Deadliest Catch star Trey John Green III was bunkmates with Todd Meadows before his untimely death at sea.
“Todd was an amazing human,” Green exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, March 3, after news broke that Meadow died while crabbing off the Alaskan coast on Wednesday, February 25. The late fisherman was 25.
Green recalled the day Meadows died, explaining that “unfortunately [it] ended in tragedy,” and that the crew “did everything we could to save him” after he fell overboard.
The fisherman acknowledged that when you’re “out at sea,” trying to save someone’s life is “no easy task.”
On Monday, March 1, Captain Rick Shelford confirmed Meadows’ death via Facebook. “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 shared in a statement.
Sources told TMZ at the time that Meadows’ death was a result of a “fishing-related” incident that occurred while filming.
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“He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately 10 minutes later,” a representative for the U.S. Coast Guard told Us, noting that life-saving efforts were made by the crew but attempts to resuscitate the deckhand “were unsuccessful.”
The Coast Guard is “still investigating the situation and following up with any corrective actions and trying to understand the cause of the accident,” per the representative.
Green confirmed to Us that the tragedy was caught on camera during filming for the long-running hit Discovery show. (Deadliest Catch was at the end of its production cycle when the accident occurred, with The Aleutian Lady being the last of the Season 22 vessels still at sea.)
“Discovery is done filming, but there was a producer and a deck cam guy on the boat for the past two months filming for season 22 of the show,” he said. “It was filmed, unfortunately.”
Green tells Us he does not know what Discovery will do with the footage.
Us Weekly has reached out to Discovery for comment.
“There is a deck cam as well that records 24-7, everything, and it caught everything from the incident as well,” Green told Us.
In the wake of Meadows’ death, Green revealed that the crew is taking some time off to mourn their fellow fisherman.
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“Captain Rick Shelford just dropped me off at the airport in Dutch Harbor,” he shared. “We are flying home for just a few days then going back to finish the season.”
Green noted that “just the fishing crew will be back” on board in two to three days. He said that for now, the boat is still in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Following Meadows’ death, Green commented on the tribute page made in his honor on Facebook, writing, “Todd was my bunkmate. He loved his children and family above all else. I’m grateful to have met him aboard the F/V Aleutian Lady, how can we possibly continue?”
Green told Us on Tuesday that prior to the incident, “Todd was doing a great job,” adding that he believes the fatal incident was “none of Todd’s fault.”
