Annual Salary
£21,000 to £30,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Marine careers or Port management or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Marine careers or Port management or go back to all job sectors
Deckhands maintain fishing gear and nets, process catches and keep work areas clean on fishing vessels.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
0.9% fewer Fishing boat deckhand jobs in 2027.
As a fishing boat deckhand, you'll:
You may need to wear protective clothing.
You could work on a boat.
Your working environment may be physically demanding, outdoors in all weathers, cramped and you may spend nights away from home.
You can get into this job through:
You may be able to start by doing a course in maritime studies at a fishing industry training college, then apply for work as a trainee deckhand on a fishing vessel.
On a course, you'll learn:
You'll also get training in sea safety and first aid.
You could apply to do a Fisher Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship can take up to 2 years to complete.
If you have some sea-going experience and the correct safety certificates, you may be able to find work by contacting vessel skippers directly and train on the job.
You could find out more about the Introduction to Commercial Fishing course, which is backed by Seafish, who support the UK's fishing industry.
The course is for anyone looking to work on a commercial vessel. It covers basic industry skills and knowledge, along with 4 mandatory training units that you'll need to work onboard a boat.
You'll need to:
You'll need to be willing to move if necessary, as fishing industry training centres tend to be located near established fishing ports around the country.
You can find more information about careers in the fishing industry from Seafish.
With experience, you could work towards becoming a skipper. Inshore skippers can operate their own small boat up to 16.5m. Further training is needed for larger vessels.
You could also use your experience to move into related areas like the Merchant Navy or harbour tug work.
If you do training in mechanical, electrical or marine engineering, you could become a trainee engineer on a fishing vessel.
You'll need: