‘Deadliest Catch’ crew member dies during season’s filming

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Todd Meadows, a deckhand on “Deadliest Catch”, died while fishing off the coast of Alaska on Feb. 25. He was working on the Aleutian Lady, one of the main subjects of the Discovery Channel show.

On Monday, Aleutian Lady Captain Rick Shelford announced Meadows’ death in a post to Facebook.

“February 25, 2026 was the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady on the Bering Sea,” he said. “Todd will forever be part of this boat, this crew and this brotherhood. Though we lost him far too soon, his legacy will live on through his children and in every memory we carry of him.”

The U.S. Coast Guard posted an update on Meadows’ death on Tuesday, explaining that he fell overboard roughly 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor around 5 p.m. on Feb. 25.

Coast Guard officials said the crew of the Aleutian Lady recovered Meadows from the water about 10 minutes later. All attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, officials said.

“The Coast Guard is currently investigating this situation,” the Coast Guard said. “Our deepest condolences go out to the friends, family, and loved ones of Mr. Meadows during this incredibly difficult time.”

Meadows was the newest member of the “Deadliest Catch” crew and had been filming his first season on the show at the time of his death.

“Todd got involved with fishing with me probably from the time he was three,” said Lucas Meadows, Todd’s father. “It’s been a passion of his, his whole life.”

According to Meadows’s parents, he had spent several years working for a charter fishing boat in northern Washington before joining the Aleutian Lady crew.

“He had a smile on his face the whole time,” Lucas said. “Good day, bad day, didn’t matter. He always had a smile. He loved to fish and loved to watch other people fish.”

“He wanted to own a boat one day and be the captain,” said Angela, Todd’s mother. “When he sets his mind to something, I mean, he just doesn’t give up.”

The Meadows’ told Alaska’s News Source Todd began working on the Aleutian Lady after connecting with the crew through a friend.

However, the process of crabbing while filming a reality television show, they said, was not something Todd desired.

“They would have to stop everything they were doing, re-film stuff just for the show, which really irritated him,” said Lucas. “He just wanted to work.”

Following Meadows’s passing, family and friends have set up a GoFundMe to help support his three sons.

“I want his memory to be a good memory everywhere,” Angela said. “It never mattered what anybody had to say about him, good or bad. He wasn’t out there to make friends. He wasn’t out there to click with people. He was just out there to work and to do what he loved.”

Todd Meadows was 25 at the time of his passing. No details surrounding his death were made immediately available.

Editor’s note: Alaska’s News Source makes no representations or warranties of any kind about the authenticity, accuracy, or reliability of any GoFundMe campaign. Any donations you make to such campaigns are strictly at your own risk. If you have any questions related to the authenticity, accuracy, or reliability of a GoFundMe campaign, please contact GoFundMe directly or consult the GoFundMe Guarantee Policy.

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