You Won't Believe How Many Deadliest Catch Members Have Died Since The Show Began

The Discovery Channel reality series, which first aired in 2005, documents the dangers of working in the Bering Sea — a place where towering waves, deadly storms, and icy decks make every trip a gamble with mortality.

But the danger didn't just stay on screen. Since the series began, 18 captains and crew associated with Deadliest Catch have died — some at sea, some on land, others from personal struggles that no amount of experience on the water could prepare them for.

The Toll of the Sea: Lost Vessels and Fatal Accidents

Only a year after the show premiered, tragedy struck with the sinking of the Ocean Challenger in 2006. The vessel went down during a storm near Sand Point, Alaska, leaving three men dead or missing and only one survivor — 28-year-old Kevin Ferrell, the lone crewman in a survival suit. Speaking to the Seattle Times, Armand Audette of Trident Seafood reflected on the incident:

"I do think they were caught off guard by the weather. There is peril whenever you go out in rolling seas."

In 2017, the F/V Destination met a similar fate, vanishing with six crew members aboard. Weighed down by hundreds of thousands of pounds of ice, the vessel capsized, becoming one of the deadliest events in the show's shadow. Captain Sig Hansen, upon hearing of the tragedy, struggled to process the news:

"I know you want me to probably say something. But maybe just give me a little bit, and I'll tell you what I think, okay?"

Deaths That Played Out on Land — But Still Stung Fans

Perhaps the most unforgettable loss for longtime viewers was Captain Phil Harris. Known for captaining the F/V Cornelia Marie, Harris suffered a stroke during filming in 2010. He insisted the cameras keep rolling even as he was airlifted to Anchorage, where he later died. His son, Josh Harris, told PEOPLE:

"We had nine days total that we were there to enjoy a few moments with him. It was awesome."

Other losses didn't happen on deck, but they still rocked the Deadliest Catch community. Captain Tony Lara, who stepped in after Phil Harris's death, died of a heart attack while attending the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2015. Blake Painter, another early captain, was found dead at home in 2018, his death shrouded in mystery but declared non-suspicious.

Crew member Justin Tennison was just 33 when he was found dead in a hotel room in 2011 — the cause traced to complications from sleep apnea. Then there were those claimed by addiction: Nick McGlashan and Mahlon Reyes both died of accidental overdoses, stark reminders that for some, the fight doesn't end when they dock.

Death in the Line of Duty

Some crew members died doing the very job that made them famous. Todd Kochutin, a fan-favorite despite only five appearances, died on the job in 2021 when an 800-pound crab pot struck him. His captain remembered him as family:

"Todd was one of my favorite guys… No matter what you try to do, Mother Nature will throw you a curveball."

And then there was Nick Mavar, a mainstay on F/V Northwestern for over a decade, who survived appendicitis complications during filming but later died in 2024 from a heart attack at a boatyard. His passing was compounded by the bitterness of a legal dispute with Discovery over medical treatment during the pandemic.

The List of All the Deadliest Catch Members Who Have Died

Since 2005, the list of Deadliest Catch-associated deaths includes:

• Ocean Challenger crew (2006): 3 dead or missing
• Captain Phil Harris (2010): stroke
• Justin Tennison (2011): sleep apnea complications
• Captain Tony Lara (2015): heart attack
• F/V Destination crew (2017): 6 dead
• Captain Blake Painter (2018): found dead at home
• Mahlon Reyes (2020): drug overdose
• Nick McGlashan (2020): drug overdose
• Todd Kochutin (2021): fatal injury from crab pot
• Ross Jones (2022): cause undisclosed
• Tom Brossard (2024): heart attack
• Nick Mavar (2024): heart attack

Eighteen lives, each with their own story, gone in less than two decades. Not every name was a household one, but in the Deadliest Catch community, each was part of the fabric of a world where the line between survival and tragedy is razor-thin.

As Captain Rip Carlton put it after Kochutin's death:

"We knew that Todd would have wanted us to keep going — and that's what we did."

For these fishermen, quitting isn't an option. Neither is safety ever guaranteed.