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Fishing and Hunting Workers

In the Fishing and Hunting Workers occupation, workers hunt, trap, catch, or gather wild animals or aquatic animals and plants. One core duty is to steer vessels and operate navigational instruments. The strongest interest signal is Realistic (7.0 of 7), then Conventional (3.3) and Investigative, which gives it the code RCI. Plan on a few months to a year of learning on the job; O*NET labels this some preparation. Strength in judgment and decision making, critical thinking, and coordination helps most here. The job can ask you to remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size. People who want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world usually fit better here than those who need helping, teaching or caring for people.

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.

Main tasks

  • Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments.
  • Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size.
  • Direct fishing or hunting operations, and supervise crew members.
  • Interpret weather and vessel conditions to determine appropriate responses.
  • Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
  • 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.

Skills

  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Critical Thinking
  • Coordination
  • Speaking
  • Time Management
  • Monitoring

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on judgment and decision making and critical thinking.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You want helping people to be at the center of your work. Social rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCI takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Less than a High School Diploma. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Commercial Fisherman
  • Commercial Fishing Vessel Operator
  • Deckhand
  • Fisherman
  • Fur Trapper

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.