Meadows, a deckhand, died Feb. 25 while working the dangerous job. He was 25.

Authorities release new details in death of Deadliest Catch star Todd Meadows

Meadows, a deckhand, died Feb. 25 while working the dangerous job. He was 25.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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March 3, 2026 8:03 p.m. ET

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Todd Meadows on 'Deadliest Catch'. Credit:

Todd Meadows/Facebook

The U.S. Coast Guard has disclosed more information about what happened to *Deadliest Catch* star Todd Meadows in his final hours. The deckhand and reality TV personality died last month at 25.

"On February 25, 2026, at 5:05 p.m. 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," a spokesperson for the military service branch said in a statement to ** on Tuesday. "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."

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The spokesperson added that the Coast Guard is still investigating this situation, as it routinely does in cases of "marine casualties and accidents to uncover their causes and initiate necessary corrective actions."

Capt. Rick Shelford, a star of the reality series following crab fishermen as they struggle in stormy seas and brutal weather to earn their living, broke the news of Meadows' death Monday on Facebook.

Todd Meadows on 'Deadliest Catch'.

He described the day of Meadows' death as "the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady on the Bering Sea."

Shelford noted that Meadows was "the newest member of our crew. He quickly became family. His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone's respect right away. His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always."

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The reality star further expressed sympathy for Meadows' survivors.

"Todd's love for his children, his family, and his life was evident in everything he did," Shelford wrote. "He worked hard, loved deeply, and brought joy to those around him. Right now, our hearts are broken in a way that words can’t fully express."

A GoFundMe dedicated to supporting them had raised more than $32,000, as of Tuesday evening.

Discovery, the network on which *Deadliest Catch* has aired since it premiered in April 2005, also issued a statement.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows," a rep told EW. "This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time."

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