The U.S. Coast Guard is officially investigating the death of “Deadliest Catch” star Todd Meadows after the late sailor “fell overboard” during a fishing expedition last month in Alaska, the maritime law enforcement agency confirmed Tuesday in a statement.

“The Coast Guard is currently investigating this situation,” it said. “As the nation’s leading maritime safety organization, the Coast Guard investigates maritime fatalities and accidents to discover their causes and initiate necessary corrective actions.”

Meadows joined “Deadliest Catch” last year and had yet to appear in an episode before her death on February 25. TMZ reported Monday that the 25-year-old died during a fishing-related incident while filming the show’s next season.

The USCG statement provided new preliminary details about his death.

It said: “Coast Guard observers at the Arctic District command center in Juneau received a notification from the fishing vessel Aleutian Lady, reporting that a crew member named Todd Meadows fell overboard approximately 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor.”

“The crew recovered him unconscious approximately ten minutes later,” the statement continued. “First aid and resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful and the crew transported the deceased to Dutch Harbor.”

“Deadliest Catch” chronicles the dangerous lives of crab fishermen aboard fishing boats in the Bering Sea. Several captains and sailors associated with the show have died since the reality series premiered on the Discovery Channel in 2005.

Aleutians captain Rick Shelford paid tribute to Meadows on Facebook on Monday.

“February 25, 2026 was the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady in the Bering Sea,” he wrote in a statement, according to People. “We lost our brother, Todd Meadows. Todd was the newest member of our team and quickly became like family.”

Todd Meadows was 25 years old and is survived by his wife and three children.
Todd Meadows was 25 years old and is survived by his wife and three children.

GoFundMe

Shelford continued, “His love of fishing and strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect immediately. His smile was contagious and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or through the deck megaphone is something we will carry with us always.”

Meadows is survived by his wife and three children. His family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with funeral costs and the financial toll on his loved ones in the coming months, raising more than $38,000 of the $45,000 goal as of noon Wednesday.

“Any donation, no matter the size, will go directly to honoring his life and ensuring his children receive the care he would have wanted,” the donation page states. “If you are unable to donate, please keep our family alive in your prayers and his name as he wanted.”