Deadliest Catch has honoured late crew member Todd Meadows by releasing footage from his last days aboard the Aleutian Lady, captured shortly before his death at 25.
Meadows died in February 2026 after he fell overboard while the show was filming in Alaska.
The moment was recorded by the production team, but Discovery — which produces the series — has chosen not to broadcast the incident, citing respect for his family.
In place of that footage, the network has published a tribute segment showing Meadows in the days before the tragedy, including a scene where he talks about what it meant to join Captain Rick Shelford’s crew.
In a newly shared YouTube clip, Meadows said, “We are ready to get out there and get fishing,” adding, “It’s been one of my dreams and goals to make it up here.
“I’ve been to Alaska a few times, but never to fish, just to vacation and to hang out with family. “And everything up here that I have experienced so far is just so much bigger. Everything is scaled up. Smells different, feels different.”
In the same video, Meadows also reflects on the hazards that come with the job, while making clear he believed the risk was part of pursuing the life he wanted.
Meadows said, “There’s a lot of risk that comes into it but just want my kids to know that I want them to work toward your dreams and goals.” He went on, “‘Don’t let anything slow you down. Yeah it’s gonna be fun. I am just fortunate that I fell in love with it.”
The clip begins with words from former US President John F. Kennedy: “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea… we are going back from whence we came.”
Meadows died on February 25 2026 after he went into the icy waters of the Bering Sea during filming.
Crew members moved quickly in an effort to bring him back aboard, including deckhand Trey John Green III, who later described the incident and said they did ‘everything they could’ to reach him in time.
Despite the rescue attempt, Meadows did not survive. Reports say his death certificate listed the cause as ‘drowning with probable hypothermia’ and ‘submersion of body in cold water’.
A Coast Guard investigation remains ongoing as officials work to determine the circumstances. His family has previously called for answers and for ‘justice’ in the wake of his death.