Education:
Fishing or Hunting Worker
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Job Outlook:
Little or no change
Education:
None
Salary
Average:
The annual wage is not available.
What they do:
Hunt, trap, catch, or gather wild animals or aquatic animals and plants. May use nets, traps, or other equipment. May haul catch onto ship or other vessel.
On the job, you would:
- Patrol trap lines or nets to inspect settings, remove catch, and reset or relocate traps.
- Obtain permission from landowners to hunt or trap on their land.
- Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
Important Qualities
Critical-thinking skills. Fishing and hunting workers must reach conclusions through sound reasoning and judgment. They determine how to improve their catch and must react appropriately to weather conditions.
Detail oriented. Fishing and hunting workers must be precise and accurate when measuring the quality of their catch or prey. They must also pay attention to detail when working with various fishing and hunting gear to guard against injury.
Listening skills. Because they take instructions from captains and other crewmembers or hunters, fishing and hunting workers need to communicate well and listen effectively.
Machine operation skills. Fishing and hunting workers must be able to operate and perform routine maintenance on complex fishing and navigation machinery, as well as weapons and traps.
Physical stamina. Fishing and hunting workers need endurance. They must be able to work long hours, often under strenuous conditions.
Physical strength. Fishing and hunting workers must use physical strength, along with hand dexterity and coordination, to perform difficult tasks repeatedly.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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80% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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78% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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77% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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75% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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73% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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73% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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100% | Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services. |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Locate animals for fishing or hunting purposes.
Obtain documentation to authorize activities.
Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites.
Navigate water vessels.
Remove skin or other body parts from animals.
Maintain forestry, hunting, or agricultural equipment.
Remove skin or other body parts from animals.
Position animal trapping or capture equipment.
Maintain forestry, hunting, or agricultural equipment.
Sort forestry or agricultural materials.
Package agricultural products for shipment or further processing.
Capture or kill animals.
Locate animals for fishing or hunting purposes.
Obtain written authorization to perform activities.
Communicate safety or hazard information to others.
Locate animals for fishing or hunting purposes.
Navigate water vessels.
Position animal trapping or capture equipment.
Attach equipment extensions or accessories.
Protect wildlife or natural areas.
Transport animals, crops, or equipment.
Navigate water vessels.
Capture or kill animals.
Capture or kill animals.
Sort forestry or agricultural materials.
Clean equipment or facilities.
Attach equipment extensions or accessories.
Train workers in farming, forestry, or hunting techniques.
Load agricultural or forestry products for shipment.
Capture or kill animals.
Direct activities of agricultural, forestry, or fishery employees.
Coordinate resource procurement activities.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
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95% | Outdoors, Exposed to Weather - How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions? | |
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93% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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85% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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81% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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77% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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75% | Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets? | |
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73% | Very Hot or Cold Temperatures - How often does this job require working in very hot (above 90 F degrees) or very cold (below 32 F degrees) temperatures? | |
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71% | Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings - How often does this job require exposure to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings? | |
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70% | Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing? | |
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70% | In an Enclosed Vehicle or Equipment - How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or equipment (e.g., car)? | |
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65% | Spend Time Bending or Twisting the Body - How much does this job require bending or twisting your body? | |
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86% | Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week. | |
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67% | Work Schedules - How regular are the work schedules for this job? |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
|---|---|---|---|
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73% | Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. | |
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68% | Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
What Fishing and Hunting Workers Do
The fish and wild animals that fishers and hunting workers catch and trap are used for food, bait, and other purposes.
Fishing and hunting workers catch and trap various types of animal life. The fish and wild animals they catch are for human food, animal feed, bait, and other uses.
