Nick Mavar, a former deckhand on the fishing vessel Northwestern seen on Discovery Channel's ‘Deadliest Catch,’ passed away on June 13 of natural causes, according to Bristol Bay Borough Police Department. The 59-year-old was pronounced dead after police received a 911 call that he had suffered a medical emergency at the Naknek boatyard, Jeffrey Elbie, chief of the department, told sources.
“Emergency Medical Services responded and transported Nick Mavar Jr. to Camai Medical Center while providing life-saving measures, Elbie shared. “He was pronounced deceased.”
Police were not providing any additional public information at this time, following the standard approach they must take. Anchorage Daily News shared that several media outlets have reported Mavar’s death, and fans have shared many tributes on social media.
Mavar was born in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, and married Julie Hanson back in 2021.
According to IMBD, the fisherman appeared in almost 100 episodes over 17 seasons of Deadliest Catch and in its spinoffs, such as “Deadliest Catch: Legends Born & Broken.” He left the show in December 2020 after his appendix ruptured while filming. A cancerous tumor was found, wrote Vanity Fair. He has sued the owners of the F/V Northwestern, which also included captain Sig Hansen, seeking more than $1 million in damages and blaming the lack of prompt care during the pandemic for leaving him with serious medical issues.
The owners of Northwestern then sued the production company and a subcontractor, claiming that they were liable for managing the health protocols of Mavar’s condition at the time and following Mavar’s complaint. The suit stated that there was a “Failure to have an adequate plan in place” for obtaining outside medical assistance when COVID-19 protocols were in place.
After leaving the show, Mavar ran his own commercial salmon boat out of Bristol Bay. Hansen wrote in a Facebook post on Friday that “Mavar was more than a crew member, he was a very good friend and a right-hand man.”
News of his death has sent ripples through the fishing community. Another friend shared, “so many wonderful memories fishing and enjoying life on the water with you.”
