Also called: NOAA Fisheries Observer, At-Sea Monitor
Lives aboard commercial fishing boats collecting scientific data on what's caught.
Spends weeks at sea on a trawler in the Bering Sea, measuring and sampling fish, recording seabird and mammal interactions, and reporting data used to set fishing rules. A rugged adventure for new biology grads.
Estimate; pay includes days at sea.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in a biological science plus a 3-week training course.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Marine Biology, Fisheries Science, Biology, Oceanography.
Growing slowly. Steady.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Onboard cameras with AI catch-counting are replacing many observer trips; human observers remain on some boats.
Classes: Biology, AP Statistics, Physical education, Marine science elective.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.