'Deadliest Catch' Captains Mask up in COVID PSA Ahead of Season 17 Return

The Deadliest Catch captains know all about staying safe in dangerous conditions, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no different. Captains Sig Hansen and Josh Harris of the hit Discovery show have teamed up with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to remind Americans to mask up to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and PopCulture has a sneak peek of the PSA ahead of its debut on TV later this week.

Filmed in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where Hansen and Harris set off for weeks at sea, the two captains test out their own masks as they remind people to follow the advice of medical experts and mask up. "Being a ship captain means being prepared for anything," Hansen says as Harris chimes in, "We're the ones responsible for making sure the crew makes it aboard safe and sound."

"We have one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet, but right now it's dangerous everywhere," the Northwestern captain continues, referencing the pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans in less than a year. "So when medical experts say to wear your mask to fight the pandemic, wear your mask."

Dr. Jay C. Butler, the Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, then notes that the two captains are giving good advice. "Sig and Josh are right, safety comes first and the best way to prevent the spread of COVID is to wear your mask," he says. "Mask up America." The Cornelia Marie captain then puts his mask on over his nose and mask, modeling the correct way to wear one, as Hansen tells him, "I like that!"

Deadliest Catch returns this spring for its landmark 17th season and all previous seasons are available to stream on discovery+. Last season, the Deadliest Catch captains had to band together to face off against the Russians in one of the most cutthroat seasons they had ever faced at sea. Hansen told PopCulture ahead of the most recent season that one of the proudest moments of his life came when daughter Mandy took the wheel during her first solo run that season and nailed it. "Everybody has a first time for everything, and I expected her to fail," he said. "I expected problems, but what it did for me was make me realize that's what my father did for me."

Harris, meanwhile, followed in the footsteps of dad Phil Harris during Deadliest Catch: Bloodline, traveling down to Hawaii with Casey McManus to fish the maps his father left behind. "I was scared. But at the same time, I gotta be able to beat [my dad] at something," he told PopCulture in April. "It was something I had to do for myself."