Commercial fisherman vs fishing vessel operator

The differences between commercial fishermen and fishing vessel operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a commercial fisherman and a fishing vessel operator. Additionally, a commercial fisherman has an average salary of $51,584, which is higher than the $34,424 average annual salary of a fishing vessel operator.

Commercial fisherman vs fishing vessel operator overview

	Commercial Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Operator
Yearly salary	$51,584	$34,424
Hourly rate	$24.80	$16.55
Growth rate	-	1%
Number of jobs	26,488	26,391
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Commercial fisherman vs fishing vessel operator salary

Commercial fishermen and fishing vessel operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Commercial Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Operator
Average salary	$51,584	$34,424
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $109,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between commercial fisherman and fishing vessel operator education

There are a few differences between a commercial fisherman and a fishing vessel operator in terms of educational background:

	Commercial Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Operator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Commercial fisherman vs fishing vessel operator demographics

Here are the differences between commercial fishermen' and fishing vessel operators' demographics:

	Commercial Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8%	Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 5.9% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 6.0%	Black or African American, 2.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 5.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 8.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between commercial fisherman and fishing vessel operator duties and responsibilities

Commercial fisherman example responsibilities.

Use equipment including nets, booms, and hoists.
Fish for shrimp, tuna, and salmon.
Pick fish, run hydraulics, and mend nets.
Boat are equipped with GPS, radar, and depth finder.
Operate various equipment drenches and hoists, hydraulically control, used welding equipment.
Work on a salmon trolling boat and run the fishing gear on the back deck.

Fishing vessel operator example responsibilities.

Manage the master calendar and schedule resources such as communication equipment, weapons, transportation and ammunition forecast and delivery.
Monitor combat missions through satellite and computer global positioning systems in order to prepare accurate reports for unit commanders.
Identify business through analyzing results, sales plan and effectively utilize payroll hours

Commercial fisherman vs fishing vessel operator skills

Common commercial fisherman skills

Safety Procedures, 26%
Vessel Maintenance, 26%
Hydraulic Systems, 7%
Deck Hand, 6%
RAN, 5%
Hoisting, 5%

Common fishing vessel operator skills

Commercial Fisherman vs. similar jobs

Commercial Fisherman related careers

Commercial Fisherman related jobs

What similar roles do

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Commercial Fisherman vs Fishing Vessel Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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