Fishers and Related Fishing Workers
SOC: 45-3011.00

Description:

Use nets, fishing rods, traps, or other equipment to catch and gather fish or other aquatic animals from rivers, lakes, or oceans, for human consumption or other uses. May haul game onto ship.

National Salary Information:

Hourly Statistics:

Annual Statistics:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 wage data.

Alternate Titles:

  • Abalone Fisherman
  • Albacore Fishing Boat Crewman
  • Bait Man
  • Beachman
  • Billet Cutter
  • Blue Crabber
  • Boat Deckhand
  • Boat Officer
  • Boat Puller
  • Captain
  • Cat Swamper
  • Catcher
  • Chain Person
  • Chain Puller
  • Chainer
  • Choker
  • Choker Hooker
  • Chummer
  • Chute Greaser
  • Chute Tender
  • Clam Digger
  • Clam Dredge Boat Captain
  • Clam Dredger
  • Clam Picker
  • Clam Sorter
  • Clipper
  • Commercial Crabber
  • Commercial Fisher
  • Commercial Fisherman
  • Commercial Fishing Vessel Operator
  • Commercial Ocean Clammer
  • Commercial Shrimping Captain
  • Crab Catcher
  • Crab Fisher
  • Crab Fisherman
  • Crabber
  • Crew Member
  • Cruiser
  • Deckhand
  • Deep Sea Diver
  • Derrick Follower
  • Digger
  • Diver
  • Diving Fisher
  • Drag Seiner
  • Dulser
  • Eeler
  • First Mate
  • Fish Pitcher
  • Fish Seiner
  • Fish Tender
  • Fish Trapper
  • Fish, Frog, or Oyster Farmer
  • Fisherman
  • Fisherman Helper
  • Fishing Boat Captain
  • Fishing Vessel Captain
  • Fishing Vessel Deckhand
  • Fishing Vessel Mate
  • Fishing Vessel Operator
  • Fishing Worker
  • Frog Catcher
  • Frog Farmer
  • Gaffman
  • Gunner
  • Harpooner
  • Hook Tender
  • Hooker
  • Hooker On
  • Hooker Up
  • Hookman
  • Hunter Skin Diver
  • Irish Moss Bleacher
  • Irish Moss Gatherer
  • Kelp Cutter
  • Kelp Gatherer
  • Landing Worker
  • Line Fisher
  • Lobster Catcher
  • Lobster Fisherman
  • Lobster Man
  • Lobsterman
  • Menhaden Fishing Crew Member
  • Menhaden Vessel Pilot
  • Moss Bleacher
  • Moss Gatherer
  • Mule Rider
  • Net Fisher
  • Net Mender
  • Net Repairer
  • Netter
  • Ocean Clam Boat Captain
  • Otter Trawler Boatswain
  • Oyster Culler
  • Oyster Dredger
  • Oyster Fisherman
  • Oyster Floater
  • Oyster Harvester
  • Oyster Picker
  • Oyster Planter
  • Oyster Tonger
  • Oysterman
  • Pearl Digger
  • Pearl Fisherman
  • Pilot
  • Planter
  • Pot Fisher
  • Purse Seiner
  • Quahogger
  • Roller
  • Salmon Gillnet Vessel Operator
  • Salmon Troll Fisher
  • Scallop Dredger
  • Scalloper
  • Sea Shell Gatherer
  • Seafood Fisherman
  • Seaman
  • Seaweed Harvester
  • Second Mate
  • Second Officer
  • Shell Fisherman
  • Shellfish Bed Worker
  • Shellfish Dredge Operator
  • Shellfish Grower
  • Shrimp Trawler
  • Shrimp Trawler Captain
  • Shrimper
  • Shrimping Boat Captain
  • Skiff Operator
  • Skipper
  • Spear Fisher
  • Sponge Clipper
  • Sponge Fisherman
  • Sponge Hooker
  • Sternman
  • Striker
  • Terrapin Fisher
  • Third Mate
  • Tonger
  • Trawler
  • Troller
  • Tuna Purse Seiner
  • Underwater Hunter Trapper
  • Vessel Crew Member
  • Waterman
  • Weir Fisher
  • Weir Fisherman
  • Whale Fisherman
  • Wild Oyster Harvester
  • Wire Web Worker

    • Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed

    Experience:

    Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.

    Education:

    Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.

    Job Training:

    Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.

    Required Skills:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Learning Strategies
  • Monitoring
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Coordination
  • Persuasion
  • Negotiation
  • Instructing
  • Service Orientation
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Operations Analysis
  • Equipment Selection
  • Operation Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Systems Analysis
  • Systems Evaluation
  • Time Management
  • Management of Financial Resources
  • Management of Material Resources
  • Management of Personnel Resources

    • Knowledge Used:

  • Administration and Management
  • Clerical
  • Economics and Accounting
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Production and Processing
  • Food Production
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Design
  • Building and Construction
  • Mechanical
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Psychology
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Geography
  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Therapy and Counseling
  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Foreign Language
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • Telecommunications
  • Communications and Media
  • Transportation

    • Tasks:

  • Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments.
  • Put fishing equipment into the water and anchor or tow equipment, according to the fishing method used.
  • Maintain engines, fishing gear, and other on-board equipment and perform minor repairs.
  • Sort, pack, and store catch in holds with salt and ice.
  • Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size.
  • Locate fish, using fish-finding equipment.
  • Return undesirable or illegal catches to the water.
  • Pull and guide nets, traps, and lines onto vessels, by hand or using hoisting equipment.
  • Direct fishing operations, and supervise fishing crew members.
  • Signal other workers to move, hoist, and position loads.
  • Compute positions and plot courses on charts to navigate vessels, using instruments such as compasses, sextants, and charts.
  • Oversee the purchase of supplies, gear, and equipment such as fuel, netting, and cables.
  • Attach nets, slings, hooks, blades, or lifting devices to cables, booms, hoists, or dredges.
  • Transport fish to processing plants or to buyers.
  • Interpret weather and vessel conditions to determine appropriate responses.
  • Wash decks, conveyors, knives, and other equipment, using brushes, detergents, and water.
  • Connect accessories such as floats, weights, flags, lights, or markers to nets, lines, or traps.
  • Load and unload vessel equipment and supplies, by hand or using hoisting equipment.
  • Harvest marine life for human or animal consumption, using diving or dredging equipment, traps, barges, rods, reels, or tackle.
  • Hire qualified crew members, and assign their duties.
  • Plan fishing operations, establishing the fish to be sought, the fishing location, the method of capture, and the duration of the trip.
  • Stand lookout for schools of fish, and for steering and engine-room watches.
  • Operate rowboats, dinghies, or skiffs to transport fishers, divers, or sponge hookers or to tow and position fishing equipment.
  • Sell catches by contacting and negotiating with buyers or by sending catches to fish auctions.
  • Club or gaff large fish to enable hauling them into fishing vessel.
  • Monitor distribution of proceeds from sales of catches to ensure that crew members receive their prearranged portions.
  • Record in logbooks specifics of fishing activities such as dates, harvest areas, yields, and weather and sea conditions.
  • Estimate costs of operations and plan fishing season budgets accordingly.
  • Share fishing expertise through activities such as writing for fishing magazines, hosting television shows, or testing and endorsing fishing equipment.
  • Participate in wildlife management, disease control, and research activities.

    • Tools & Technology:

  • Acorn buoys
  • Anchor chains
  • Anchor release hooks
  • Anchors
  • Bait freezers
  • Bait nets
  • Balloon trawls
  • Beach seines
  • Bench-mounted crimpers
  • Bilge pumping systems
  • Boat hooks
  • Brailers
  • Bullet buoys
  • Cast nets
  • Chain stoppers
  • Commercial fish or shark hooks
  • Commercial fishing line sinkers
  • Commercial fishing vessel lifeboats
  • Crab nets
  • Crab pots
  • Crab tongs
  • Danish seines
  • Deck winches
  • Dehookers
  • Digital spring balance scales
  • Dip nets
  • Distress flags
  • Distress flares
  • Dogbones
  • Downriggers
  • Drift nets
  • Drogues
  • Eel traps
  • Electric bottom-fishing reels
  • Electric windlasses
  • Emergency position-indicating radio beacons
  • Fathometer sonar equipment
  • Fish finders
  • Fish magnets
  • Fish pots
  • Fish tag guns
  • Fish transfer pumps
  • Fishing dinghies
  • Fishing dredges
  • Fishing life preservers
  • Fishing pliers
  • Fishing poles
  • Fishing rowboats
  • Fishing scissors
  • Fishing spears
  • Fishing utility knives
  • Fixed blade knives
  • Float lines
  • Foam-filled marine fenders
  • Gaffs
  • Gill nets
  • Gillnetters
  • Groundlines
  • Gypsy hoists
  • Half-face respirators
  • Hand capstans
  • Hand crimpers
  • Hand windlasses
  • Handlines
  • Harpoons
  • Hook counters
  • Hook files
  • Hook timers
  • Hoop nets
  • Hydraulic capstans
  • Hydraulic windlasses
  • Ice shovels
  • Immersion suits
  • Inflatable life rafts
  • Jigging machines
  • Jigs
  • Knuckle-boom cranes
  • Laptop computers
  • Large decked fishing vessels
  • Leader carts
  • Life throw rings
  • Line haulers
  • Line setters
  • Lobster pots
  • Lobster traps
  • Longline blocks
  • Longline haulers
  • Longline snaps
  • Longline spools
  • Magnetic compasses
  • Marine fire extinguishers
  • Marine first aid equipment
  • Marine hard hats
  • Marine radar navigation systems
  • Marine radar reflectors
  • Marine sextants
  • MaxSea PLOT 2D/3D software
  • Midwater trawls
  • Mooring buoys
  • Mooring lines
  • Multibeam sonar equipment
  • Net cleaning machines
  • Net haulers
  • Otter trawls
  • Pair trawls
  • Personal computers
  • Planers
  • Pneumatic marine fenders
  • Polyballs
  • Pot haulers
  • Pound nets
  • Power blocks
  • Pulse trawls
  • Purse seines
  • Radio buoys
  • Radio direction finders RDF
  • Safety vests
  • Satellite radios
  • Scottish seines
  • Scuba diving equipment
  • Searchlight sonars
  • Seiners
  • Set nets
  • Shrimp winches
  • Sink lines
  • Skiffs
  • Slat boxes
  • Small decked fishing vessels
  • Snatch blocks
  • Stake nets
  • Stow nets
  • Strobe lights
  • Tablet computers
  • Thimbles
  • Toggles
  • Trammel nets
  • Trap harnesses
  • Trawlers
  • Triplex trawls
  • Trollers
  • Trolling blocks
  • Trotlines
  • Undecked fishing vessels
  • Very high frequency VHF radiotelephone systems
  • Weir traps
  • Wire rope cutters
  • Wood shell blocks
  • Catchlog Trading Catchlog
  • MaxSea COMMANDER software
  • MaxSea Time Zero Navigator NOAA
  • OLRAC Electronic Logbook Software Solution
  • P-Sea WindPlot software
  • Signet Nobeltec Catch

    • farming fishing and forestry

    industry stats

    SOC: 45-0000

    Total Employed: 454,230

    Average Annual Salary: $26,360