The captain of Deadliest Catch is addressing ongoing rumors about his future—and making it clear he’s not ready to retire.
In an exclusive interview with People magazine, Sig Hansen responded to rumors that he’s going to retire.
“I keep hearing those rumors myself. The more I hear that, the more I kind of want to rebel and not do that,” Hansen told the outlet. “I don’t see retiring anytime soon. Obviously, I want to see my daughter [Captain Mandy Hansen] move in and partake more, but she had her children, our grandchildren, so that didn’t happen right away. My son-in-law Clark [Pederson] has been stepping up more and more, and he’s perfectly capable. But for me, that’s still kind of an ego thing and I don’t want to retire just yet.”
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Hansen, who turned 60 in April, sparked retirement rumors due to his health. In 2025, he suffered a serious medical emergency when he collapsed on the F/V Northwestern. Hansen was rushed to the hospital where he learned that the incident was partially caused by exhaustion. Following the incident, which aired on the Season 21 finale, Hansen’s doctors encouraged him to consider retirement.
Fast forward about seven months and Hansen doesn’t feel like it’s his time to step away from doing what he loves.
“I don’t think I could ever fully retire,” Hansen told People. “Even if someone else was running the boat, your mind is still active. You’re thinking about the weather, where they’re at. You can never turn it off. I don’t think I’d respect myself if I could just walk away from it completely.”