'Deadliest Catch' says farewell to Captain Phil Harris

Although Captain Sig Hansen and the Northwestern have been fan favorites since the show's beginning, viewers' emotions in Season 6 will likely be most attached to one of the Northwestern's rivals, the Cornelia Marie.

Phil Harris, 53-year-old skipper of the Cornelia Marie, died in February after suffering a stroke while his boat was unloading crab at St. Paul Island, Alaska.

By the time of his death, most of the upcoming TV season (which gets underway April 13 on Discovery Channel) had already been shot, and producers say Harris' family wants the show to continue. Harris himself welcomed camera crews to his hospital room in his last days, but producers haven't decided whether to air that footage.

Hansen and Harris often exchanged good-natured ribbing over whose boat was more successful.

"With any fishermen there's going to be that sense of competition," Hansen said. "That's the nature of the beast. But the fact is, we were friends even before the show and because of the show, we became much closer. This is tough to take. Very tough."

Jack Broom,

Seattle Times staff reporter