Deadliest Catch is a reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel in 2005. It documents the lives and work of crab fishermen in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king and snow crab fishing seasons. The show is based out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in the Aleutian Islands, and highlights the dangers and challenges faced by these fishermen, emphasizing the high risk of injury or death associated with their profession.
1999: Deadliest Job in the World Documentary
In 1999, the first pilot of Deadliest Catch, a one-hour documentary entitled Deadliest Job in the World, appeared. The show followed the Fierce Allegiance through the 1999 opilio crab season.
2003: America's Deadliest Season Covers 2003-04 King and Opilio Crab Seasons
In 2003 the three-part miniseries entitled America's Deadliest Season covered the 2003–04 king and opilio crab seasons.
July 18, 2004: America's Deadliest Season Premieres
On July 18, 2004, the second pilot for Deadliest Catch, a three-part miniseries entitled America's Deadliest Season, premiered and covered the 2003–04 king and opilio crab seasons.
January 15, 2005: F/V Big Valley Sinks
On January 15, 2005, the F/V Big Valley sank sometime after 0734 Alaska Standard Time. Five members of the six-man crew perished; Cache Seel was the only survivor. Discovery Channel camera crews captured the first footage of the debris field.
January 2005: Loss of F/V Big Valley
In January 2005, the U.S. Coast Guard rescue squad was prominently featured in Deadliest Catch episodes surrounding the loss of the F/V Big Valley.
April 12, 2005: Deadliest Catch Premieres
On April 12, 2005, Deadliest Catch, an American reality television series, premiered on the Discovery Channel. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons.
June 14, 2005: Season 1 Finale Airs
On June 14, 2005, the finale of the first season of Deadliest Catch aired, which consisted of ten episodes.
2005: Alaskan king crab fishing fatalities reported
In 2005, Alaskan king crab fishing reported over 300 fatalities per 100,000, with over 80% of those deaths caused by drowning or hypothermia.
2005: Discovery Orders 8-Episode Season
In 2005, Discovery Channel picked up Deadliest Catch and ordered an 8-episode season to premiere. Thom Beers turned the narration duties over to Mike Rowe.
October 2006: Loss of F/V Ocean Challenger
In October 2006, the U.S. Coast Guard rescue squad was prominently featured in Deadliest Catch episodes surrounding the loss of the F/V Ocean Challenger.
2006: Influx of foreign crab negates gains
During the 2006 season, an influx of foreign crab negated some of the economic gains expected from the transition to the quota system in Alaskan crab fishing.
2006: Commercial fishing ranked most dangerous job
In 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked commercial fishing as the job occupation with the highest fatality rate with 141.7 per 100,000.
2007: After the Catch I Airs
In 2007, After the Catch, a roundtable, documentary-style television mini-series that follows the captains from Deadliest Catch when they're not fishing, filmed at the Lockspot Cafe, a bar in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, hosted by Deadliest Catch narrator Mike Rowe aired for the first time.
2007: High Viewership for Season 3
In 2007, season 3 of Deadliest Catch attracted more than 49 million viewers throughout the season, making it one of the most successful programs on cable TV.
2007: After the Catch Miniseries Success
In 2007, the After the Catch miniseries was one of Discovery Channel's highest-rated miniseries.
April 2008: Release of Time Bandit: Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Jobs
In April 2008, Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand, along with Malcolm MacPherson, released their book, "Time Bandit: Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Jobs," detailing their experiences as crab fishermen.
April 2008: Release of Deadliest Catch: Desperate Hours
In April 2008, Discovery Channel released the book "Deadliest Catch: Desperate Hours", edited by Larry Erikson, which contains true stories of life and death at sea from the captains and deckhands featured on the Deadliest Catch series.
October 2008: Loss of F/V Katmai
In October 2008, the U.S. Coast Guard rescue squad was prominently featured in Deadliest Catch episodes surrounding the loss of the F/V Katmai.
2008: After the Catch II Airs
In 2008, After the Catch II aired, filmed at Pratty's Bar in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and hosted by Mike Rowe.
December 2009: Release of Deadliest Waters: Bering Sea Photography
In December 2009, Travis Arket, a deckhand on the North American, released his book "Deadliest Waters: Bering Sea Photography", which is the first photography collection published about Bering Sea crab fishing and includes many people from the Deadliest Catch show.
2009: After the Catch III Airs
In 2009, After the Catch III aired, filmed at RTs Longboard Bar and Grill in San Diego with Cash Cab's Ben Bailey hosting.
