Commercial fisherman vs fishing worker

The differences between commercial fishermen and fishing workers 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 worker. Additionally, a commercial fisherman has an average salary of $51,584, which is higher than the $26,890 average annual salary of a fishing worker.

Commercial fisherman vs fishing worker overview

	Commercial Fisherman	Fishing Worker
Yearly salary	$51,584	$26,890
Hourly rate	$24.80	$12.93
Growth rate	-	1%
Number of jobs	26,488	19,370
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 71%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Commercial fisherman vs fishing worker salary

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

	Commercial Fisherman	Fishing Worker
Average salary	$51,584	$26,890
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $109,000	Between $15,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between commercial fisherman and fishing worker education

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

	Commercial Fisherman	Fishing Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	High School Diploma, 71%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Commercial fisherman vs fishing worker demographics

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

	Commercial Fisherman	Fishing Worker
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8%	Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1%
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 worker 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 worker example responsibilities.

Spearhead cross-functional initiative to achieve successful whole shipments of wild Alaskan salmofrozen and gut.
Spearhead cross-functional initiative to achieve successful whole shipments of wild Alaskan salmofrozen and gut.
Monitor checkout stations to ensure that they have adequate cash available and that they are staffed appropriately.

Commercial fisherman vs fishing worker skills

Common commercial fisherman skills

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

Common fishing worker skills

Commercial Fisherman vs. similar jobs

Commercial Fisherman related careers

Commercial Fisherman related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

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