83120 Fishing masters and officers

What this occupation covers

Fishing masters and officers manage and operate saltwater and freshwater fishing vessels greater than 100 gross tonnes to pursue and land fish and other marine life. They are employed by establishments engaged in operating commercial fishing vessels.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 6 main duties for this code.

• Command fishing vessels to catch fish and other marine life
• Determine areas for fishing, plot courses and compute navigational positions using compasses, charts, tables and other aids
• Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments and electronic fishing aids such as echo sounders and chart plotters
• Direct fishing operations and supervise crew activities
• Record fishing progress, crew activities, weather and sea conditions on ship's log
• Select and train vessel crews.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 6 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 72602 Deck officers, water transport
• 83121 Fishermen/women
• 72603 Engineer officers, water transport

Excluded from this code

• Deck officers, water transport (See 72602 Deck officers, water transport)
• Fishermen/women (See 83121 Fishermen/women)
• Fishing vessel chief engineer (See 72603 Engineer officers, water transport)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

factory freezer trawler captain · fishing master · fishing vessel boatswain · fishing vessel bo'sun · fishing vessel captain · fishing vessel deck officer · fishing vessel first mate · fishing vessel master · fishing vessel mate · fishing vessel navigation officer · fishing vessel second mate · offshore fishing vessel captain · trawler captain

Employment requirements

• Some secondary school education is usually required.
• One to two years of experience as a fishing vessel deckhand is required.
• Captains require one year of service as officer in charge of the watch.
• A Fishing Master's Certificate is required for all occupations in this unit group.
• Marine Emergency Duties Certificate is required by Transport Canada.
• A valid Fishing Vessel Operator Certificate is required for all occupations in this unit group.
• A commercial fishing licence is required.