Josh Harris Navigates Life and Legacy: A Decade After Captain Phil Harris’s Passing, ‘Deadliest Catch’ Star Reflects on Enduring Memories and New Horizons

Ten years have passed since the fishing world tragically lost Captain Phil Harris, a beloved figure from Discovery Channel’s hit series Deadliest Catch. Yet, for his son, Josh Harris, the legendary crab fisherman’s presence remains an indelible part of his daily life and career. As Josh continues to navigate the treacherous waters of the Bering Sea aboard the iconic F/V Cornelia Marie, he carries with him not just the mantle of a captain, but also the deep emotional connection to a father who shaped his world. In a recent conversation, Josh opened up about cherished memories, the poignant observance of Father’s Day without his dad, and how he’s forging his own path while honoring Phil’s profound legacy.

Josh Harris, a name synonymous with resilience and tradition, proudly stands as the rightful part-owner and captain of the Cornelia Marie, a vessel intrinsically linked to his family’s storied history in crab fishing. This season on Deadliest Catch, fans watch as Josh and his co-captain, Casey McManus, face down the formidable challenges of the Alaskan seas. Beyond the icy waters of the Bering, Josh’s journey recently led him to a more tropical setting, chronicled in the spinoff series Deadliest Catch: Bloodline. This deeply personal adventure saw Josh exploring Hawaii, retracing the decades-old fishing exploits of his late father, a venture that unveiled surprising insights into Phil’s adventurous spirit and a potential new chapter for the Harris family. The emotional depth and thrilling discoveries of this journey were palpable, offering viewers a rare glimpse into the lasting impact of Phil Harris on his sons.

Captain Phil Harris’s untimely death in 2010, following an intracranial hemorrhage, left an immense void in the hearts of his family, crew, and a global fanbase. A decade on, his vibrant spirit and influence continue to resonate powerfully through Deadliest Catch. For Josh, every corner of his life seems to echo with his father’s memory. From the countless hours of show footage that capture Phil in his element, yelling and laughing on the deck, to the tangible comfort of his dad’s treasured “pride and joy Corvette,” Josh meticulously works to ensure his father’s memory not only lives on but thrives. This interview delves into the nuances of navigating a public career while privately grieving, celebrating, and perpetuating the memory of a true icon.

Interviewer: You’ve had an incredibly busy period recently, with the launch of your compelling spinoff Bloodline and the ongoing new season of Deadliest Catch. It must have been quite an experience to literally walk in your father’s footsteps and embark on that profound journey documented in Bloodline?

Josh Harris: You know, it really did start as a bit of a joke, almost an off-the-cuff remark. We weren’t seriously planning to film it. We were nearing the end of the extensive remodel of the Cornelia Marie, and amidst all the chaos, we stumbled upon these old, enigmatic charts. We were having lunch, and I looked at Casey [McManus], remembering that he and his parents owned a house in Hawaii. The idea just popped into my head: “We should just head over there and investigate this.” Five days later, unexpectedly, we were on a plane. The camera crews were already with us, documenting the boat remodel, so they just said, “Let’s film this and see what unfolds.” And from that small, spontaneous decision, it snowballed into what Bloodline ultimately became. It’s truly wild to think that people find our lives that captivating. At our core, Casey and I are just a couple of regular guys from the neighborhood, trying to make our way in the world, much like everyone else. But what an adventure it turned out to be! I learned an immense amount of truly incredible things. I discovered that Hawaii, while undeniably beautiful, is also a place where nearly everything in the water seems intent on killing you. It’s a brutal, dog-eat-dog environment out there, which is a pretty unnerving realization. The entire experience felt miraculous. I had the privilege of meeting some of the people my dad encountered all those years ago, and I even saw some of the things he had signed still hanging proudly on their office walls. It was, and still is, quite a surreal and crazy feeling.

Interviewer: With Father’s Day approaching on June 21st, I know from personal experience that these days can be particularly challenging when you’ve lost a parent. How have you coped with and celebrated Father’s Day in the years since your dad passed?

Josh Harris: Well, my main tradition revolves around his ultimate pride and joy: his Corvette. I actually just picked it up from the shop this afternoon, so you can absolutely bet that I’ll be out driving that car. I’ll be on some winding back roads, pushing it at a very high rate of speed, with the stereo blasting some classic AC/DC or something equally powerful. It’s my time to just cruise, to have that private moment with myself to really think about my dad. It’s a powerful ritual for me. Now, as a father myself to a seven-year-old daughter, my Father’s Day celebration takes on a dual nature. We’ll probably spend some time playing putt-putt golf. We used to try bowling, but the last time I went, even with the bumpers up, I only managed a score of 42, which was pretty disheartening, especially because I was genuinely trying! For some reason, I’m just not a bowler. I excelled in other sports, but bowling is definitely not my forte. I honestly don’t know why I’m so terrible at it. When your seven-year-old daughter can effortlessly beat you at bowling, it’s a pretty humbling experience. So, this year, we’re definitely giving putt-putt a shot; it promises to be less embarrassing.

