Description
Catch and harvest wild fish and other aquatic species for commercial, recreational, or subsistence purposes. Operate vessels and fishing gear to locate, capture, handle, and preserve catch while following safety and regulatory requirements. Maintain equipment and may transport and sell catch.
- • Set, deploy, and retrieve nets, lines, pots, or traps according to target species and method.
- • Patrol gear to inspect settings, remove catch, and reset or relocate as needed.
- • Remove catch from gear and measure, sort, and grade to meet legal size and quality standards.
- • Ice, chill, or store catch in holds using salt, ice, or refrigerated seawater.
- • Locate fish using sonar, GPS, charts, and signs such as bird activity or currents.
- • Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments and autopilots.
- • Compute positions and plot courses using charts and electronic navigation.
- • Interpret weather, sea, and vessel conditions to plan and adjust operations.
- • Connect floats, weights, flags, lights, or markers to nets, lines, or pots.
- • Attach slings, hooks, and lifting gear to booms, davits, or winches to handle gear and catch.
- • Operate and maintain winches, hydraulics, and other deck machinery.
- • Maintain and repair engines, hydraulics, hulls, and fishing gear; perform minor repairs at sea.
- • Clean and sanitize decks, holds, conveyors, knives, and processing equipment.
- • Load and unload supplies, bait, fuel, and gear by hand or with hoisting equipment.
- • Bait hooks or pots and prepare gear for the next sets.
- • Bleed, gut, or otherwise process catch on deck to preserve quality.
- • Release non-target and undersized species safely to reduce bycatch.
- • Comply with quotas, seasons, area closures, and reporting requirements; maintain logbooks.
- • Obtain and renew fishing licenses, permits, and vessel documents.
- • Transport catch to processors, buyers, or markets by vessel or tender.
- • Direct fishing operations and supervise deckhands or crew.
- • Train crew in gear handling, safety procedures, and species identification.
- • Monitor fuel, provisions, and maintenance needs; oversee procurement of supplies and gear.
- • Communicate with tenders, harbors, and buyers via radio or satellite.
- • Follow onboard safety protocols; maintain PPE and emergency gear; conduct drills.
- • Use diving or dredging equipment when harvesting shellfish, where applicable.
- • Work with fishery observers and provide catch data for stock assessments.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
