Fishing and Hunting Workers: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
- Education Required
- 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 vocationaltechnical 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 Required
- 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.
- Job Outlook
-
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 7% (As fast as average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - 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 Guards licensing requirements as well. For more information, see the profile on water transportation workers.
- Licenses/Certifications
- Captains of fishing boats and hunters and trappers must be licensed.
- Median pay: How much do Fishing and Hunting Workers make?
- $29,280 Annual Salary
- $14.08 per hour
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.
What do Fishing and Hunting Workers do?
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
Careers for Fishing and Hunting Workers
- Alligator hunters
- Bird trappers
- Commercial crabbers
- Commercial fishers
- Crab fishers
- Crabbers
- Deckhands
- Deer hunters
- Dive fishery harvesters
- Fishers and related fishing workers
- Fishing boat captains
- Fur trappers
- Hunters and trappers
- Lobster catchers
- Net repairers
- Predator control trappers
- Predatory animal exterminators
- Predatory animal hunters
- Predatory animal trappers
- Seaweed harvesters
- Shellfish dredge operators
- Wild oyster harvesters