Duties
Fishers and related fishing workers typically do the following:
- Locate fish with the use of fish-finding equipment
- Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments
- Maintain engines, fishing gear, and other onboard equipment by making minor repairs
- Sort, pack, and store the catch in holds with ice and other freezing methods
- Measure fish to ensure that they are of legal size
- Return undesirable or illegal catches to the water
- Guide nets, traps, and lines onto vessels by hand or with hoisting equipment
- Signal other workers to move, hoist, and position loads of the catch
Hunters and trappers typically do the following:
- Locate wild animals with the use of animal-finding equipment
- Catch wild animals with weapons, such as rifles or bows, or with traps, such as snares
- Sort, pack, and store the catch with ice and other freezing methods
- Follow hunting regulations, which vary by state and always include a safety component
- Sell what they catch for food and decorative purposes
Fishers and related fishing workers work in deep or shallow water. In deep water, they typically perform their duties on large fishing boats that are equipped for long stays at sea. Some process the catch on board and prepare the fish for sale.
Other fishers work in shallow water on small boats that often have a crew of only one or two. They might put nets across the mouths of rivers or inlets; use pots and traps to catch fish or shellfish, such as lobsters and crabs; or use dredges to gather other shellfish, such as oysters and scallops.
Some fishers harvest marine vegetation rather than fish. They use rakes and hoes to gather Irish moss and kelp.
The following are types of fishers and related fishing workers:
- Fishing boat captains plan and oversee the fishing operation including the species of fish to be caught, the location of the best fishing grounds, the method of capture, trip length, and sale of the catch. They also supervise the crew and record daily activities in the ship’s log.To plot a ship’s course, fishing boat captains use electronic navigational equipment, including Global Positioning System (GPS) instruments. They also use radar and sonar to avoid obstacles above and below the water and to find fish.
- Fishing deckhands perform the everyday tasks of baiting; setting lines or traps; hauling in and sorting the catch; and maintaining the boat and fishing gear. Deckhands also secure and remove mooring lines when docking or undocking the boat.
Fishers work in commercial fishing, which does not include recreational fishing. For more information on workers on boats that handle fishing charters, see the profile on water transportation workers.
Aquaculture—raising and harvesting fish and other aquatic life under controlled conditions in ponds or confined bodies of water—is a different field. For more information, see the profile on farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers.
Hunters and trappers locate wild animals with GPS instruments, compasses, charts, and whistles. They then catch or kill them with traps or weapons. Hunters and trappers sell the wild animals they catch, for either food, fur, or decorative purposes.
Work Environment
Fishing and hunting workers held about 27,300 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of fishing and hunting workers were as follows:
| Fishing, hunting and trapping | 61% |
| Self-employed workers | 36 |
Fishing and hunting operations are conducted under various environmental conditions, depending on the geographic region, body of water or land, and kinds of animals sought. Storms, fog, and wind may hamper fishing vessels or cause them to suspend fishing operations and return to port.
Although fishing gear has improved and operations have become more mechanized, netting and processing fish are nonetheless strenuous activities. Newer vessels have improved living quarters and amenities, but crews still experience the aggravations of confined quarters and the absence of family.
Injuries and Illnesses
Commercial fishing and hunting can be dangerous and can lead to workplace injuries or fatalities. Fishing and hunting workers often work under hazardous conditions. Transportation to a hospital or doctor is often not readily available for these workers because they can be out at sea or in a remote area.
And although fatalities are uncommon, fishing and hunting workers experience one of the highest rates of occupational fatalities of all occupations.
Most fatalities that happen to fishers and related fishing workers are from drowning. The crew must guard against the danger of injury from malfunctioning fishing gear, entanglement in fishing nets and gear, slippery decks, ice formation, or large waves washing over the deck. Malfunctioning navigation and communication equipment and other factors may lead to collisions, shipwrecks, or other dangerous situations, such as vessels becoming caught in storms.
Hunting accidents can occur because of the weapons and traps these workers use. Hunters and trappers minimize injury by wearing the appropriate gear and following detailed safety procedures. Specific safety guidelines vary by state.
