Hy-Vee stores in the Ames area have been receiving shipments of Alaskan crab for years. However, what many people aren’t aware of is that the crab they’re purchasing from the store is caught on a fishing boat that was once featured on the hit Discovery Channel TV show, “Deadliest Catch.”

The crab fishing boat, called the Billikin, and its six crew members, were shown catching a species of crab called opilio on the commercial fishing reality-TV show’s first season in April 2009. The Billikin remained on the show for only one season. Since then, the show has blown up to be one of the most popular shows on television. Meanwhile, the Billikin has been floating quietly off the Alaskan coast, hauling in loads of crabs away from the public eye.

Seattle-based company Trident Seafoods owns the Billikin, which according to the company’s website, was built in 1973 and stretches 132 feet long — an average size for an Alaskan crab boat.

According to Ruth Comers, spokesperson for Hy-Vee, Trident Seafoods was the first company in history to have boats that are not only fishing vessels, but are processing vessels as well. Fish are caught, hauled onto the boat, packaged and frozen, and then sent off for shipment. This unique approach allows for more efficient fishing and cuts down on other expenditures, allowing Hy-Vee to leave out the middleman and buy directly from the fishing vessel.

“In the past we’ve bought from third-party companies,” Comers said. “We’re buying direct from the boats now, like the Billikin. Since we’re buying direct now, we are able to buy more.”

This coming holiday season, Hy-Vee will purchase its biggest ever shipment of Alaskan king crab.

“There is a particular season when crab is available, and that is right now,” Comers said. “Crab is very popular around the holiday season. Seventy-four percent of the crab we sell will be sold between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.”

Before it receives a price tag and is placed on Hy-Vee’s shelves, the crab is shipped over 3,000 miles by land and sea. Hy-Vee has always purchased crab from Alaskan vendors.

When asked why Hy-Vee doesn’t purchase crab from vendors that are closer by, like Maine, for example, Lincoln Center Hy-Vee Seafood Manager Cory Springer said, “It’s better crab. There’s a more substantial amount of crab in Alaska, so we won’t be overfishing. Alaska has a very good sustainability program.”