Deadliest Catch: How Many Deaths Have There Been? Way More Than You'd Guess

What it hasn't shown — at least not often — is just how many people connected to the show have actually died since it started airing. And it's not a small number.

The danger is real. Commercial fishing is one of the most lethal jobs in the U.S., with more than 300 fatalities per 100,000 workers. That's not just dramatic narration — it's the reality for the captains, deckhands, and even crew behind the camera.

Some deaths happened on screen and became part of the show's legacy. In 2010, Captain Phil Harris collapsed from a stroke while offloading crab from the Cornelia Marie. He died days later at 53. His final days, and his complicated relationship with sons Jake and Josh, were all shown in the series.

Others didn't make it into the episodes, but still hit fans hard. In 2011, deckhand Justin Tennison was found dead in a hotel room at just 33, reportedly from sleep apnea complications. A few years later in 2015, associate producer Joe McMahon, only 24, was shot and killed outside his home in California. Discovery issued a public statement:

"We are heartsick about this tragedy — our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to all that knew and worked with him."

Then there's the toll from substance abuse, something Deadliest Catch hasn't shied away from addressing. In 2020, Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand, died after a heart attack triggered by an accidental cocaine overdose. Later that same year, Nick McGlashan — a deck boss and longtime fan favorite — died of a drug overdose at just 33. He appeared in 78 episodes before his death.

The drug connection wasn't isolated. In 2018, former Maverick captain Blake Painter was found dead in his home at 38, with drugs reportedly present at the scene.

And even when it's not drugs or violence, the job itself is deadly. Captain Tony Lara, who briefly took over the Cornelia Marie after Phil Harris's death, died of a heart attack in 2015. In 2021, Todd Kochutin — a fisherman aboard the Patricia Lee — died from injuries sustained while fishing. He was only 30.

Put it all together, and the body count around Deadliest Catch is sobering. The show may be about high-stakes fishing, but for many involved, the danger didn't end when the cameras stopped rolling. It's easy to get caught up in the adventure of it all — until you see just how many people never made it back to shore.