Jobs on a Fishing Vessel
Captain: Alternate title: Skipper. Commands
fishing vessel crew engaged in catching fish and other marine life
and may be the owner of the vessel: Interviews, hires, and gives
instructions to crew, and assigns crew to watches and quarters.
Plots courses on navigation charts and computes positions, using
standard navigation aids, such as compass, sextant, clock, radio
fix, and navigation tables. Steers vessel and operates electronic
equipment, such as radio, sonic depth finder, and radar. Directs
fishing operations, using knowledge of fishing grounds and workload
capacities of vessel and crew. Records daily activities in ship's
log. May purchase supplies and equipment for boat, such as food,
fuel, webbing, rope, and cable. May tow and maneuver fish barges
at cannery wharf. May contact buyers and make arrangements for sale
of catch. May buy fish for resale and be designated Buy-Boat Operator
(fishing), or haul fish from other fishing vessels to cannery and
be designated Captain, Cannery Tender (fishing).
Engineer/Deckhand: Acts as the engineer for the
fishing vessel in addition to performing deckhand duties. Repairs
and maintains deck machinery, such as cargo winches and anchor windlasses:
Operates machinery to determine causes of malfunctioning. Dismantles,
repairs, or replaces defective parts, and reassembles machinery,
using machinist's hand tools, chain hoists, and steel rollers. May
maintain ship's plumbing system. May change fuses and lights and
overhaul electric motors. U.S. Coast Guard must endorse rating.
Deckhand: As a deckhand, performs any combination
of following duties aboard fishing vessel: Stands lookout, steering,
and engine-room watches. Attaches nets, slings, hooks, and other
lifting devices to cables, booms, and hoists. Loads equipment and
supplies aboard vessel by hand or using hoisting equipment. Signal
other workers to move, hoist, and position loads. Rows boats and
dinghies and operates skiffs to transport fishers, divers, and sponge
hookers and to tow and position nets. Attaches accessories, such
as floats, weights, and markers to nets and lines. Pulls and guides
nets and lines onto vessel. Removes fish from nets and hooks. Sorts
and cleans marine life and returns undesirable and illegal catch
to sea. Places catch in containers and stow in hold and covers with
salt and ice. Washes deck, conveyors, knives and other equipment,
using brush, detergent, and water. Lubricates, adjusts, and makes
minor repairs to engines and equipment. Secures and removes vessel's
docking lines to and from docks and other vessels. Duties may
include SKIFF OPERATOR: (Skiff operation may be duty of a deckhand
aboard a seine fishing vessel for salmon.) Operates seine skiff
to hold one end of purse seine in place while purse seine circles
school of fish to set net. Holds purse seine away from ship during
pursing and brailing operations. May splash water with pole, on
opposite side of school away from purse seine, to prevent fish from
escaping as fish are encircled by purse seine. May locate schools
of fish sighted by other fishers.
Deck Boss/Deckhand: Acts as the lead deckhand
on the fishing vessel, designated by the Captain. Performs any combination
of following duties aboard fishing vessel: Stands lookout, steering,
and engine-room watches. Attaches nets, slings, hooks, and other
lifting devices to cables, booms, and hoists. Loads equipment and
supplies aboard vessel by hand or using hoisting equipment. Signal
other workers to move, hoist, and position loads. Rows boats and
dinghies and operates skiffs to transport fishers, divers, and sponge
hookers and to tow and position nets. Attaches accessories, such
as floats, weights, and markers to nets and lines. Pulls and guides
nets and lines onto vessel. Removes fish from nets and hooks. Sorts
and cleans marine life and returns undesirable and illegal catch
to sea. Places catch in containers and stow in hold and covers with
salt and ice. Washes deck, conveyors, knives and other equipment,
using brush, detergent, and water. Lubricates, adjusts, and makes
minor repairs to engines and equipment. Secures and removes vessel's
docking lines to and from docks and other vessels.
Cook/Deckhand: Cook on a fishing vessel in addition
to being a deckhand on it. Alternate titles: cook, fishing vessel.
Prepares meals for crew and officers on board fishing vessel or
in shore fishery establishment. May assist in actual fishing. May
purchase food supplies. If also performs deckhand duties, they include:
Performs any combination of following duties aboard fishing vessel:
Stands lookout, steering, and engine-room watches. Attaches nets,
slings, hooks, and other lifting devices to cables, booms, and hoists.
Loads equipment and supplies aboard vessel by hand or using hoisting
equipment. Signal other workers to move, hoist, and position loads.
Rows boats and dinghies and operates skiffs to transport fishers,
divers, and sponge hookers and to tow and position nets. Attaches
accessories, such as floats, weights, and markers to nets and lines.
Pulls and guides nets and lines onto vessel. Removes fish from nets
and hooks. Sorts and cleans marine life and returns undesirable
and illegal catch to sea. Places catch in containers and stow in
hold and covers with salt and ice. Washes deck, conveyors, knives
and other equipment, using brush, detergent, and water. Lubricates,
adjusts, and makes minor repairs to engines and equipment. Secures
and removes vessel's docking lines to and from docks and other vessels.
Deckhand/Greenhorn:
This is the least experienced deckhand on the fishing vessel and
this person is paid the least percentage of catch due to lack of
experience in catching fish. Performs any combination of following
duties aboard fishing vessel: Stands lookout, steering, and engine-room
watches. Attaches nets, slings, hooks, and other lifting devices
to cables, booms, and hoists. Loads equipment and supplies aboard
vessel by hand or using hoisting equipment. Signal other workers
to move, hoist, and position loads. Rows boats and dinghies and
operates skiffs to transport fishers, divers, and sponge hookers
and to tow and position nets. Attaches accessories, such as floats,
weights, and markers to nets and lines. Pulls and guides nets and
lines onto vessel. Removes fish from nets and hooks. Sorts and cleans
marine life and returns undesirable and illegal catch to sea. Places
catch in containers and stow in hold and covers with salt and ice.