Interviewer: What stories or aspects of your dad do you share with your daughter? How do you ensure his memory remains a vibrant part of her life?

Josh Harris: One of the most beautiful and poignant things is that we have an abundance of family pictures scattered throughout the house, along with a lot of memorabilia. But perhaps most uniquely, she can always connect with him through the show. She watches Deadliest Catch, so she gets to see me on television, and quite naturally, my dad will occasionally appear in random old clips or flashbacks. She knows instantly that’s her grandpa, and she often comments that we sound alike, which always makes me smile. As she gets older, she’ll have the invaluable opportunity to witness me as a young adult working side-by-side with my dad, seeing our interactions, our triumphs, and our struggles. I truly believe those moments, preserved on film, will become incredibly cherished memories for her. It will be so cool for her to be able to actually look back at that footage and say, “Hey, that was my grandfather.” We have years and years of footage, a truly unique family archive, and I think that’ll be absolutely wonderful for her to have.

Interviewer: Having that kind of footage, that living archive, truly is invaluable.

Josh Harris: It really is. Sometimes, when I’m by myself, I’ll catch some of the old episodes when they’re replaying. I’ll just sit and watch, and it allows me to vividly recall so many things about my dad—or even that specific day. Whether it was a moment when he was yelling at me (which happened often!), or when we were trying to “schmooze” him to get our way. We always knew that a simple back scratch, maybe a little back rub, and we had him wrapped around our finger. He could be absolutely furious, but we’d start giving him a back massage, and he’d melt a bit, then gruffly say, “Alright, now get the f**k out of my wheelhouse!” And just like that, we wouldn’t get yelled at anymore. He was such a genuinely happy guy at heart. He was truly one of the best men I’ve ever known, with an incredibly good heart. He’s very much missed, and my biggest regret is that he never got to meet his granddaughter. That would have been truly interesting for me to witness because he probably would have fed her full of candy and then just dropped her back off with us! It’s the smallest things that we hold onto, and I just cherish every memory and every moment I had with my dad now. I’ve got his car, which I keep in absolutely tip-top shape. We made so many good memories driving around in that thing. It goes fast. It’s loud. It just makes me laugh a lot of times, remembering him. I’ve still got his little emblem on the center console. Every time you start it up, the display reads “Phil Z06,” which is pretty cool and a constant reminder.

Interviewer: When you lose someone you love, you often don’t fully grasp how swiftly time truly passes until, in what feels like the blink of an eye, a decade has gone by.

Josh Harris: It’s absolutely crazy, isn’t it? I’ve kept a lot of his personal belongings downstairs, almost like a dedicated storage room filled with his memories, and then we have other sentimental items prominently displayed throughout the house. I often find myself poring over old picture books, or I’ll see old footage from the show flash across the screen, and it immediately transports me back to a time long before his death. Or you’ll simply walk into a room, catch a certain smell, and it triggers a five-minute memory, vivid and complete. But more than anything, I really, truly wish my dad was still here. If he were, I would simply ask him what he thought of everything I’ve accomplished so far with the boat, and how my life has unfolded. I wonder endlessly what he would say about the Cornelia Marie now. Would he look at it and say, “Ah, yeah, it looks good, but I would have done it better”? Or would it be, “Kid, nice job”? I truly wonder what his reaction and words would be. I’m sure you probably have those same kinds of questions swirling in your mind too, about your own loved ones.

Interviewer: I know that a significant part of your journey in Bloodline involved you forging your own path after your dad’s passing. What are your immediate next steps, and how does your father continue to inspire you today?

