Deckhand

As a fisherman, our job is to go to sea and catch all different species of fish and shellfish using different fishing methods such as trawling, netting, long lining or using pots. Fish can be targeted using electronic equipment like sonars to scan the water below your vessel or plotters to find shipwrecks which are good fishing spots or just good knowledge of the area you are fishing in. 

Commercial fishing is a very physically challenging job due to the heavy lifting involved and trying to battle the state of the sea can be very difficult. You also must be very strong willed as it can be mentally tough as well when the catches are low and lack of sleep you can get. 

You need to have training to be able to go to sea. The courses are a day in duration and the five mandatory courses are: 

• Basic sea survival 
• Basic first aid
• Basic firefighting and Prevention
• Basic health and safety 

All new fishermen must do the Basic Sea Survival course before going to sea for the first time.  The other sources must be done within 3 months of starting work as a fisherman.  These are all run by many training organisations.

For more information, see:

National Careers Service: Fishing boat deckhand | Explore careers | National Careers Service

Gov.uk: Fishing certification and training – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Information about the employer

Jack’s advice:

I fish with my stepfather. The job itself is a very informal job so there are no interviews as such, you might just be asked if you have any experience already, but fishermen are always wanted so it would be a surprise if you cannot get a job on a boat anywhere.  There is a website called “find a fishing boat” which a lot of people use and there is a section on the website for jobs, so people wanting crew will post on there and you can find a job fishing and contact the person from there.