Fishing or Hunting Worker

Summary of 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.

What Fishing and Hunting Workers Do

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

The fish and wild animals that fishers and hunting workers catch and trap are used for food, bait, and other purposes.

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.

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.

Tasks On The Job

1. Attach nets, slings, hooks, blades, or lifting devices to cables, booms, hoists, or dredges.
2. Compute positions and plot courses on charts to navigate vessels, using instruments such as compasses, sextants, and charts.
3. Connect accessories such as floats, weights, flags, lights, or markers to nets, lines, or traps.
4. Direct fishing or hunting operations, and supervise crew members.
5. Harvest marine life for human or animal consumption, using diving or dredging equipment, traps, barges, rods, reels, or tackle.
6. Interpret weather and vessel conditions to determine appropriate responses.
7. Kill or stun trapped quarry, using clubs, poisons, guns, or drowning methods.
8. Load and unload vessel equipment and supplies, by hand or using hoisting equipment.
9. Locate fish, using fish-finding equipment.
10. Maintain and repair trapping equipment.
11. Maintain engines, fishing gear, and other on-board equipment and perform minor repairs.
12. Obtain permission from landowners to hunt or trap on their land.
13. Obtain required approvals for using poisons or traps, and notify persons in areas where traps and poison are set.
14. Oversee the purchase of supplies, gear, and equipment.
15. Participate in animal damage control, wildlife management, disease control, and research activities.
16. Patrol trap lines or nets to inspect settings, remove catch, and reset or relocate traps.
17. Put fishing equipment into the water and anchor or tow equipment, according to the fishing method used.
18. Release quarry from traps or nets and transfer to cages.
19. Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size.
20. Scrape fat, blubber, or flesh from skin sides of pelts with knives or hand scrapers.
21. Select, bait, and set traps, and lay poison along trails, according to species, size, habits, and environs of birds or animals and reasons for trapping them.
22. Skin quarry, using knives, and stretch pelts on frames to be cured.
23. Sort, pack, and store catch in holds with salt and ice.
24. Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments.
25. Teach or guide individuals or groups unfamiliar with specific hunting methods or types of prey.
26. Track animals by checking for signs such as droppings or destruction of vegetation.
27. Transport fish to processing plants or to buyers.
28. Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
29. Wash decks, conveyors, knives, and other equipment, using brushes, detergents, and water.