Occupation
Commercial fisher
Commercial fishers catch fish and shellfish at sea or on inland waters, working gear such as nets, traps, lines, or dredges from a vessel. It is physically demanding, weather-dependent work carried out in long shifts far from shore, and it is regulated by licences, quotas, gear rules, and vessel safety requirements. Crew live and work together for the duration of a trip.
Also known as: Fish harvester · Deckhand · Fishing vessel crew · Fisher
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Occupation content
Part of Agriculture, animals and environment
A visual day in the work
What the work involves
Prepare the vessel, gear, ice, and provisions before a trip and check safety equipment.
Set, tow, haul, and clear nets, traps, or lines and clear snags and gear damage.
Sort, grade, gut, and ice the catch and stow it correctly in the hold.
Stand navigational and engine-room watches and monitor weather and sea conditions.
Record catch, effort, and location data required by the fisheries authority.
Clean, repair, and maintain gear, deck machinery, and the vessel between trips.
Entry-route stepper
How people commonly enter
Direct entry as a deckhand, learning the gear and the grounds on the job.
Mandatory basic safety training such as sea survival, firefighting, and first aid before or on joining a vessel.
A college certificate or diploma in fisheries, nautical science, or marine operations.
Progression to skipper through sea time plus certificates of competency from the maritime authority.
Typical training: Short course or on-the-job training
Licensing: Regulated in most jurisdictions. Confirm the current requirement with the regulator in your province, state, or country.
Work-context map
Typical work context
- Outdoors
- Physically active
- Shift work
- Team based
- High responsibility
- Involves travel
Outdoors · Physically active · Shift work · Team based · High responsibility · Involves travel
Related interests
- Realistic (hands-on)
- Enterprising (leading)
Realistic (hands-on) · Enterprising (leading)
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
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