Thanks, I Hate It

Sean Dwyer, a young captain on 'Deadliest Catch,' once had legal issues relating to the crab pots he chose to use on his fishing vessel. Here's what happened.

Published on May 2, 2023

Discovery Channel’s reality TV series, Deadliest Catch, continues to captivate fans in season 19. The show follows crab fishermen heading out into the Bering Sea during the height of the crab seasons in Alaska. And fans have gotten to know the young Sean Dwyer through the years. Unfortunately, Dwyer’s dealt with some trouble with the law in the past. Here’s what went down.

‘Deadliest Catch’ star Sean Dwyer found himself in legal trouble over boating equipment

At just 31 years old, Sean Dwyer made a name for himself on Deadliest Catch. The young captain led the F/V Brenna A after serving as an engineer on Brenna A’s sister vessel, the Jennifer A. He became a crab captain in season 12 and has been aiming to make his father, Pat Dwyer, proud ever since.

Unfortunately, like so many other Deadliest Catch cast members, Dwyer has found himself in trouble with the law. Court documents from 2016 showed Alaska’s Fish and Game officials fined Dwyer for the equipment he used to catch crabs. It seems Dwyer’s crab pots weren’t up to par. Crab pots must have an 18-inch flap so that crabs can leave the pot if the pot is left in the ocean, but Dwyer’s pots only had 15-inch flaps. He had to pay $1,500 in fines and was on probation for two years due to the mistake.

Dwyer spoke to Fox411 about how his biggest concern on the water was his fishing vessel. “It’s our home,” he said. “It makes us money. It’s our little ecosystem, you know, whatever you want to call it. I want the guys to be thinking about the health of the boat and themselves first, and then all the rest is easy.”

Sean Dwyer joined the ‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 19 cast

While Sean Dwyer had to pay up for his mistake with the crab pots, he’s back in action on Deadliest Catch Season 19. He’s paired with Rick Shelford, a fourth-generation crabber, aboard the F/V Aleutian Lady in the new season. Unfortunately, it looks like Shelford and Dwyer clash. “Sean Dwyer joins forces with Rick Shelford, but the captains don’t see eye to eye on rules,” the synopsis for episode 3 reads.

Dwyer spoke about his humble beginnings to National Fisherman. “I was kinda thrown into it as a kid,” Dwyer said. “But working with my dad when I was growing up, I had a really good role model, and decided at an early age this is what I wanted to do.”

He also mentioned how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected his industry. “Every day was just more and more about corona,” he added. “It seemed to hit us all at once here starting in March.”

Sean Dwyer’s legal situation was far from the worst incident to occur to a Deadliest Catch cast member. There’s currently an ongoing lawsuit regarding deckhand Nick Mavar Jr. Mavar initially sued Sig Hansen due to a “delay in competent and adequate examination, testing, and diagnosis,” leading to a “ruptured appendix while in the service of the vessel.” Mavar sought $1 million in damages.

In response to the lawsuit, Hansen blamed the production company and the subcontractor they hired to care for medical needs. Hansen is now seeking damages relating to Mavar’s injuries.

Elements of this story were first reported by TMZ and Anchorage Daily News.

Deadliest Catch Season 19 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.

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