What does a fishing vessel deckhand do?
Fishing vessel deckhand responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real fishing vessel deckhand resumes:
- Spearhead cross-functional initiative to achieve successful whole shipments of wild Alaskan salmofrozen and gut.
- Maintain boat {change oil, lube, paint, gear work, etc .. }
- Operate navigational instruments such as GPS and depth sounders.
- Tie vessel to barges and boats to be transport to various locations.
- Spearhead cross-functional initiative to achieve successful whole shipments of wild Alaskan salmofrozen and gut.
- Assist with all aspects of the supply boat's operation and maintenance.
- Launch and man lifeboats for rescue operations, operate firefighting equipment, participate in fire and lifeboat drills.
Fishing vessel deckhand skills and personality traits
We calculated that 43% of Fishing Vessel Deckhands are proficient in General Maintenance, Booms, and Coast Guard. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Manual dexterity, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Fishing Vessel Deckhands that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- General Maintenance, 43%
General maintenance/repair on hydraulic pump/winches, generators and the primary diesel engine Piloted vessel to relieved the Captain
- Booms, 29%
Handled hand shovels, hand pick, sledge hammers, oil skimmers, boom, vessel operation and other ancillary gear.
- Coast Guard, 28%
Perform safety checks on all vessel equipment to ensure Coast Guard regulation standards are upheld.
Common skills that a fishing vessel deckhand uses to do their job include "general maintenance," "booms," and "coast guard." You can find details on the most important fishing vessel deckhand responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for a fishing vessel deckhand to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what fishing vessel deckhands do because "many motorboat operators interact with passengers and must ensure that the passengers have a pleasant experience." Additionally, a fishing vessel deckhand resume shows how fishing vessel deckhands use customer-service skills: "moved in and out of st. thomas since 2004.participation on fishing tournaments as angler, mate/deckhand or as guest. "
Manual dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling fishing vessel deckhand duties is manual dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "crewmembers need good balance to maneuver through tight spaces and on wet or uneven surfaces." According to a fishing vessel deckhand resume, here's how fishing vessel deckhands can utilize manual dexterity in their job responsibilities: "worked as a handyman performing manual labor tasks on the boats. "
Mechanical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of fishing vessel deckhands is mechanical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday fishing vessel deckhand duties, as "members of the engine department keep complex machines working properly." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "engineer: coast guard certified senior deck hand responsibilities: performed mechanical and general maintenance. "
Physical strength. fishing vessel deckhand responsibilities often require "physical strength." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "sailors on freight ships load and unload cargo." This resume example shows what fishing vessel deckhands do with physical strength on a typical day: "ensured that safety equipment is utilized and appropriate guidelines are followed for all tasks involving physical risk or hazardous materials. "
The three companies that hire the most fishing vessel deckhands are:
- American Commercial Lines2 fishing vessel deckhands jobs
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Compare different fishing vessel deckhands
Fishing vessel deckhand vs. Boat officer
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a fishing vessel deckhand are more likely to require skills like "general maintenance," "booms," "coast guard," and "board maintenance." On the other hand, a job as a boat officer requires skills like "safety equipment," "boats," "data collection," and "incident command system." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Boat officers tend to reach higher levels of education than fishing vessel deckhands. In fact, boat officers are 47.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Fishing vessel deckhand vs. Waterman
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, fishing vessel deckhand responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "booms," "coast guard," "board maintenance," and "hoisting." Meanwhile, a waterman has duties that require skills in areas such as "patient care," "iv," "vital signs," and "blood pressure." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Watermen earn similar levels of education than fishing vessel deckhands in general. They're 2.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Fishing vessel deckhand vs. Commercial crabber
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, fishing vessel deckhands are more likely to have skills like "general maintenance," "coast guard," "board maintenance," and "computer system." But a commercial crabber is more likely to have skills like "harvest," "safety regulations," "gps," and "processing plant."
Commercial crabbers typically earn similar educational levels compared to fishing vessel deckhands. Specifically, they're 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Fishing vessel deckhand vs. Commercial fisherman
Even though a few skill sets overlap between fishing vessel deckhands and commercial fishermen, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a fishing vessel deckhand might have more use for skills like "general maintenance," "board maintenance," "computer system," and "jsa." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of commercial fishermen require skills like "safety procedures," "vessel maintenance," "hydraulic systems," and "deck hand. "
In general, commercial fishermen hold similar degree levels compared to fishing vessel deckhands. Commercial fishermen are 0.4% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of fishing vessel deckhand
Updated January 8, 2025
