What The Cast Of Deadliest Catch's Northwestern Crew Is Doing Today

At a glance, it seems like the kind of crab fishing featured on "Deadliest Catch" would be a weird thing to base a reality show around. But the title of the show is no joke: Crab fishing is almost unthinkably dangerous, and it's not just because of the unpredictable weather, remote locations, and long, grueling days. It's no wonder that fans have gotten invested in the lives of those on board, and that's definitely true for longtime show staple and fan favorite, the Northwestern. But for all viewers get to know about them on the screen, what about behind the scenes? How different are their real lives?

The Northwestern has long been under the guiding hand of the Hansen family, headed by the tough-as-nails Captain Sig Hansen. They've been a fishing family for generations, and these days, crab seasons depend not only on the location, but the type of crab that's being fished. When the crew of the Northwestern heads out into the Bering Sea for opilio or a type of king crab, they're going to be heading out generally between November and early the following spring. That means an enviable amount of time off, so what else are they doing today? When the cameras stop rolling and the danger passes — until next time, that is — just what does the crew fill their days with?

And what about the crew members that aren't on the show anymore? We tried to track down some fan favorites from past seasons as well as current crewmembers, and honestly? There's some surprising stuff here.

Edgar Hansen was a Northwestern crew staple for a long time, appearing in more than 160 episodes of the original show, as well as some spin-offs. In 2020, he appeared in a single episode of "This Old House: Trade School," and then it's been radio silence from him. Why, and what's he been up to?

It seems as though things hit something of a turning point for him in 2018, which is the last time he updated his Northwestern-associated Facebook page. It's also when The Seattle Times reported that he had entered a plea deal in the matter of the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl, and that he had served a suspended jail sentence. Unsurprisingly, it coincided with his disappearance from social media and from the show, but it seems that he's still actually on the Northwestern — just not in front of the cameras. He's occasionally seen in social media posts made by other crew members, like a 2018 Instagram video posted by Mandy Hansen at the start of the season — and after his court case made headlines.

In the years since, fans on Reddit have pointed out seeing him in the background on some episodes, which makes sense. Discovery may have removed him from the show, but they don't own the boats: It's still a family business, and it seems as though he's just staying on the down-low while continuing to do what the show made him famous for.

Jake Anderson has been a fan favorite for a long time. He explained to PC Principle, "What a lot of people didn't know about me before I was on the boat was that I was actually living on the street. I got a job with Sig [Hansen] and I just started making these dreams and goals. With my story, you watched this kid grow from being homeless with a dream to someone with goals who kept achieving ..." And that's the kind of positive television the world needs more of, especially considering that Anderson also dealt with some devastating tragedies while on the show — including the death of his sister and disappearance of his father.

Anderson, of course, took over as the captain of the Saga in 2015. He's stayed close with his crew from the Northwestern, though, and was a consultant on Hansen's "Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns." He's also been busy consulting on the other "Deadliest Catch" spinoff movies, and he regularly shares updates about his personal life to his Facebook page.

Recent posts are heartwarming stuff: He's posted birthday wishes to his wife, video reels of him with his wife and children, and shared insights into their travels, getaways, and everyday ordinariness. In a response to one post from October 19, 2023, he confirmed that he was currently in the middle of filming, and added, "Can't thank all of you enough Your positive support it helps significantly to keep me focused to push forward and achieve the American Dream."

Unfortunately, this is one "Deadliest Catch" crew member that seems to have dropped off the radar in a big way. The Northwestern is, of course, a family business, and in 2019, "Deadliest Catch" viewers saw a terrifying episode. Captain Sig Hansen was summoned from the wheelhouse to shouts of alarm: His brother, Norman, had fallen, and was having a seizure. The engineer was reported to be breathing but unconscious and bleeding before being stabilized and taken to a local hospital. What happened next?

There are a few clues, but not too much information about what he's been up to. Norman posted a photo to his Facebook page after the incident, showing him playing with a dog and a pile of kittens. He's only posted a few photos since, including one with a young foal, and another with a black dog. The last update was in 2021, and although he's been living life on the quiet side, he was also credited with being in a single episode of "Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns."

Karl Rasmussen started out on the Northwestern as a greenhorn, and appeared in several dozen episodes of both "Deadliest Catch" and "Deadliest Catch: The Bait." While he hasn't shown up in the spinoffs that other Northwestern crew members have, he's still been keeping busy — particularly with his animals.

In 2023, he was featured in a video on the YouTube channel Wolfe's World, where he started out by giving a tour of his outdoor reptile enclosure. After checking out some giant reptiles, it was on to giant animals of another sort: Chickens. Was there water involved in the tour of his property? Of course, and they also checked out his turtle-filled pond.

He's also active on Instagram and Facebook, sharing photos from the deck of the Northwestern and clarifying that he's still there, in between spending time at home and on other boats. In between the photos of fishing and crabbing, he also shares a ton of pictures of his family. His Facebook page also lists his experience on different boats, and although he's still listed as a deckhand on the Northwestern, he also says that he's the captain and owner of the FV Mariah.

Of all the past and present Northwestern crew members featured on "Deadliest Catch," it's Nick "Sunshine" Tokman's story that's perhaps the strangest. He was a deckhand on both the Northwestern and the Saga, and today, he's a motivational speaker. According to his website, he decided to share what he'd learned about perseverance, mental health, and overcoming obstacles. 

In 2016, Tokman sat down with Louder Than War to share more behind-the-scenes insights about his journey up to Alaska, saying that he'd been met with pretty steep adversity: He hadn't been able to find work, and once he did, it was one of the most challenging things he'd done. Still, it had given him the motivation to do what he really wanted to do. He explained, "I want to work with kids. ... I am leaving the show because I really believe in [motivational speaking]. I don't know if I'm going to make it or not, but I am going to give it my best shot. I'm a very spiritual person and I feel that going up to Alaska was a path I was supposed to take on my journey through life. I feel my path now is to motivate kids."

Today, he's available for programs geared towards kids grade four and up, and has also been featured as a keynote speaker at college and corporate events as well. And that's precisely what he had said he wanted to do.

Wondering what happened to other boats, like the early-show favorite The Maverick? Find out here! Then, check out what happened to the Cornelia Marie.