The upcoming season of "Deadliest Catch" will address the death of rookie deckhand Todd Meadows ... but audiences won't see footage from the tragic incident at sea.
Discovery says the series premiere will feature a tribute to Todd -- who died in February while working on the Aleutian Lady -- plus other segments highlighting how his death impacted the crew and the broader fishing community.
The network says Todd will show up in later episodes too.
Late "Deadliest Catch" deckhand Todd Meadows' family is lawyering up ... and they're going to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Todd fell overboard and died at sea while working on a fishing boat back in February ... and according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the family is indicating the wheels are in motion to try to open his probate estate and hold some folks legally responsible for Todd's death.
It's unclear who will be named as a defendant in the forthcoming lawsuit ... Todd was working on the Aleutian Lady and "Deadliest Catch" cameras were rolling when he fell into the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska and drowned.
Todd Meadows -- a rookie deckhand on a fishing vessel featured on "Deadliest Catch" -- died at sea last week ... and now the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating his death, TMZ has learned.
A Coast Guard rep tells us ... "On February 25, 2026, at 5:05 PM local Alaska time, Coast Guard watchstanders at the Arctic District command center in Juneau received notification from the fishing vessel Aleutian Lady, reporting that a crew member by the name of Todd Meadows fell overboard approximately 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor. He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately ten minutes later. First aid and attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful, and the crew transported the deceased to Dutch Harbor."
They added ... "The Coast Guard is currently investigating this situation. As the nation’s leading marine safety organization, the Coast Guard investigates marine casualties and accidents to uncover their causes and initiate necessary corrective actions."
Nick Mavar -- who was once a deckhand on the F/V Northwestern on "Deadliest Catch" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.
The Police Chief of Bristol Bay Borough Police Department in Alaska tells TMZ ... the ex-Discovery Channel star died Thursday afternoon in Naknek -- this after experiencing a medical emergency of some sort.
BBBPD wouldn't elaborate on the nature of the medical emergency -- noting it was too early in the investigation to draw conclusions. We are, however, told Nick's family has been notified of the tragic news.
"Deadliest Catch" is back with more wild twists and turns ... and we've got an exclusive look at the moment a deckhand blesses the fishing gear with her urine!!!
In a new episode of the crab fishermen series, Captains Wild Bill Wichrowski and Linda Greenlaw are met with an interesting request from deckhand Maria Dosal ... after repeatedly pulling in empty crab pots at sea.
Ya gotta see the clip! Maria tells the captains about her native culture's custom of throwing pee all over the fishing gear for good luck and prosperity. And, that's precisely what she wants to do.
Linda looks a bit startled ... but lo and behold Maria gets the green light and it all goes down on the boat!
It might sound pretty insane to folks on dry land, but they make it clear there's a ton of superstition and tradition at sea.
If you wanna know if this one worked, you'll have to catch the full episode Tuesday at 8 PM on Discovery.
Ex-"Deadliest Catch" star Jake Harris may not have learned his lesson from a previous DUI bust that landed him behind bars ... 'cause we’ve learned he was busted again for DUI.
A spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol tells TMZ ... Harris was busted near Mount Vernon, WA. last week after cops say they clocked him driving a Dodge Journey 86 MPH in a 70 MPH zone.
We're told Harris didn't initially pull over ... and drove another 3 miles to stop in a safe location. Cops say they discovered Harris’ license is revoked. Even if it wasn’t revoked, cops say Harris was required to have an ignition interlocking device installed -- a requirement from his previous DUI conviction.
And, you guessed it, cops say Harris didn't have the device installed since the car apparently belonged to a friend who had loaned it to him. In any event ... cops said Harris' eyes were bloodshot, his pupils were constricted, face was pale and his speech was repetitive.
Cops say Harris told them he had taken prescribed meds that morning, though the cop wouldn't say what kind. They suspected he was impaired ... and after Harris refused a sobriety test, cops arrested him.
He was booked into county jail for felony DUI, misdemeanor driving on a license revoked and misdemeanor failure to have an ignition interlock installed. Records show he posted $50k bond and was released on Tuesday.
As we first reported ... Harris was sentenced to 18 months behind bars in 2019 following a bizarre police chase that led to his arrest on 2 felony charges ... driving under the influence and possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance ... heroin.
'Deadliest Catch' star Nick McGlashan appears to have died from some sort of drug overdose ... according to police investigating his death.
Law enforcement sources tell us Nashville PD got a call to a Holiday Inn outside Nashville Sunday afternoon. We're told Nick had been discovered unresponsive in his room by a friend. We're told the evidence at the scene "indicated the possibility of drug involvement."
