fisheries deckhand
Fisheries deckhands work on fishing vessels where they carry out fishing related activities. They undertake a wide range of fishing and maritime work on land and at sea, such as handling of fishing gears and catches, communications, supply, seamanship, hospitality and stores.
fisheries deckhand fisheries deckhands work on fishing vessels where they carry out fishing related activities. The role shows low AI exposure (0.37 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, fishing gear, pollution prevention, code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £39,358 a year for Marine and waterways transport operatives (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8232). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Plant and machine operators and assemblers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only fisheries deckhand, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 8. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Geography
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
- Law and Government
- Biology
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Education and Training
What you'd actually do
- Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments.
- Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size.
- Direct fishing or hunting operations, and supervise crew members.
- Interpret weather and vessel conditions to determine appropriate responses.
- Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
- Select, bait, and set traps, and lay poison along trails, according to species, size, habits, and environs of birds or animals and reasons for trapping them.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does fisheries deckhand do?
Fisheries deckhands work on fishing vessels where they carry out fishing related activities. They undertake a wide range of fishing and maritime work on land and at sea, such as handling of fishing gears and catches, communications, supply, seamanship, hospitality and stores.
What skills does fisheries deckhand need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, fishing gear, pollution prevention, code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, deterioration of fish products. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace fisheries deckhand?
Our AI-durability model gives fisheries deckhand a score of 0.37 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.