Fisherman vs fishing vessel operator

The differences between 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 fisherman and a fishing vessel operator. Additionally, a fisherman has an average salary of $51,052, which is higher than the $34,424 average annual salary of a fishing vessel operator.

Fisherman vs fishing vessel operator overview

	Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Operator
Yearly salary	$51,052	$34,424
Hourly rate	$24.54	$16.55
Growth rate	-	1%
Number of jobs	7	26,391
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Fisherman vs fishing vessel operator salary

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

	Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Operator
Average salary	$51,052	$34,424
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $107,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between fisherman and fishing vessel operator education

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

	Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fisherman vs fishing vessel operator demographics

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

	Fisherman	Fishing Vessel Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 90.3% Female, 9.7%	Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2%
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 operator 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 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

Fisherman vs fishing vessel operator skills

Common fisherman skills

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

Common fishing vessel operator skills

Fisherman vs. similar jobs

Fisherman related careers

Fisherman related jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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