most sophisticated and complex vessels afloat. It is half fishing boat, half floating factory, processing and flash freezing Alaskan Pollock as fast as its crew can catch it. To meet their seasonal quota of Pollock, the crew must overcome obstacles of weather, mechanical dangers aboard the sea-tossed ship, and the wiliness of the fish themselves. Captain Scott Symonds takes us inside the amazing ultra-modern world of high stakes commercial fishing where a wrong decision on his part can cost not just the season's catch, but also the lives of his crew.

Battered and fried or simply raw--seafood is a popular dish, no matter how you serve it. Americans consume more than 5-billion pounds yearly, an order that takes more than a fishing rod to fill and worries conservationists. We follow the fish, the fishermen, and the science trying to preserve fisheries for future generations--from ancient ships on the Nile to a modern technologically sophisticated factory trawler on the Bering Sea to the University of New Hampshire's open-ocean aquaculture research project. And we witness a wide variety of fishing methods--from gillnetting and longlining to lobster trapping. Hop aboard and sail through time and around the globe as we explore the harsh conditions of life at sea and experience firsthand one of history's deadliest jobs. Brace yourself and feel the ice-cold, salt spray on your face as we explore commercial fishing!

Begun in 1817, the Erie Canal was an engineering wonder - 363 miles of water highway linking the western frontier to the Atlantic seaboard. It took eight years to construct and thousands of hours of brutal labor, but by the time it was done, 3,000 canal boats traveled the new corridor, making New York City a commercial capital.

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab Republic of Egypt's first prime minister, had a plan to bring his poor country into the 20th century. To pull it off, he needed to harness the flow of the world's longest river--the Nile. The ambitious plan called for construction of a high dam in southern Egypt at Aswan. But the builders of the pyramids and the Suez Canal were no strangers to large undertakings. We'll see how the Aswan High Dam socially, politically, culturally, and agriculturally affected Egypt.

When completed, China's Three Gorges Dam will tower 607 feet in the air and weigh 40 Great Pyramids. Other than China's Great Wall, it will be the only man-made object visible from the moon. Supporters see it as key to a new China, controlling floods and bringing hydroelectric power to one of its least-developed areas. Critics voice a litany of concerns--from environmental issues to flooding the spectacular area for which it's named. We trace its story--from ancient flood control to current controversy.

In antiquity, a hollow reed served as an underwater link to oxygen. As in days of old, humans still need self-contained breathing equipment for a variety of reasons--food-gathering, commercial, recreational, military, and scientific. Dive with the best as we test scuba diving's past, and look to a future of mechanical gills.

Plumbing its the arteries of civilization, surging with life-giving water and tons of waste. It feeds the fixtures that spoil us and flushes us with pride. Its potential is explosive, and its history overflows with innovation.

Many rivers quenched the thirst of millions in the American west and around the world. Without these aqueducts, some of the earth's largest cities would turn into gigantic ghost towns.

The Alaska Ocean is the largest factory-fishing boat in the US fleet. The crew's mission: hunt down, catch, and process 30,000 tons of Alaskan Pollock each day on the unforgiving waters of the Bering Sea. We travel with them on the last voyage of a long and grueling season. The crew reveals the inner workings of one of the most sophisticated and complex vessels afloat. It is half fishing boat, half floating factory, processing and flash freezing Alaskan Pollock as fast as its crew can catch it. To meet their seasonal quota of Pollock, the crew must overcome obstacles of weather, mechanical dangers aboard the sea-tossed ship, and the wiliness of the fish themselves. Captain Scott Symonds takes us inside the amazing ultra-modern world of high stakes commercial fishing where a wrong decision on his part can cost not just the season's catch, but also the lives of his crew.

Battered and fried or simply raw--seafood is a popular dish, no matter how you serve it. Americans consume more than 5-billion pounds yearly, an order that takes more than a fishing rod to fill and worries conservationists. We follow the fish, the fishermen, and the science trying to preserve fisheries for future generations--from ancient ships on the Nile to a modern technologically sophisticated factory trawler on the Bering Sea to the University of New Hampshire's open-ocean aquaculture research project. And we witness a wide variety of fishing methods--from gillnetting and longlining to lobster trapping. Hop aboard and sail through time and around the globe as we explore the harsh conditions of life at sea and experience firsthand one of history's deadliest jobs. Brace yourself and feel the ice-cold, salt spray on your face as we explore commercial fishing!

Begun in 1817, the Erie Canal was an engineering wonder - 363 miles of water highway linking the western frontier to the Atlantic seaboard. It took eight years to construct and thousands of hours of brutal labor, but by the time it was done, 3,000 canal boats traveled the new corridor, making New York City a commercial capital.

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab Republic of Egypt's first prime minister, had a plan to bring his poor country into the 20th century. To pull it off, he needed to harness the flow of the world's longest river--the Nile. The ambitious plan called for construction of a high dam in southern Egypt at Aswan. But the builders of the pyramids and the Suez Canal were no strangers to large undertakings. We'll see how the Aswan High Dam socially, politically, culturally, and agriculturally affected Egypt.

When completed, China's Three Gorges Dam will tower 607 feet in the air and weigh 40 Great Pyramids. Other than China's Great Wall, it will be the only man-made object visible from the moon. Supporters see it as key to a new China, controlling floods and bringing hydroelectric power to one of its least-developed areas. Critics voice a litany of concerns--from environmental issues to flooding the spectacular area for which it's named. We trace its story--from ancient flood control to current controversy.

In antiquity, a hollow reed served as an underwater link to oxygen. As in days of old, humans still need self-contained breathing equipment for a variety of reasons--food-gathering, commercial, recreational, military, and scientific. Dive with the best as we test scuba diving's past, and look to a future of mechanical gills.

Plumbing its the arteries of civilization, surging with life-giving water and tons of waste. It feeds the fixtures that spoil us and flushes us with pride. Its potential is explosive, and its history overflows with innovation.

Many rivers quenched the thirst of millions in the American west and around the world. Without these aqueducts, some of the earth's largest cities would turn into gigantic ghost towns.