Meadows, a deckhand, died on Feb. 25 while working aboard a fishing vessel. He was 25.

*Deadliest Catch *star Todd Meadows’ cause of death revealed

Meadows, a deckhand, died on Feb. 25 while working aboard a fishing vessel. He was 25.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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April 6, 2026 12:50 p.m. ET

'Deadliest Catch' star Todd Meadows. Credit:

captain rick shelford/Instagram

More than a month after the *Deadliest Catch* deckhand's tragic accident, Todd Meadows' cause of death has been revealed.

Meadows died at 25 on Feb. 25 after falling overboard the fishing vessel Aleutian Lady in the Bering Sea. He was recovered by his fellow crew members who attempted to resuscitate him, but he remained unresponsive.

According to a death certificate obtained by TMZ on Monday, Meadows died from "drowning with probable hypothermia" and "submersion of body in cold water."

The document, reviewed by **, noted that Meadows was pronounced dead at 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 25, following the incident aboard the fishing vessel. His manner of death was ruled accidental. Per the certificate, Meadows' body was cremated after being transported back to Anchorage, Alaska.

*Deadliest Catch*, a reality series about high-stakes crab fishing, was at the tail end of production on its 22nd season when the accident occurred earlier this year. The Aleutian Lady was the last ship still at sea at the time of the incident and cameras were still rolling when Meadows went overboard.

Todd Morgan Meadows.

Captain Rick Shelford, one the the show's stars, announced Meadows' death on social media, describing the day of the incident as "the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady on the Bering Sea."

Shelford 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."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard revealed additional details about the incident in a statement to EW, stating, "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."

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Meadows' costar Trey John Green III later told Page Six that the crew did "everything they could" to rescue Meadows. He shared that although the Bering sea was "flat" and "calm" on the day of the tragedy, the water temperature was "only a degree or two above freezing."

Green said the crew began performing CPR on Meadows immediately upon getting him back aboard the vessel. He noted that although Meadows was only in the water for "three or four minutes," he was visibly "turning blue" by the time he was rescued.

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Meadows is survived by his three young sons. A GoFundMe campaign to support his family has raised over $56,000 as of Monday afternoon.

On the heels of Meadows' tragic death, Discovery — the network on which *Deadliest Catch* has aired since it premiered in April 2005 — 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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