Agriculture · Building & Making
Commercial Fisher: what the job actually is
Catching fish for market from a boat, in all weather, under a licence and quota that decide what you may take.
By Nick Gonzalez, founder, U.S. Air Force veteranPublished Last reviewed How we research and correct this
The work
What this job actually is
- Catching fish to sell, usually from a boat on the Great Lakes. Chatham-Kent is part of this: Wheatley on Lake Erie is often described as one of the biggest freshwater fishing ports.
- Commercial fishing in Ontario is licensed. Licences are issued by the provincial ministry with conditions that limit where, when, how and how much you can fish, and breaking them has real consequences.
- The work is physical and weather-driven. Boats leave early, lines and nets have to be hauled, fish sorted and iced, and the boat and gear maintained.
- Most people begin as deckhands. Owning or running a boat means holding the licence, which is hard to get, because licences are limited and generally bought or inherited.
- Fish are sold fresh or go to processing plants, so there is also work on the dock, in processing and in transport.
A Tuesday
What a normal day looks like
Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.
- 4:30 — Up in the dark. Check wind and waves before you decide whether the boat goes out.
- 5:15 — On the boat. Fuel, ice and gear checked, lines off.
- 6:30 — On the water. Haul gear, pull fish, sort by species and size, throw back what you may not keep.
- 10:00 — Fish on ice. A short break, and then reset the gear.
- 13:00 — Back at the dock. Unload, weigh, record the catch for the licence paperwork.
- 14:30 — Wash down the boat, repair nets, refuel.
- 16:00 — Fish to the plant or market. Settle numbers.
- 17:30 — Home, tired in the way of a day outdoors. Check the forecast again.
Honestly
Who loves this, and who should not do it
The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.
- You like working outdoors on the water and you are not bothered by early mornings.
- You are strong, steady and good with tools and machinery.
- You follow rules and safety procedures carefully when the weather is turning.
- You like variable days that depend on wind, season and fish.
- You are interested in owning a small harvesting business someday.
- Cold, wet, rough water or motion sickness make you miserable.
- You need a predictable schedule and income.
- You dislike paperwork, since licences, logs and quotas matter.
- You do not want physical work with fish, ice and heavy gear.
- You want to own a boat soon. Licences are limited and costly.
The route in
How you actually get there in Ontario
Get on the water and learn safety first
Boating and marine safety courses are the baseline. Transport Canada sets the rules for small commercial vessels and operators, so check what training applies to the job you are aiming at.Start as a deckhand
Ask at the harbour. Most people enter by working for a licence holder, learning the gear, the species and the weather.Understand the licence system
Commercial fishing licences are issued by Ontario's natural resources ministry and are limited. Read the ministry's current licensing and quota information before planning on getting your own.Learn the business
Boat costs, fuel, quota management, insurance and selling the catch decide whether the operation makes money. Many operators also diversify into processing or sales.
Where this comes from: Ontario: Commercial fishing · Job Bank: Fishermen/women in Ontario (outlook) · Transport Canada: Boating and marine safety
The money
What it pays in Ontario
Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.
Job Bank does not publish an Ontario wage figure for fishers (NOC 83121). Most commercial fishers are owners or share-based crew whose income depends on the catch, the market price, quota and costs, so a single hourly rate would mislead. Ask people at the harbour how crew are paid, and read Job Bank's page for context.
Before you leave school
Things you can do now
- Take a boating or marine safety course if one is offered nearby.
- Spend a day at the harbour in Wheatley or Erieau and ask who is hiring deckhands.
- Try a summer job in fish processing or at a marina to see if you like the work and the weather.
- Read your school's co-op options. A co-op at a fishery or marine business is worth asking about.
Test it
Do this before you decide anything
Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.
Spend a morning at a working harbour
About 120 minutes- Pick a working harbour on Lake Erie. Go early, when boats come in.
- Watch the unloading and ask one person what time they started and what part of the job is hardest.
- Ask how deckhands get hired and what training they need.
- Write down whether you felt drawn to the work or only to the idea of it.
What it tells you. If you came away wanting to ask more questions and picturing yourself in the work, that is a real signal. If the smell, the cold or the early hour put you off, it is better to learn that standing on a dock than in your first season on a boat.
Better than any article
Questions for somebody who does this job
Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.
- “What time did your day start, and what was the hardest part of it?”
- “How did you get your first job on a boat?”
- “How are crew paid, and what happens in a bad season?”
- “What licence rules matter most to your day-to-day?”
- “What would you do if you could not fish for a season?”
- “What do you wish people knew about this work?”
Could you own one of these?
The part other career sites never mention
Yes, but with a big caveat: commercial licences are limited and generally bought from existing holders, so most people start as crew. Related businesses, such as processing, retail, or charter fishing under different rules, can be more accessible.
Not sure this is the right list to be reading
Start from yourself, not from the job.
Future Finder is free, takes about ten minutes, needs no account and stores nothing. It will tell you which kinds of work you lean toward, and which of these pages are worth your time.
Parent of a teenager weighing this up? Career coaching for teens gets them talking to people who do the work, anywhere in Ontario.
If this appeals, look at these too
farmer conservation officer livestock worker
More in building & making
Computer engineer Computer network technician Computer programmer
Read next
What to do after high school Jobs for teens in Ontario Figuring out what fits you All careers guides
Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.