Fishing Hand
What the work is
Catches fish, crustacea and molluscs using nets, pots, lines and traps in ocean and inland waters.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Attaches fishing gear and fastens towing cables to nets
- Casts and lowers fishing nets, pots, lines and traps into water
- Prepares fishing lines, attaches running gear and bait, and sets lines into position
- Hauls in fishing gear, and removes fish and other marine life
- Sorts, cleans, preserves, stows and refrigerates fishing catch
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a small coastal boat that runs fishing trips for passengers and hauls its own pots, working out of a harbour at dawn. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- The boat leaves the harbour at sunrise and the water is calm and bright
- A passenger catches their first fish and the whole deck cheers
- A good haul comes aboard and the crew sorts it without a wasted movement
Hard days
- Rough water and cold wind when the work still has to be done
- Heavy gear and wet lines that sting your hands
- A passenger who is sick or scared and needs looking after
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 899232, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.