MNN - Mother Nature Network

When Discovery Channel producers heard about what goes down annually in Nome, Alaska, they must have died and gone to ratings heaven. 

 

While the small, isolated city only has a population of around 3500, that number swells during the summer months when people from all around come to try their luck at striking it rich. Due to its geography, Nome is rich in gold deposits - the catch being that most of it lies in the cold, uninviting, and often dangerous waters of the Bering Sea. 

 

Enter "Bering Sea Gold", a new series coming to the Discovery Channel in January that documents the crews working to strike it rich in the open water. 

 

"For two million years, glaciers have been melting into the Bering Sea and depositing sediments rich with gold into its waters," the press release states. "As Nome’s ice pack melts during the summer, the isolated, ramshackle town of eccentrics and outcasts booms with excitement, as pioneer gold seekers rush to get out onto the water. Miners dive and dredge to scour the bottom of the sea from custom built, barely seaworthy rigs -- in a race to haul in as much gold as possible before the waters become too frigid to dive."

 

Produced by the same team that brought the mega-hit "Deadliest Catch" to television, you can expect this one to come standard with engaging characters from all walks of life. One example is the crew of the "The Clark": 

 

"The youngest boat in the fleet, this 20-foot diver-operated rig is captained by 24-year-old Nome native Zeke Tenhoff, who built the dredge from junkyard scrap," the release states. "Zeke’s diving partner is childhood friend and greenhorn Emily Riedel, 23. Zeke’s motivation is paying off over $100,000 in hospital bills – while opera singer Emily wants to earn money to go to school in Europe."

 

Look for "Bering Sea Gold" to premiere on the Discovery Channel on January 27th at 10PM. A three-minute preview is available below.