Also called: Skipper, Fishing Boat Captain
Commands a commercial fishing boat and crew, deciding where, when, and how to fish.
Reads sonar and weather to find fish, runs a crew through 20-hour days during an Alaska crab or salmon season, and is responsible for everyone's safety in dangerous seas. Some boat owners earn a lot in good seasons.
Estimate; depends on catch and share of the boat's earnings.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 8 years after high school. Years of experience as a deckhand plus a Coast Guard captain's license.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Marine Transportation.
Growing slowly. Volatile with fish stocks and regulations.
Low risk for 10 years. Sonar, GPS and AI fish-finding help, but commanding a boat and crew through weather at sea stays human leadership.
Classes: Earth science, Physical education, Business or entrepreneurship, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 53-5021.
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.