Work Schedules
Fishing and hunting workers often endure long shifts and irregular work schedules. Commercial fishing trips may require workers to be away from their home port for several weeks or months.
Many fishers are seasonal workers, and those jobs are usually filled by students and by people from other occupations who are available for seasonal work, such as teachers. For example, employment of fishers in Alaska increases significantly during the summer months, which constitute the salmon season. During these times, fishers can expect to work long hours. Additionally, states may only allow hunters and trappers to hunt or trap during certain times of the year depending on the type of wild animals sought.
Getting Started
How to Become a Fishing or Hunting Worker
Fishers and hunting workers usually acquire their occupational skills on the job.
Fishing and hunting workers usually learn on the job. A formal educational credential is not required.
Education
A formal educational credential is not required for one to become fishing or hunting worker. However, fishers may improve their chances of getting a job by enrolling in a 2-year vocational–technical program. Some community colleges and universities offer fishery technology and related programs that include courses in seamanship, vessel operations, marine safety, navigation, vessel repair, and fishing gear technology. These programs are typically located near coastal areas and include hands-on experience.
Training
Most fishing and hunting workers learn on the job. They first learn how to sort and clean the animals they catch. Fishers would go on to learn how to operate the boat and fishing equipment.
Other Experience
Many prospective fishers start by finding work through family or friends, or simply by walking around the docks and asking for employment. Aspiring fishers also can look online for employment. Some larger trawlers and processing ships are run by big fishing companies with human resources departments to which new workers can apply. Operators of large commercial fishing vessels must complete a training course approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Most hunters and trappers have previous recreational hunting experience.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Captains of fishing boats and hunters and trappers must be licensed.
Crewmembers on certain fish-processing vessels may need a merchant mariner’s document. The U.S. Coast Guard issues these documents, as well as licenses, to people who meet specific health, physical, and academic requirements.
States set licensing requirements for boats operating in state waters, defined as inland waters and waters within 3 miles of the coast.
Fishers need a permit to fish in almost any water. Permits are distributed by states for state waters and by regional fishing councils for federal waters. The permits specify the fishing season, the type and amount of fish that may be caught, and, sometimes, the type of permissible fishing gear.
Hunters and trappers need a state license to hunt in any land or forest. Licenses specify the hunting season, the type and amount of wild animals that may be caught, and the type of weapons or traps that can be used.
Advancement
Experienced, reliable fishing boat deckhands can become boatswains, then second mates, first mates, and, finally, captains. Those who are interested in ship engineering may gain experience with maintaining and repairing ship engines to become licensed chief engineers on large commercial boats. In doing so, they must meet the Coast Guard’s licensing requirements as well. For more information, see the profile on water transportation workers.
Almost all captains are self-employed, and most eventually own, or partially own, one or more fishing boats.
Job Outlook
Employment of fishing and hunting workers is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.
Despite limited employment growth, about 3,500 openings for fishing and hunting workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Employment of fishing and hunting workers depends on the availability of fish stocks and wild animals.
Governmental efforts to reduce overfishing and replenish fish stocks have led to some species being regulated under fishing quotas or catch shares. Quotas dictate how many fish each fisher may catch and keep. These programs may limit demand for fishers over the projections decade.
For hunting workers, an expected decline in recreational hunting will limit demand for guided hunts. Animal pelts will continue to be used to manufacture fur coats, hats, and gloves, which may increase demand for trappers. However, most of the fur used in clothing comes from ranches or farms that breed, maintain, and harvest desirable species, such as mink.
Contacts for More Information
For more information about licensing of fishing boat captains and about requirements for merchant mariner documentation, visit
National Maritime Center, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters
For more information about hunting licenses, visit
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of fishing and hunting workers.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Water Transportation Workers |
Water transportation workers operate and maintain vessels that take cargo and people over water. |
See How to Become One | $66,100 |
|
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers |
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers run establishments that produce crops, livestock, and dairy products. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $75,760 |