Authorities still need to wait for the results from a toxicology test before making a final ruling on Nick's cause of death.
McGlashan was a prominent figure on the show ... making appearances from 2013-2020. He started fishing at a young age, just 13, and made his way up to captaining boats like the Cape Caution and Summer Bay -- but he battled addiction with drugs and alcohol along the way.
Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on one of the "Deadliest Catch" crab fishing boats, is dead ... TMZ has learned.
Mahlon's wife tells us he died in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana after he suffered a heart attack last Saturday morning. Although he survived it, and was transported to a hospital ... he never regained consciousness.
His wife says the family decided Sunday to take Mahlon off life support. She says he was surrounded by loved ones.
We're told he had no existing health conditions his family knew of, so they're all completely shocked by the massive heart attack. His wife tells us Mahlon was cremated and his "Deadliest Catch" crew is going to spread some of his ashes in the Bering Sea.
We're told Mahlon was working his butt off to recover from a recently torn Achilles, suffered while crabbing on the boat, and was doing everything he could to get back to Alaska for another crab season.
The Flathead County Sheriff's Office says his official cause of death has not been determined yet ... pending autopsy and toxicology results.
Mahlon, who worked on 2 "Deadliest Catch" boats ... the Seabrooke and Cape Caution. He's survived by his wife and 4 children.
Ex-"Deadliest Catch" star Jerod Sechrist has a trifecta -- 3 arrests in 6 months ... this time for theft, and cops say he admits he's doing it to fuel his addiction.
Sechrist was arrested this week at a Tampa residence for 2 outstanding felony warrants for grand theft. The first alleged heist was a bunch of silver, collectible coins and a Rolex. According to cops, he allegedly swiped them from an ex-roommate and then sold them at a pawn shop.
The second warrant was for allegedly walking out of a Home Depot last month with a bucket filled with more than $800 in tools. Cops say he didn't pay, and when a security guard stopped him outside ... Sechrist dropped the bucket and bolted.
The former deckhand only appeared on 3 episodes in 2016 ... but he made a lasting impression with fans because he continually pissed off his crew members.
When cops hauled him in this week, they say he told them he was hooked on heroin and was only stealing to get money for drugs. He asked if he could get treatment for his addiction.
Jerod Sechrist -- known for his brief and turbulent stint on "Deadliest Catch" -- is in even more hot water now ... he's been arrested for allegedly shoplifting from IKEA.
The 33-year-old was picked up on a warrant for grand theft this week in Tampa and has been booked on a felony charge. According to police docs ... Sechrist loaded up a shopping cart with $1,034 worth of electronics in early October and left the store without paying, then tried to flee on his bicycle while pulling the cart full of goods behind him.
Cops say Sechrist was stopped by security and photographed before he bailed on the stolen items and took off on his bike. The incident was allegedly his fifth time stealing from the IKEA.
According to the docs ... cops worked with security staff at the store to review surveillance footage and match the suspect on camera with Sechrist, then obtained the warrant for his arrest on November 20. He was taken in without incident.
What's more interesting -- according to police -- is Sechrist's alleged theft occurred around the same time he was busted for drugs. We broke that story ... Sechrist was arrested for drug possession -- specifically felony possession of heroin and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
We're told he was released from jail earlier this month, but alas ... he's back again.
Jerod appeared in 3 "Deadliest Catch" episodes in 2016 and was memorable for having a hard time differentiating between male and female king crabs, which drew the ire of his crewmates.
One of Captain Wild Bill's former deckhands on Cape Caution just went overboard with the law -- getting busted for drugs, which cops believe to be heroin.
33-year-old Jerod Sechrist was arrested in Tampa, FL on drug charges -- specifically felony possession of heroin and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops say they arrested Jerod on an open warrant last week for a previous reckless driving case. When they took him to the station at around 3:00 AM, officers say they found a small clear bag in his pocket with a white powder substance inside.
Police say they did an in-house test on the spot, and the results came back positive for heroin.
Jerod appeared in 3 episodes in 2016 but was memorable for having a hard time differentiating between male and female king crabs. He continually pissed off his crewmates due to the potentially costly mistakes, because it's illegal to catch females.
If catching crabs in style is your thing, have we got a deal for you -- a real life "Deadliest Catch" ship which is now available ... for a small fortune.
The Time Bandit -- which debuted on the hit Discovery show in season 2 -- has hit the market for a whopping $2,888,888 million. The folks over at Dock Street Brokers are doing the honors ... and they describe the vessel as a 113-foot boat that can hold 175,000 pounds of crab.
