Deadliest Catch fatalities aren’t limited to cast members as fans fear for seabirds

“Deadliest Catch” primarily highlights the perilous conditions faced by the fishermen in the Bering Sea, but the environmental impact, including concerns for wildlife such as seabirds, is also significant. The intense fishing activities can have several effects on seabirds:

1. Bycatch: Seabirds can be unintentionally caught in fishing gear, such as nets and longlines. This bycatch can lead to injury or death for the birds.
2. Habitat Disruption: The constant activity of fishing vessels and the deployment of gear can disrupt the natural habitat of seabirds, potentially affecting their nesting and feeding grounds.
3. Food Source Competition: Intensive fishing can deplete the fish stocks that seabirds rely on for food, leading to starvation and decreased reproductive success for these birds.
4. Pollution: Oil spills, discarded fishing gear, and other pollutants from fishing vessels can harm seabirds by contaminating their environment and posing physical hazards.

Efforts are being made to mitigate these impacts, including the use of bird-scaring devices on fishing vessels, the adoption of more selective fishing gear, and stricter regulations to protect marine ecosystems. Nonetheless, the balance between commercial fishing and wildlife conservation remains a critical issue in the Bering Sea and other fishing regions.

Battling against the elements and 20ft seas is enough for any captain to contend with, but wildlife swarming your boat really adds another level of stress to crab fishing. During Deadliest Catch’s previous season, Jake Anderson had seabirds flocking to his boat.

As many Deadliest Catch fans will know, a career crab fishing on the Bering Sea is by no means easy. The long-running Discovery Channel series has seen many cast members lose their lives. Now, fans are taking to Reddit to discuss how its not only human lives at stake on the show.

Deadliest Catch’s seabirds

As Deadliest Catch fans watch the episodes intently, some tasks carried out by the crew spark intrigue.

Taking to a Reddit thread, one fan asks: “Is it just me or do you also think they take out some of those seabirds when they throw that hook?!?!”

The question had another fan recalling an episode that saw Jake’s boat swarmed by birds: “Blew my mind on the episode when they were dive bombing Jake’s boat! That was crazy! Took out their lights and everything!”

Someone else added: “Hopefully they don’t crash too often – don’t think the birds or the boat had a good time.”

More comment that accidents related to the seabirds “rarely” occur and another person describes the fowl as “tough,” writing: “Indeed, a bird gets hit every now and then. They’re tough though, it never takes them out. Usually, it’s a seagull.”

Others agreed they think there must be some bird casualties, but suggest they’d be “edited from the show.”

Jake’s boat was swarmed

Captain Jake Anderson is no longer fishing aboard the F/V Saga but during his days aboard the fishing vessel, it was swarmed by birds.

Seagulls flocking to the boat caused $17,000 worth of damage within 10 minutes. They destroyed wires and lights on board the ship.

The crew fights the elements as they try to catch crab but fear sets in as what looks like hundreds of birds swarm the boat. One crew member asks: “What is this, some kind of omen or something?”

The disoriented birds hit Jake’s mast and caused mayhem for him and his team. The crew has a task in removing the flock from the ship and they also have to carry out a damage report.