Washes deck, conveyors, knives and other equipment, using brush,
detergent, and water. Lubricates, adjusts, and makes minor repairs
to engines and equipment. Secures and removes vessel's docking lines
to and from docks and other vessels.
Types of Fish Harvesters in Alaska
FISHER, LINE: Catches
fish and other marine life with hooks and lines, working alone or
as member of crew: Lays out line and attaches hooks, bait, sinkers,
and various anchors, floats, and swivels, depending on quarry sought.
Puts line in water, and holds, anchors, or trolls (tows) line to
catch fish. Hauls line onto boat deck or ashore by hand, reel, or
winch, and removes catch. Stows catch in hold or boxes and packs
catch in ice. May hit fish with club to stun it before removing
it from hook. May fish with gaff to assist in hauling fish from
water. May slit fish; remove viscera, and wash cavity to clean fish
for storage. May steer vessel in fishing area. When fishing with
line held in hand, is designated Fisher, Hand Line. When fishing
with fixed line equipped with hooks hung at intervals on line, is
designated according to whether line is trawl (anchored in water
at both ends) as Fisher, Trawl Line; or trot (reaching across stream
or from one bank) as Fisher, Trot Line. When fishing with line that
is trolled, is designated Fisher, Troll Line.
FISHER, NET: Catches finfish, shellfish, and other
marine life alone or as crewmember on shore or aboard fishing vessel,
using equipment such as dip, diver, gill, hoop, lampara, pound,
trap, reef, trammel, and trawl nets; purse seine; and haul, drag,
or beach seine: Inserts and attaches hoops, rods, poles, ropes,
floats, weights, beam runners, otter boards, and cables to form,
reinforce, position, set, tow, and anchor net. Attaches flags and
lights to buoys to identify net location. Puts net into water and
anchors or tows net according to kind of net used, location of fishing
area, and method of fishing. Hauls net to boat or ashore manually
and using winch. Empties catch from net, using dip net, brail, buckets,
hydraulic pump, and conveyor, and by lifting net, using block and
tackle, and dumping catch. Stows catch in hold and containers, or
transfers catch to base ship or buy boat. Fishing with some types
of nets may be illegal in some states. May ride in skiff and hold
end of net, as base ship discharges net, to surround school of fish
or to pull net ends and trap fish. May sort and clean fish. May
repair fishing nets and gear. May act as lookout or observe instruments
to sight schools of fish. May be designated according to kind of
net used as Fisher, Dip Net; Fisher, Diver Net; Fisher, Gill Net;
Fisher, Hoop Net. May be designated: Fisher, Haul, Drag, Or Beach
Seine; Fisher, Lampara Net; Fisher, Pound Net or Trap; Fisher, Purse
Seine; Fisher Reef Net; Fisher, Trammel Net; Fisher, Trawl Net.
FISHER, POT: Fishes for marine life, including
crab, eel, or lobster, using pots (cages with funnel-shaped net
openings): Ties marker float to line, attaches line to pot, fastens
bait inside pot, and lowers pot into water. Hooks marker float with
pole and pulls up pot. Reaches through hinged door of pot to remove
catch or dumps catch on deck. Measures catch with fixed gauge to
ensure compliance with legal size. Places legal catch in container
and tosses illegal catch overboard. Places peg in hinge of claws
to prevent lobsters, in container, from killing each other. May
rig and lower dredge (rake scoop with bag net attached), drag dredge
behind boat to gather marine life from water bottom, and hoist it
according to type of marine life fished for as Fisher, Crab; Fisher,
Eel; Fisher, Lobster. May work alone or as member of crew.
FISHER, WEIR: alternate titles: fisher, trap.
Constructs weirs of brush or netting to catch fish: Drives poles
and stakes in channels at points of land extending into water, between
islands, or in rapids to form circular or heart-shaped enclosure.
Fastens stringers and weaves brush or netting horizontally between
posts and stakes. Constructs lead of brush to deflect fish into
trap. Removes fish from weir with purse seine. This method of fishing
is considered illegal in some states when navigation and conservation
are obstructed.
NET REPAIRER: alternate titles: rigger; web worker.
Works on-shore as independent contractor to assembles and repairs
nets on shore and aboard ship: Assembles, ties, and adjusts various
webbing material, floats, weights, rings, and ropes to make gill
nets, purse seines, reef nets, and trawls, using knife and twine-filled
bobbin shuttle. Hoists net into ship's rigging to dry after fishing
operations, using block and tackle, and repairs holes and tears
in webbing. Gives direction to workers engaged in taking down nets.
May retrieve lost nets from water. May participate in net fishing.
Sometimes captains have their deckhand crew repair their own nets.
Dive Fishery Harvester - Alternate titles:
hunter, skin diver There are growing dive fisheries in various
parts of coastal Alaska to harvest sea urchins, geoduck clams, sea
cucumbers, especially in Southeast Alaska. Collects and captures
sea life specimens, such as shellfish, sea cucumbers, individually
or as member of crew, using skin-diving equipment: Dives into sea
and swims underwater to scout terrain and reach work area. Twists,
cuts, and tears specimens, such as abalone, from surface to which
attached, and places specimens in container. Signals boat crew to
hoist container or net to surface. |