Imagine the crab bake!
The Bandit -- built in 1991 and captained by the Hillstrand brothers -- has been on "Deadliest Catch" for most of the seasons. If your taste buds prefer salmon, you're in luck -- this sucker holds even more of that ... a whopping 365k pounds!
As we first reported, one of the captains -- Neil Hillstrand -- filed for divorce and, according to docs, he agreed to fork over $10k to his estranged wife, IF the brothers ever sold the boat.
Ex-"Deadliest Catch" star Jake Harris is sitting behind bars -- and has been for more than 3 weeks -- after he was arrested for felony DUI and drug possession ... TMZ has learned.
The incident went down back on January 23 in Skagit County, Washington where cops say the 33-year-old wouldn't identify himself to park rangers, who tried pulling him over. Harris took off with his RV, forcing state troopers to chase him down and force him to stop ... according to docs obtained by TMZ.
Cops say the trooper noticed signs of drug use once they pulled over Harris -- pinpoint pupils, bloodshot eyes and pale face. They also say he could not stand still ... shaking the entire time and talking fast. Meanwhile, a K-9 alerted cops to drugs in the RV.
Cops say they found a half ounce of heroin and other paraphernalia associated with the selling of drugs. Cops say they also found a shotgun Harris claims he bought from someone for $150 and a "ball" of heroin. Turns out it was stolen.
He was arrested and charged with 4 felonies -- DUI, possession of a controlled substance, maintaining a vehicle or premises for drug trafficking and possession of a stolen firearm. They also hit him driving on a suspended license.
1:20 PM PT -- Despite initial local reports, we're told the Mary B II boat involved in this tragedy was never featured on 'Dungeon Cove,' nor were the crew members who died.
However, this dangerous stretch of sea is the subject of the 'Deadliest Catch' spin-off series.
A rep for Discovery tells us ... "We are deeply saddened by the news as we feel part of the crabbing community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and the entire community during this difficult time."
A sea vessel featured on "Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove" capsized in treacherous waters, tragically killing 3 fishermen ... according to reports.
The U.S. Coast Guard was escorting the Mary B II commercial crab boat Tuesday night around 10 PM off the coast of Newport, Oregon. The boat capsized during the escort in 12 to 14-foot seas while crossing Yaquina Bay bar and there was an immediate rescue effort.
Sadly, the Coast Guard was unable to save the 3 crew members onboard. KGW8 reports the bodies of 2 of the 3 fishermen were recovered, but the third is still trapped inside the sunken boat.
The Mary B II was featured on the Discovery show, and the premise of 'Dungeon Cove' revolves around the danger of crossing the Newport bar with a full load of crab ... which is apparently what led to this accident.
"Deadliest Catch" star Neal Hillstrand is getting his family fishing vessel dragged into his divorce proceedings with his wife ... but this story doesn't have anything to do with tugboats.
According to divorce docs, obtained by TMZ, Neal agreed to fork over $10,000 to his estranged wife, Sugayle Marie Hillstrand, if he and his brothers ever sell their boat.
The docs show Neal has one-third ownership in "Time Bandit" -- along with his brothers, Captains Johnathan and Andy -- and he's bound to cut a check to his ex if his family ever unloads the fishing boat made famous in Discovery's reality TV series. As best we can tell, "Time Bandit" is currently not up for sale.
Neal filed for divorce Oct. 29, and docs show he gets the former couple's $340,000 house, plus a 1969 Chevy Malibu. She gets their 2 SUVs, a 2012 Sierra and 2006 Envoy.
As part of the divorce, Neal already paid his ex $15k in November and will shell out $1,500 per month over the next 6 months.
But, the biggest catch in this divorce is the boat.
"Deadliest Catch" star Sig Hansen caught a major break in his Uber assault and property damage case -- it's only gonna set him back a few hundred dollars, and he's avoiding jail time.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Hansen pled guilty to assault but the judge dismissed his property damage charge. He was given a deferred sentence of 12 months, and ordered to pay $343 in fines and fees.
We broke the story ... Sig allegedly spat on the driver last year in Seattle after the app canceled his ride, and the driver refused to take Sig and his fam the rest of the way with hard cash. He also allegedly kicked the car while exiting the vehicle. He was arrested shortly afterward.
Sig apologized for the incident, saying he made a "boneheaded move" and accepted responsibility for his actions.
There are other conditions attached to his sentence ... including staying away from the driver and his wife, and he had to undergo a substance abuse evaluation.