January 29, 2010: Captain Phil Harris Suffers Stroke
On January 29, 2010, while filming season 6, Captain Phil Harris of the F/V Cornelia Marie suffered a stroke at St. Paul Island and was subsequently airlifted to Anchorage for emergency brain surgery.
February 9, 2010: Captain Phil Harris Dies
On February 9, 2010, Captain Phil Harris succumbed to complications from his stroke, passing away after eleven days in the ICU.
March 2010: Release of North by Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters
In March 2010, Sig Hansen, the captain of the F/V Northwestern, released his book "North by Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters", co-written with Mark Sundeen. The book details the Hansen family's history and that of Norwegian Americans in the Pacific Northwest fishing industry.
June 2010: Announcement of Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos
In June 2010, the second game in the Deadliest Catch series, titled "Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos", was announced.
June 22, 2010: "Blown Off Course" Draws 5.2 Million Viewers
On June 22, 2010, the Deadliest Catch episode "Blown Off Course", the first of five episodes dealing with Phil Harris's stroke, drew 5.2 million viewers.
July 13, 2010: "Redemption Day" Sets Record Audience
On July 13, 2010, the Deadliest Catch episode "Redemption Day", which dealt with the death of Phil Harris, set a record audience for the show with 8.5 million viewers.
September 28, 2010: Captains Leave Show Due to Litigation
On September 28, 2010, it was reported that three of the principal captains, Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand and Sig Hansen, would not return to Deadliest Catch due to litigation initiated by Discovery Communications.
October 8, 2010: Captains Reach Agreement and Return
On October 8, 2010, it was announced that captains Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand and Sig Hansen had reached an agreement with Discovery Communications and would return for the seventh season of Deadliest Catch.
November 2010: Release of Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos
In November 2010, "Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos", developed by DoubleTap Games and published by Crave Entertainment, was released.
2010: After the Catch IV Airs
In 2010, After the Catch IV aired, filmed at the Blue Nile bar in New Orleans, with Mike Rowe returning as host.
2011: Salon.com Praises Deadliest Catch
In 2011, Matt Zoller Seitz of Salon.com praised Deadliest Catch as a reality program that is "really a documentary series about the toll taken by relentless physical labor".
April 2013: Release of Captain Phil Harris: The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero, Our Dad
In April 2013, Josh and Jake Harris released the book "Captain Phil Harris: The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero, Our Dad", co-written with Steve Springer and Blake Chavez. The book details the life and death of Phil Harris, the crab fisherman of the F/V Cornelia Marie.
April 16, 2013: The Bait Premieres
On April 16, 2013, "Opening Day: King Crab", the first episode of The Bait, a "pregame show" roundtable documentary-style television mini-series that previews select episodes of Deadliest Catch, aired.
April 23, 2013: On Deck Debuts
On Deck, an expanded episode of Deadliest Catch featuring previously unaired footage, production notes, facts, and social media comments, debuted on April 23, 2013.
2013: MythBusters Episode Features Deadliest Catch Captains
In 2013, an episode of MythBusters featured Johnathan Hillstrand and Scott Campbell Jr. traveling to M5 Industries in San Francisco to help bust three myths related to crab fishing.
July 13, 2015: Launch of Deadliest Catch: Seas of Fury
On July 13, 2015, Tapinator, Inc. launched a mobile game called "Deadliest Catch: Seas of Fury".
August 8, 2015: Captain Tony Lara Dies
On August 8, 2015, Tony Lara, the fourth captain of F/V Cornelia Marie, died in Sturgis, South Dakota, from cardiac arrest while participating in the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
September 12, 2016: Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove Premieres
On September 12, 2016, Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove premiered. The series focused on boat captains and crews fishing for Dungeness crab off the Oregon Coast.
October 18, 2016: Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove Season Finale
On October 18, 2016, the season finale of Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove aired.
May 28, 2018: Blake Painter Dies of Overdose
On May 28, 2018, Blake Painter died due to an overdose of heroin. His body was found at his home in Astoria, Oregon.
April 14, 2020: Deadliest Catch: Bloodline premiere
On April 14, 2020, the spinoff series "Deadliest Catch: Bloodline" premiered, focusing on Josh Harris and Casey McManus exploring Phil Harris's notes on a fishing chart of the Hawaiian Islands to learn Ahi tuna fishing.
September 13, 2022: Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns premiere
On September 13, 2022, "Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns" premiered. This spinoff follows Sig Hansen and his daughter Mandy as they fish off the coast of Norway, joined by Clark Pederson. Mandy also offers Jake Anderson a 10% stake in the business to fish with them.
January 2025: Filming for Season 21 Begins
In January 2025, filming for season 21 of Deadliest Catch has begun.
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