Giants of the deep on Discovery Channel

MANILA, Philippines - This month, Discovery Channel invites you into the high risk world of New England’s longline fishermen. The men and women on Swords: Life On The Line are gamblers, risking it all to catch an elusive prey in some of the most dangerous waters on the planet. Swordfish are the magnificent giants of the deep and the best time to catch them is every fall in the stormy waters of the North Atlantic — the home of the infamous and deadly Perfect Storm of 1991. Reel in the big catch with the captains and crews of Swords: Life On The Line when the series premieres May 17 at 11 p.m. Encores Mondays at 10 p.m., Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Fridays at 5 a.m. and Saturdays at 3 a.m.

Swords: Life On The Line follows four boats — The Eagle Eye II, Big Eye, Seahawk and Frances Ann — as they head into tempestuous waters hoping to hit the jackpot. The skippers of the boats use every ounce of experience and knowledge they have to try and find the fish. The rewards are great but the risks are even greater. It costs around $60,000 to make the month-long journey and they need to catch thousands of pounds of fish just to break even. One big fish can be worth as much as $20,000 so a trip can turn from disaster to success in seconds. Each skipper has his best spots and knows how to read the waters and temperatures to try and find the best fish. Once the fish are caught, it is a race to the market where the first back gets the highest prices.