The fleet heads to St. George Island for a new season of crab catching on Deadliest Catch. Discovery Channel’s set a May 8, 2026 premiere date for season 22 of the Emmy-nominated series, with new episodes airing on Fridays at 8pm ET/PT.
The new season features the first time an underwater drone will be used to help spot the crab. And the move to St. George Island marks the first long-distance relocation in decades for the fleet.
Discovery Channel released this description of season 22:
“For the first time in decades, the captains abandon familiar fishing grounds to chase a rare breed of Red King Crab lurking in the frozen waters of the far North. This elusive catch, worth a fortune, pushes the fleet into remote territory and tests their experience and resilience at the edge of the world.
In a series first, Captain Sig Hansen launches an unprecedented covert scouting mission, deploying an underwater drone into the unknown waters in a bold attempt to locate the
rare strain of king crab before the rest of the fleet arrives. Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski
journeys to St. George Island to share his decades of hard-earned knowledge, guiding Sig through new grounds in pursuit of the bigger, richer crab that could define his season.
Meanwhile, after losing both his boat and his marriage, Captain Jake Anderson starts the season as a deckhand for the first time in eleven years. When an unexpected opportunity
emerges to restore the legendary Cornelia Marie, Jake steps back into the captain’s chair,
putting his reputation and his family’s future on the line for one final shot at redemption.”