Use nets, fishing rods, traps, or other equipment to catch and gather fish or other aquatic animals from rivers, lakes, or oceans, for human consumption or other uses. May haul game onto ship.
30 of 30 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Sort, pack, and store catch in holds with salt and ice.
AI: Fully automatable - Sorting, packing and cold-storage of catch are standard in industrial processing and can be fully automated with conveyors, robotic sorters, and AI-controlled refrigeration and packing systems.
Locate fish, using fish-finding equipment.
AI: Fully automatable - AI models already analyze sonar, radar, and satellite data to detect and predict fish location and can fully perform the locating task when integrated with fish-finding equipment.
Compute positions and plot courses on charts to navigate vessels, using instruments such as compasses, sextants, and charts.
AI: Fully automatable - Modern navigation systems and AI can compute positions, plot courses, and replace manual compass/sextant computations, enabling full automation of the plotting and navigation computations.
Monitor distribution of proceeds from sales of catches to ensure that crew members receive their prearranged portions.
AI: Fully automatable - Monitoring and allocating proceeds is routine bookkeeping and rule‑based computation that AI systems can fully automate, track transactions, and flag discrepancies given access to the sales data.
Record in logbooks specifics of fishing activities such as dates, harvest areas, yields, and weather and sea conditions.
AI: Fully automatable - Recording dates, locations, yields and environmental conditions is straightforward sensor/data‑capture and logging work that can be fully automated with GPS, sensors, and transcription systems.
Estimate costs of operations and plan fishing season budgets accordingly.
AI: Fully automatable - Estimating operating costs and producing seasonal budgets is a data‑driven forecasting and optimization task that current AI and software tools can perform end‑to‑end given adequate inputs.
Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments.
AI: Partial - Autopilots and AI navigation systems can steer vessels and process navigational instruments, but complex fishing maneuvers and regulatory/operator trust mean humans still supervise and intervene.
Put fishing equipment into the water and anchor or tow equipment, according to the fishing method used.
AI: Partial - Winches, cranes and deployment systems can be automated under AI control for putting gear into water and towing, but diverse gear types, sea states and decision-making mean partial automation predominates.
Maintain engines, fishing gear, and other on-board equipment and perform minor repairs.
AI: Partial - AI can provide diagnostics, predictive maintenance and guided instructions for engine and gear repairs, but the manual, hands-on repair work remains largely human-driven in 2025.
Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size.
AI: Partial - AI vision and measurement systems can identify and size fish but cannot reliably perform the varied, wet, physically delicate removal tasks on most vessels without human or specialized robotic hardware.
Return undesirable or illegal catches to the water.
AI: Partial - AI can identify undesirable/illegal catches and prompt or guide release procedures, but the physical act of returning fish to the water remains largely manual or requires specialized robotics not widely deployed.
Harvest marine life for human or animal consumption, using diving or dredging equipment, traps, barges, rods, reels, or tackle.
AI: Partial - Some harvesting (dredging, trap retrieval) is automatable with ROVs and mechanized gear, but diverse species, delicate sorting, and variable sea conditions mean AI/robots cannot fully replace human fishers in 2025.
Pull and guide nets, traps, and lines onto vessels, by hand or using hoisting equipment.
AI: Partial - Winches and automated hoists can assist, and AI can coordinate them, but the unpredictable, heavy, and often manual handling of nets and lines aboard many vessels prevents full AI-only automation as of 2025.
Direct fishing operations, and supervise fishing crew members.
AI: Partial - AI can plan operations, monitor performance, and provide decision support, but human leadership, complex judgment, and crew management mean supervision is only partially automatable.
Hire qualified crew members, and assign their duties.
AI: Partial - AI can screen applicants, assess qualifications, and suggest assignments, yet hiring decisions and crew management involve legal, interpersonal, and contextual factors that still need human final authority.
Signal other workers to move, hoist, and position loads.
AI: Partial - AI can generate and communicate signals or control equipment remotely, yet most signaling involving human crew coordination and on-the-spot judgment remains only partially automatable.
Oversee the purchase of supplies, gear, and equipment such as fuel, netting, and cables.
AI: Partial - Procurement can be automated and optimized by AI, but overseeing purchases typically requires managerial judgment, vendor relationships, and exception handling that prevent full automation.
Plan fishing operations, establishing the fish to be sought, the fishing location, the method of capture, and the duration of the trip.
AI: Partial - AI can plan trips using species distribution models, weather and fuel optimization to produce viable fishing plans, but final operational choices and risk trade-offs remain under human control.
Attach nets, slings, hooks, blades, or lifting devices to cables, booms, hoists, or dredges.
AI: Partial - Attaching rigging is a skilled manual task in variable, hazardous conditions; AI can assist or control powered equipment but cannot universally perform the physical rigging without specialized actuators.
Stand lookout for schools of fish, and for steering and engine-room watches.
AI: Partial - Computer vision and automated sensors can detect fish schools and monitor engines, enabling automated watches in some contexts, but reliability, regulatory requirements, and complex situational awareness currently keep humans involved.
Transport fish to processing plants or to buyers.
AI: Partial - AI can coordinate logistics, route planning, and scheduling for transport, but the physical conveyance of fish (drivers, loading/unloading) is not fully automated at scale by 2025.
Interpret weather and vessel conditions to determine appropriate responses.
AI: Partial - AI systems can analyze weather forecasts and vessel telemetry and recommend or autonomously suggest responses, but human judgment and on-board decision-making in safety-critical, rapidly changing conditions still require human oversight in 2025.
Operate rowboats, dinghies, or skiffs to transport fishers, divers, or sponge hookers or to tow and position fishing equipment.
AI: Partial - Remote-controlled and autonomous small craft exist and can perform transport/tow tasks in constrained conditions, but safe, general-purpose operation in open, dynamic marine environments is not fully automated yet.
Sell catches by contacting and negotiating with buyers or by sending catches to fish auctions.
AI: Partial - Automation and AI can list catches, contact buyers, and handle standard negotiations or auction submissions, but relationship management, complex negotiations, and logistics coordination still require human involvement.
Wash decks, conveyors, knives, and other equipment, using brushes, detergents, and water.
AI: Partial - Automated cleaning systems and robots can perform routine washdown and sanitization tasks, but variable deck geometry, delicate tools (knives), and harsh marine environments limit full autonomous replacement of human cleaners today.
Club or gaff large fish to enable hauling them into fishing vessel.
AI: Partial - Gaffing large fish is a dynamic, high‑force manual task in unstructured marine conditions where AI/robotics can provide guidance or limited mechanization but cannot fully replace human dexterity and reliability in 2025.
Connect accessories such as floats, weights, flags, lights, or markers to nets, lines, or traps.
AI: Partial - Robotic manipulators and remotely operated systems can attach standardized accessories in controlled settings, yet the variability and manual dexterity needed in dynamic fishing conditions make full automation partial in practice.
Load and unload vessel equipment and supplies, by hand or using hoisting equipment.
AI: Partial - Cranes and hoists already automate many loading/unloading tasks and tele-operated systems help, but complex, unstructured handling aboard vessels still often requires human labor and judgment.
Share fishing expertise through activities such as writing for fishing magazines, hosting television shows, or testing and endorsing fishing equipment.
AI: Partial - AI can generate articles, scripts, and synthetic media and assist with product evaluations, but genuine hands‑on testing, credible endorsements, and authentic on‑camera presence are only partially automatable.
Participate in wildlife management, disease control, and research activities.
AI: Partial - AI can substantially support wildlife management and research through data analysis, monitoring, and modeling, but it cannot fully perform field operations, policy decision‑making, or hands‑on disease control unaided.