Josh Harris: My dad was an incredibly smart man in so many respects, yet in others, he was truly a giant child. It’s both funny and profoundly interesting how we stumbled upon these old charts years later, almost as if he intentionally left these little breadcrumbs for my brother and me to discover further down the road. The possibilities of establishing a company up there in Hawaii, based on those charts, are looking incredibly promising. We’re already making headway and moving forward with those plans. There’s still a considerable amount of information to figure out, of course. We only managed to cover a small, “baby chunk” of the charts during our initial six-week expedition to gather all that information. I believe we need to investigate a little more deeply, thoroughly check it out, and genuinely assess if this venture is going to be truly viable in the long term. I do strongly believe that it’s very possible, and I think you could make really good money working over there. I have some time off coming up, so we’re planning to go back, explore a bit more, uncover additional details, and just see what unfolds with everything. It’s truly crazy how we find this kind of stuff years later. I sometimes just sit back and laugh, wondering: Did he really know what he was doing and planning all along? Or was this just one of those serendipitous things where the stars just happened to align perfectly? There are so many questions that flood my mind about this entire situation, questions that I’ll likely never get answered. But I’m just rolling with it, embracing the journey. I feel a strong conviction that we’re going to do exceptionally well over there if we continue down this path. I can absolutely see why he would have ventured over there himself—the potential to make a lot of money is clear. We’ve got concrete plans to return to Hawaii soon and most likely begin building something substantial. Only time will truly tell, but I’m optimistic.

Interviewer: I’m sure you have countless memories of your dad, especially from your time working together on the boat. When you’re out on the water, is there one particular thing about your dad that consistently comes to mind?

Josh Harris: You know, I get asked about this almost daily: “crab farts.” In the beginning, I was always like, “No, you’re not going to trick me into that one.” But then I always find myself second-guessing it. Can a crab actually fart? Is that scientifically possible? These are the kinds of obscure, humorous things that you genuinely ponder when you’re out there on the vast, open ocean. I’ll never forget that anecdote from our time at sea. From time to time, I find myself going out, smelling the air, and I’ve honestly never smelled anything that remotely resembles a “crab fart” unless you happen to be near a dead whale. It’s something I always chuckle about, and people consistently ask me about it. And I’m just like, “I don’t know what to tell you, I’m sorry!” It’s just one of those quirky, indelible memories tied directly to my dad and our shared experiences.

Interviewer: It has now been a full decade since your dad passed. His remarkable legacy and vibrant presence are still very much felt and discussed on the show. What does his legacy truly mean to you?

Josh Harris: The biggest thing, especially pertinent in the world we live in today, was always about living life with a good heart and striving to help people as much as you possibly can. That, to me, was the core of his legacy. He was an undeniably funny guy, exceptionally good at his job, a master crab fisherman, but above all, he always led with an incredibly good heart. He extended help wherever he could, without hesitation. He would literally give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. I think more than ever in this day and age, that kind of selfless compassion is something that is often taken for granted or overlooked. I know a lot of people are beginning to lead with their hearts more, trying to assist wherever they can, and that’s one principle that I consistently try to uphold on a daily basis. He always lived that way, and that’s precisely how I will always strive to live, to the absolute best of my ability. I instill that same value in my daughter, teaching her: You help out where you can. You endeavor to live with a just and open heart, and crucially, you never judge. That’s the biggest lesson, I think, in our family’s book right now, and I believe that will undoubtedly pay dividends later on in life. Lead with your heart, always. Don’t lead like you’re running a rigid regime. Just lead by example, try to work collaboratively with people, strive to understand different walks of life, and make a conscious effort not to be judgmental. That’s the true essence of Captain Phil Harris’s enduring spirit.

Interviewer: Does your daughter enjoy being out on the water, following in the family tradition?

Josh Harris: Oh, absolutely! She’s like a fish, that kid of mine. I took her crabbing for the very first time last summer, and we went Dungeness crab fishing. Now, Dungeness crabs can pinch incredibly hard. A King crab, for comparison, can exert about 350 pounds of pressure with their claws—they can lop a finger off easily. Dungeness are about half that, but they’re lightning fast. King crabs, on the other hand, are quite slow. So, I took my daughter out on a small boat in the Puget Sound. We pulled up her very first crab pot, and it was loaded—like 10 or 11 crabs in it. As I was looking back at the motor, trying to maneuver the boat around to ensure the line wouldn’t get caught in the propeller, she, without a second thought, just reached right into the pot and grabbed a crab! She looked at me, completely unfazed, and said, “Dad, it’s not that hard.” I immediately yelled, “Whoa, don’t you touch those things!” She just thought I was overreacting, while the crab was snapping at her left and right. She had it by its ‘butt,’ its carapace. It was honestly the worst nightmare you could possibly imagine unfolding before your eyes. If something had happened, if I had to take her back home to her mom with a missing finger, I would definitely never get to see her ever again. But she’s just utterly fearless. That kid of mine, I’ll tell you what, I absolutely love her to death, but she truly has a chip off the old block, which is both really intimidating and, quite frankly, a little scary for a father to witness!