'Deadliest Catch' Cast: Who Is Linda Greenlaw?

TV

Linda Greenlaw, America's only female swordfishing captain, has joined the cast of the Discovery Channel reality series 'Deadliest Catch' for season 19.

Published on April 18, 2023

A new face is joining the Deadliest Catch cast. Celebrated fisherman Linda Greenlaw will team up with Captain “Wild” Bill Wichrowski for the 19th season of the Discovery Channel reality series, which premieres April 18. 

Linda Greenlaw joins ‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 19  

Greenlaw has spent decades swordfishing in the icy Atlantic waters off the coast of Maine. But does she have what it takes to tackle crabbing in the Bering Sea? She’ll find out when she partners up with Wichrowski on the F/V Summer Bay in the new season of Deadliest Catch. 

“I wanted to learn from the best — and I did,” Greenlaw told the Bangor Daily News when speaking of joining Deadliest Catch. “Wild Bill is not the most patient teacher, but his safety record and fishing ability are second to none. We are sort of like the odd couple. He’s all gruff and negative while I’m sheer optimism.”

A character based on Greenlaw was featured in ‘The Perfect Storm’ 

Greenlaw might not have experience crabbing in Alaska, but she’s far from a greenhorn when it comes to fishing. America’s only female swordfishing captain has been heading out to sea for more than 40 years. 

If Greenlaw’s name sounds familiar, that might be because a character based on her was featured in the 2000 George Clooney movie The Perfect Storm, where she was portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. She’s also written five non-fiction books about her life as a commercial fisherman, including The Hungry Ocean and All Fisherman Are Liars. In addition, she’s the author of two cookbooks (co-written with her mother Martha Greenlaw) as well as several mystery novels featuring Jane Bunker, a Miami homicide detective who returns to her hometown in Maine and discovers that even sleepy fishing villages can be hotbeds of crime. 

Greenlaw also starred in the Discovery Channel series Swords: Life on the Line. That show aired for three seasons from 2009 to 2012 and focused on swordfishing in New England. 

Greenlaw reveals the ‘biggest challenge’ she faced when becoming part of the ‘Deadliest Catch’ cast

So, how did Greenlaw handle the shift to fishing in Alaska? It wasn’t as hard as you might expect. 

“Transitioning to the crab fishery was not too difficult for me,” she told Spectrum Local News ahead of the Deadliest Catch Season 19 premiere. “I have been involved in the offshore red cred fishery here in New England and have been fishing fixed gear on and off since I was a kid.”

Still, the new environment did take some getting used to, Greenlaw admitted. 

“The difference was primarily hauling single, massive pots as opposed to trawls of smaller traps,” she explained. “Finding crab was the biggest challenge. This was my first experience with Bairdi crab and also my first trip on the Bering Sea.” 

Deadliest Catch Season 19 premieres Tuesday, April 18 at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel. 

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLTEmqusoJWawW%2BvzqZmnqakmr%2B1rcinpJ6mpGSxpq3DpaCeq6RisKLAwqFknJmjqXqttc2dmGafopqyr7jAsGWhrJ2hfA%3D%3D