Port Protection is not only the setting of Port Protection Alaska, but it is also a real-life area in which many of the cast members still reside currently.
According to the 2020 Decennial Census data, the total population of Port Protection, the census-designated place in the Prince of Wales area in Alaska, was just 36 people.
What has happened in Port Protection Alaska in the last year?
And, if you have ever watched National Geographic’s Port Protection Alaska extreme survival documentary series, chances are, you have seen quite a few of these full-time residents hunting, chopping wood, fishing and insulating their homes in order to survive in this very remote part of the world.
However, it has now been almost a year since the last Port Protection Alaska episodes were filmed, and some questions have started circulating about the current population of Port Protection, Alaska.
Port Protection Alaska through the years
Port Protection Alaska (also sometimes called Lawless Island) originally started out as a spin-off of the other popular extreme survival docuseries, Life Below Zero.
But this show has now evolved and become its own, standalone success. All in all, Port Protection Alaska’s now nine-season run on television can be summarized as follows:
| Detail | Description |
| Series premiere | Season 1, episode 1: “Between Water and Wolves”, which first aired on July 9, 2015. |
| Most recent episode | Season 9, episode 10: “Don’t Look Back”, which first aired on May 7, 2024. |
| Availability | New episodes of Port Protection Alaska air live on National Geographic, but episodes of the show are also available other platforms, such as Disney+, Max, Hulu, Sling TV, iTunes, Amazon Prime Video and more. |
The future of Port Protection Alaska
If you have been a loyal Port Protection Alaska fan for a long time, it is important to note that the show will be ending very soon.
According to the longtime Port Protection Alaska star David Squibb, the show has not been picked up for another season by National Geographic.
However, not all hope is lost, since there are 10 episodes (which were filmed back in 2023, alongside Port Protection Alaska’s most recently aired season), which have yet to make it to air.
National Geographic has not confirmed exactly when they plan to air these last few episodes – which will effectively become Port Protection Alaska’s final season – but it is likely that fans can expect them to air as early as the first quarter of 2025.
The future of Port Protection Alaska explained – 2024 and beyond
The Port Protection Alaska cast members that will be in the next season
The news that Port Protection Alaska may be coming to an end very soon has certainly shocked and disappointed fans all across the globe.
But while the show has certainly helped the members of this remote, census-designated place, together over the years – many of the show’s stars were residents of Port Protection years before it even started and will likely continue to live in the area way after the show has ended.
Some of these cast members and longtime Port Protection residents are Sam Carlson, Matt Carlson, Timothy ‘Curly’ Leach, David Squibb (and their real-life off-screen partners) who are likely to appear in the last ten episodes and are all still living in Port Protection to this day.
It also includes Veronica Arrants, who is still fairly new to life in Port Protection, but already has strong ties in the community.
This list also includes a few honorable mentions in the form of former Port Protection Alaska cast members who no longer appear on the show, but have continued residing in the area– such as Hans Porter, Morgan Turcott and her partner, Carlos Hernandez, as well as a few others.
The cast members no longer living in Port Protection
Unfortunately, as with any show that is close to airing its 10th season, Port Protection Alaska has also lost a few cast members along the way.
This, sadly, includes longtime Port Protection residents Gary Muehlberger (who passed away in a house fire in 2021) and Litzi Botello (who also passed away in 2021).
And just like there are several of the Port Protection Alaska cast members who will reside in the area– there are also several former cast members who have moved away from the area in the last few years.
If you have finished the most recent season of the show, you will already know that this list now includes Mary Miller, who moved to the nearby town, Craig, at the end of season nine.
It also includes Troy Brockway (who recently left the area), Timbi Barron (who left the area after her divorce from Hans Porter) and Amanda Makar (who left the area early on in the show).
