F/V Northwestern is an Alaskan crab, Pacific cod, and salmon tendering commercial fishing vessel featured in the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch.

The F/V Northwestern, a western rigged boat, was constructed in 1977 at Marco Shipyards in Seattle, Washington for the sole purpose of fishing King and Tanner Crab off of the coast of Alaska.

[3] Sig serves as the vessel's primary captain with his younger brother Edgar, and his daughter Mandy Hansen, also running the boat on occasion.

[citation needed] The vessel has become popular and very recognizable due to it being prominently featured in the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch.

[8] Before the 2016 red king crab season, Sig's son-in-law, Clark Pederson (Mandy's husband), became the latest to join the Northwestern crew.

By the start of the 2018 king crab season, she permanently joined the crew as full-time relief captain and captain-in-training, with Sig grooming her to one day take over the family business.

The decision to put the Northwestern name and colors on a non-Alaskan product has caused some controversy in the Alaskan fishing community,[citation needed] which the Hansens addressed in a November 2007 press release.

[11] The comedy show South Park briefly spoofed the vessel and its workers in the episode "Whale Whores", when Stan was leading the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.