Todd Kochutin died in February 2021 at age 30 from injuries sustained during an accident with an 800-pound crab pot used by vessels like the Summer Bay and Patricia Lee.
Beginning as a rookie in Season 8, Mahlon Reyes was only featured in about a dozen episodes until Season 16, where he would make his final appearance on the show.
While resting in-between seasons in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana, Reyes died from a massive heart attack caused by an accidental cocaine overdose in July 2020.
One of the series’ first breakout stars, Captain Phil Harris of the F/V Cornelia Marie, suffered a massive stroke at port in St. Paul Island while filming Season 6.
Although he emerged from his medically-induced coma and showed signs of improvement, Harris died of an intracranial hemorrhage in February 2010 at the age of 53.
After Harris’ death, Tony Lara — a family friend and former Cornelia Marie crew member — was brought on as a replacement captain, though he only stayed on for part of Season 7.
Years after his brief stint on the show, Lara died from a heart attack in August 2015 at age 50 while attending the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota.
The news of Wild Bill’s longtime deck boss Nick McGlashan’s death at 33 from a drug overdose in December 2020 devastated the crew, especially the Summer Bay’s captain.
As McGlashan’s struggles with addiction were well-known, Bill, who was the fisherman’s captain and served as a mentor, blamed himself for not preventing the tragic death.