Discovery is spinning off a new series from the mothership of Deadliest Catch. In Deadliest Catch: Bloodline, we have the oldest son of the late Captain Phil Harris, Josh Harris, who is the featured subject in this newly announced series.
Fans of the long-running series Deadliest Catch are well aware of the history of the F/V Cornelia Marie.
Back on Jan. 29, 2010, 53-year-old Captain Phil Harris suffered a stroke while bringing in the crab catch, and he had to be helicoptered to a hospital for emergency care in Anchorage, Alaska.
Meanwhile, sons Josh and Jake were constantly at his side. Despite all indications he was improving, sadly, he died on Feb. 9, 2010.
And while we know that Deadliest Catch is coming back in April 2020 with Captains Wild Bill, Sig Hansen, and Keith Colburn, what do we know about the new spin-off series?
What is Deadliest Catch: Bloodline?
It’s similar in premise to Parker’s Trails as it relates to Gold Rush. This is a son’s journey to retrace the life of his father, Captain Phil Harris.
Josh’s father was a legendary fisherman who trawled the waters beyond Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in the Bering sea. His ship was the F/V Cornelia Marie, and for more than 20 years, we learn that he had other exploits out on the open ocean.
When Phil died, and Josh Harris took over the family business, along with business partner Casey McManus, they discovered mysterious Hawaiian fishing charts marked with Captain Phil’s handwriting, notes, and statistics.
That was the impetus to get the Deadliest Catch captain and Alaskan legacy fisherman Josh Harris to venture out and explore these left-behind maps, a quest taking them to Hawaii.
The idea was to learn about the time his late father spent fishing there decades ago, and perhaps more insight will be achieved on who his late father, who died so young, really was.
What did Phil’s charts reveal?
Phil’s fishing charts, found while Josh and Casey were remodeling the F/V Cornelia Marie’s captain’s quarters, go back as the early 1980s and lays out the isles of Hawaii, including what is considered the best fishing spot in the world — the Kona Coast.
This is covered in Phil Harris’ handwriting, with detailed secrets, notes, and commentary about fishing adventures and island life.
To explore these maps and charts, Harris and McManus go fishing in Hawaii. The two enlist the help of Jeff Silva, one of the island’s top commercial fishermen.
The series will introduce a whole new body of water and style of fishing foreign to Josh and Casey. The pair will battle many obstacles in a bid to score a lucrative bounty – ahi tuna – and dive deeper into the mysteries of Phil’s personal history as well.
Who is Josh Harris?
Josh Harris is the oldest son of the late Captain Phil Harris, now the part-owner of the Cornelia Marie with co-captain Casey McManus.
Josh and his younger brother Jake Harris continued fishing after Phil died, trying to earn enough money to buy the Cornelia Marie but were unable.
Josh remained a fisherman while brother Jake battled addiction demons.
Finally, in 2014, Josh and partner McManus purchased the boat with some outside investors helping them.
Josh has a daughter, but he is not married.
He does post family pictures on his Instagram account.
Exclusive first look at Deadliest Catch: Bloodline:
Watch as Josh explains the importance of the Ahi Tuna as a commodity to catch:
Deadliest Catch: Bloodline airs Tuesday, premiering April 14, at 10 PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel. Following the premiere, episodes will air at 9 PM ET/PT.