Deadliest Catch crew member Todd Meadows’ death has been officially determined to be accidental, one month after the 25-year-old died.
Meadows fell overboard on February 25 while he and fellow crew were working a crab fishing trip in the Bering Sea off Alaska.
United States Coast Guard Arctic District said in a statement: “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.
“He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately 10 minutes later. First aid and attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful, and the crew transported the deceased to Dutch Harbor.”
Meadows’ death certificate, obtained by TMZ, lists the cause of death as ‘drowning with probable hypothermia’ and ‘submersion of body in cold water’.
Following an autopsy, the manner of death was recorded as accidental.
Captain Rick Shelford, who appeared alongside Meadows on Deadliest Catch, confirmed the loss in a Facebook post shared in early March.
“February 25, 2026 was the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady on the Bering Sea. We lost our brother, Todd Meadows,” he wrote.
“Todd 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.”
In the tribute, Shelford added that Meadows brought ‘joy to those around him’ and said his ‘love for his children, his family, and his life was evident in everything he did’.
The post continued: “Right now, our hearts are broken in a way that words can’t fully express. We ask that you lift Todd’s children and family in prayer and keep them in your thoughts as they face the days ahead without him.
“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.
“Rest easy brother, till we meet again.”
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