SEATTLE -- Bering Sea crab fishermen are riding a wave of popularity with the success of the Discovery Channel's hit show "Deadliest Catch."

One crew from Seattle's Ballard neighborhood is converting its new-found fame into all sorts of business possibilities.

Members of the Hansen family have been braving the dangerous Bering Sea and crab fishing for decades. Now, thanks to reality TV, they've turned a deadly job into their luckiest catch.

In an occupation where half the luck is finding the crab and the other half is living to tell about it, Sig Hansen and his crew have been one of the best.

"It's like a gamble. Fishing is a gamble," said Hansen. "If you don't like it, get the hell off."

With another crab season behind them, the captain and his crew are back in Ballard for the summer.

"We've got a good team ,good guys. That's why we do so well and we come back every season.. alive," said Hansen.

The crew members are working on their boat, the F/V Northwestern, and soaking up the fame they've gained on the TV show.

"I'm more than amazed. Didn't think it would snowball to this extent but why not, man? It's fun," said the captain.

Four years ago, Hansen agreed to let cameras on board for a crab season. Now he's one of the most popular fisherman in the world and he's cashing in.

"What helps us sell us is because we are who we are and I think people dig it," said Hansen.

The crew has signed a clothing deal with Helly Hansen.

"We've got our own brand own, little logo. Those guys are helping us drive that market. It's great," Hansen said.

And there's a line of coffee.

"It's a part of our life, man, for me. It's coffee, cigarettes and chocolate. The coffee is a natural fit," said Hansen.

There is even a beer in the works. But the big jackpot is the video game.

On the day we visited the Northwestern, a couple of writers were previewing the Hansen's Xbox game titled Endeavor.

"I never thought we'd be sitting on our boat, playing video games, watching our boat on the TV. This is bizarre, man. It's kind of cool," said Hansen.

The crew members have their claws in all sorts of money-making possibilities, but the Hansens won't give up what made them famous in the first place.

"We're still going to be fishing. That's just the way it is. That's what we know how to do. That's what we're here to do," said Hansen.

"The payoff is catching that crab, man. That's what keeps you going," said Edgar Hansen.

Sig just hopes his string of good luck doesn't end anytime soon. It is, after all, the "Deadliest Catch."

"Now with the show it almost made me take a second look at myself," said Sig. "It brought awareness to me. Maybe it's because I'm getting older. I am getting more nervous it's like the clock's ticking, 'is something going to happen to us?'"

Danger is a big part of the job, but year after year the Northwestern makes it back to Ballard, where Sig has become quite the local celebrity.

He raised the 12th-man flag at the Seahawks game and this summer he will be play the role of grand marshal of the Seafair festivities.