Fisherman vs fishing vessel captain

The differences between fishermen and fishing vessel captains can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a fisherman and a fishing vessel captain. Additionally, a fisherman has an average salary of $51,052, which is higher than the $38,051 average annual salary of a fishing vessel captain.

The top three skills for a fisherman include safety standards, deck hand and hoisting. The most important skills for a fishing vessel captain are GPS, , and .

Fisherman vs fishing vessel captain overview

	Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Captain
Yearly salary	$51,052	$38,051
Hourly rate	$24.54	$18.29
Growth rate	-	1%
Number of jobs	7	2,571
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Fisherman vs fishing vessel captain salary

Fishermen and fishing vessel captains have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Captain
Average salary	$51,052	$38,051
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $107,000	Between $19,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between fisherman and fishing vessel captain education

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

	Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Captain
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fisherman vs fishing vessel captain demographics

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

	Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Captain
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7%	Male, 92.1% Female, 7.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 5.9% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.8%	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 fisherman and fishing vessel captain duties and responsibilities

Fisherman example responsibilities.

Perform daily tasks in extreme Alaskan environment.
Operate fishing skiffs and direct daily harvesting and processing excursions.
Record target and incidental catch of recreational and charter boats participating in the large pelagic fisheries.

Fishing vessel captain 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.

Fisherman vs fishing vessel captain skills

Common fisherman skills

Safety Standards, 31%
Deck Hand, 18%
Hoisting, 15%
RAN, 8%
Processing Plant, 5%
Hoists, 4%

Common fishing vessel captain skills

GPS, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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