Chronicling the white-knuckle thrills of crab fishing in the harsh seas of the Bering Strait,
Deadliest Catch has been one of Discovery Channel's hottest shows for more than a decade.
That's time enough to bury plenty of skeletons at sea, so here's a look at some salty behind-the-scenes
tales even die-hard fans may not know about Deadliest Catch.
Almost deadliest
With all of the carnage left in the wake of the Deadliest Catch crab boats, it may be
surprising to find out that the crab seasons followed by the show — the red king crab
and opilio crab — don't traditionally have the highest body counts for fisherman.
According to The Oregonian, that dubious honor goes to the Dungeness crab industry, with
a death rate "twice that of the Bering Sea."
This is apparently due to two factors.
One, Dungeness boats don't need a Coast Guard safety inspection to get permitted.
And two, the Dungeness industry still operates on the "derby" system, which allows for "inexperienced
captains and small boats" to incur high risks trying to catch as much crab as they possibly
can.
The Discovery Channel apparently realized the superlative flaw in the show's title,
which they've since corrected by launching their spinoff series, Deadliest Catch: Dungeon
Cove, which documents — you guessed it — the Dungeness crab industry.
Arrest warrant
Jake Harris, son of the late Captain Phil Harris, has had several reported run-ins with
the law for drug use and driving while intoxicated.
While it seemed like Harris was getting a handle on his personal issues, things started
going back downhill fast.
First, Harris was attacked in an apparent robbery while sharing a ride home from a casino,
according to Seattle's Channel 7 news.
Harris was badly beaten, suffering a "cracked skull and brain trauma."
A few months later, TMZ reported that Harris allegedly stole a woman's car in Phoenix and
was subsequently busted by police for possession of crystal meth and xanax . Harris then failed
to show up in court to face the charges stemming from the arrest, and as of May 12, 2017 has
a bench warrant out for his arrest, according to Fox News.
Double jeopardy
In 2016, Sig Hansen's estranged daughter from his first marriage, Melissa Eckstrom, opened
a civil suit claiming that her father sexually abused her when she was two years old.
The case is complicated, since Hansen was exonerated of the same charges in 1990 during
a contentious divorce and custody case in which the judge ruled that the abuse did not
occur.
Though Hansen relinquished parental rights to Melissa, he claims her mother has continually
attempted to extort him.
Hansen told The Seattle Times, "This is nothing more than an old-fashioned shakedown.
It's a completely frivolous lawsuit full of lies that my ex-wife made up to take away
my daughter, and still uses to try to extort money from me.
It's blackmail."
Pain in the Uber
Around the time the abuse allegations resurfaced, Sig Hansen made news again for allegedly flipping
out on an Uber driver.
According to The Seattle Times, Hansen and his son-in-law "spat on the driver's head
and the back of the driver's seat."
Hansen also allegedly "kicked the outside of the rear of the passenger side of the vehicle,
causing a dent."
Hansen was arrested at his home after a drunken confrontation with Seattle PD, but later apologized
in multiple tweets for his actions.
"I am terribly sorry for my behavior and am very embarrassed by it.
I owe a bunch of people apologies, first and foremost to our Uber driver, who was just
trying to get us home safely.
I hope I can make that apology in person.
I have no excuse, and accept responsibility for my actions."
"I'm Captain Sig and I approve this message, now get slammin!"
Murder
Deadliest Catch has tragically covered the deaths of multiple crew members who died working
in violent storm conditions, but tragedy has also touched the show far from the docks of
Dutch Harbor.
In a seemingly random incident, associate producer Joseph McMahon was gunned down outside
his California home after he went outside to investigate a noise, according to CBS LA.
And if that wasn't bizarre enough, the suspect in the shooting was found dead in his car
that same day from "what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound," according to The Wrap.
Dining woes
With the irregular hours and backbreaking shifts the crews have to deal with, mealtimes
on a crabbing vessel are few and far between.
In an interview with the Miami New Times, Sig Hansen explained:
"On the boat, you don't know when you're gonna eat again.
There are no specified meal times.
Fishing is what dictates your meals and what you can eat, so your diet is horrifying.
You're not eating at regular times, it's hell."
And one thing they're definitely not eating?
Crab.
Despite being surrounded by the eight-legged delicacies, you'll never see the Deadliest
Catch fisherman sitting around a table sucking down crab meat dunked in melted butter.
Crabs are the reason they're out there risking their lives, so it would be pretty counterproductive
to continually put a dent in their profits by eating the catch.
Cameraman peril
A lot of reality shows that feature tough characters in gruelling environments generally
provide an opportunity for the production team to leave those elements behind at the
end of their shift.
On Deadliest Catch, this is not the case.
According to associate producer Ryan McNeil, the two-man video crews aboard the crab boats
don't have it easy.
Not only do they endure the same weather conditions and rough seas as the fishermen, they do it
all without ever leaving the boat, which means they're stuck on deck with the crew for "the
entire crab run," which generally lasts "three to five weeks."
This leads to an inevitable camaraderie between the fishing and film crews, according to Captain
"Wild" Bill Wichrowski , who told The A.V.
Club:
"I'd say 85 percent of the [camera] guys I had ended up being buddies...We actually spend
more time with the cameramen on the boat than we do with our own families, if you think
about it.
You're with them 24/7… and you don't see your own family that much."
Climate chaos
Environmental factors obviously play a huge part on Deadliest Catch.
Raging storms, colossal waves, and frigid water are all hazards the crab boat crews
face on a daily basis.
But on Season 13, the crews planned to change tactics due to climate change.
Speaking with The Daily Mail, executive producer R. Decker Watson, Jr. said that the rise in
water temperature has forced some of the boats to "strike out for new territory that is more
dangerous because of fiercer storms and is further from rescue workers if something goes
wrong."
Though Watson admits the show is careful to avoid the political controversy surrounding
climate change, he does admit that both the production staff and the crabbing crews have
a personal stake in how the changing environment affects the fishing industry as a whole, saying:
"When something like this comes up, it's felt by all of us.
I love making this show, and so does the rest of my team."
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