Fisheries

WATCH AN INTRODUCTION TO FISHERIES

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT

When using the term ‘fishery’, we usually mean the entire industry of catching, processing, and selling fish. In this guide, by using the term ‘fisheries’ or ‘fishing industry’ we exclude aquaculture and include activities such as catching, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing and selling fish and fish products. To understand the fishing industry chain, we can divide the industry in three sectors: a) The commercial sector which involves mostly large-scale commercial fishing, fish processing towards the production of fish products, and lastly, marketing of fish products. b) The traditional sector referring to the traditional fishing industry consisting of small-scale commercial fishing practices, clearly differentiated from modern and almost exclusively large-scale fishing practices and methods. c) The recreational sector which addresses the needs of the recreational fishing industry, involving manufacturing and retailing of a variety of products and services for this industry (e.g. fishing boats, fishing services and products, apparel, chartering in experiential fishing tourism sector, fishing ‘adventures’ etc.)

The fishery products industry is a highly globalised and interconnected industry, directly related to social and economic life in terms of employment, consumption, ecological and environmental health, as well as sustainability of both fishing communities and fish stock (including the issues of illegal fishing and overfishing). The European union is the world’s biggest seafood market, while its fishing industry is among the world’s 4 largest, supplying approximately 6.4 million tonnes of fish each year (80% of production comes from fisheries). Fishing and fish processing on the other hand provide jobs for over 350,000 people. (Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Denmark are the largest producers in terms of volume in the EU.

Fishing plays a crucial role for employment and economic activity in several EU regions – in some European coastal communities the fishing sector accounts for as many as half the local jobs. Employment in the fishing sector tends to be concentrated in a
handful of countries. Spain, Denmark, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands are the five largest producers in the EU for fisheries. These countries also have the largest consumption of fish products. Spain alone accounts for 25% of the total employment, and the four countries with the highest levels of employment – Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal – make up around 73% (2015). Also, they have the largest fish markets for the main commercial species within the EU.

Commercial Fishing
Fish processing
Production of fish products
Marketing of fish products
Recreational fishing industry
Fisheries Science
Fisheries law
Fisheries management

Meet professionals working in fisheries in the menu Interview.

There are 1,000’s of opportunities in this sector, here are a few examples:

Fisherman
Fishing boat captain or fishing charter operator
Fisheries officers
Fish and seafood brokers
Fish processor
Marine scientist, a marine environment economist, a fish biologist, a fish observer, a research chemist
Manager of a fish processing plant

Fisherman: A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. Fishermen may be professional or recreational and may be both men or women. Fishing has existed as a means of obtaining food since the Mesolithic period.

Fishing boat captain or fishing charter operator: Fishers and boat captains who operation fishing boats retrieve fish and other water animal products from oceans, seas, lakes and rivers. A crew consists of a captain, first mate, a boatswain, known as a deckboss on smaller ships, and laborers known as deckhands. These crew members are necessary to man a commercial fishing boat mile away from the harbor. The captain supervises and coordinates all the activities on a fishing boat, including: planning the fishing trip by determining where to fish and what kind of fish to catch, the length of the trip, and the processing plants to sell the fish.

Fisheries officers :A fishery officer investigates, detects and prevents the pollution of waters to protect the aquatic environment, and also protects the general public from consuming toxic and bacteriological contaminated fish and shellfish that can lead to serious health problems. A fishery officer is the government's first line of support. They are trained to carry out a large range of duties both on land and at sea. They participate in public education and in awareness of habitat protection and fishery resources. They enforce the fisheries act and other regulations and they protect fish habitats and resources by conducting patrols at sea, in the air and on land.

Fish and seafood brokers: A broker sells the product for a producer to a buyer further down the distribution chain, usually a retailer or food service outlet. When the producer enlists the services of a broker, he outsources his marketing function, including sales and promotion responsibilities. While the seafood broker finds markets, arranges logistics, and secures payment, the producer remains the owner of the product until it reaches the buyer. Broker services range from moving large volumes of product to grocers or secondary processors, to representing small amounts of product to niche markets. For this service, a broker receives a commission on the sale value.

Fish processor: Seafood Processors are found in seafood processing units and complete the following duties: cleaning and filleting products, placing raw materials on belts, discarding defective items, operating machines to move seafood, and ensuring workspace cleanliness and safety. A Seafood Processor should have the following skills: good practical abilities, dexterity, knowledge of food safety standards, teamwork, time management, and organization.

Marine scientist: Marine scientists research the sea and study its interactions with its organisms, sea floors, coastal areas and the atmosphere.Marine scientists may work in the field, in an office setting or on a sea vessel such as a floating laboratory.

Marine environment economist: A job as a Marine Resource Economist falls under the broader career category of Environmental Economists. Here is the job description for Environmental Economists: Conduct economic analysis related to environmental protection and use of the natural environment, such as water, air, land, and renewable energy resources. Evaluate and quantify benefits, costs, incentives, and impacts of alternative options using economic principles and statistical techniques.

Fish biologist: Fisheries biologists are scientists who study fish and their habitats. Because fisheries biology is mostly focused on the behavior of fish in their natural surroundings, scientists who work in this profession spend a lot of time outside. This career is a good choice for anyone who is interested in biology and likes to spend time in wilderness areas (https://work.chron.com/job-description-fisheries-biologist-18553.html).

Fish observer: A fisheries observer is an independent specialist who serves on board commercial fishing vessels, or in fish processing plants and other platforms, and is employed by a fisheries observer program, either directly by a government agency or by a third party contractor. Observers spend anywhere from 1 day to 3 months out at sea before returning to be “debriefed”. A debriefing consists of reviewing any unusual occurrences or observations, violations observed, and any safety problems or other hardships they endured during the trip. These data are then integrated into the regional agency’s database used to monitor fish quotas. Observers are usually the only independent data collection source for some types of at-sea information, such as bycatch, catch composition, and gear configuration data. Independent data collection in this context refers to data that is not potentially biased by the fishermen. Creel surveys, trip reports, and other data obtained directly from fishermen can have some dependent bias associated with it. Fisheries-dependent information is critical for the responsible management and conservation of living marine resources, and many worldwide marine resource management regimes utilize fisheries observers for the collection of this data. The integrity of a fisheries observer program is a function of the conduct, morale, and performance of its employees. Moreover, the stature and stability of a program has direct bearing on the quality of its data products and on the level of confidence that scientists, managers, and policy makers are able to ascribe to the use of this data.

Research chemist: Research scientists are responsible for designing, undertaking and analysing information from controlled laboratory-based investigations, experiments and trials. You could work for government laboratories, environmental organisations, specialistresearch organisations or universities.

Manager of a fish processing plant: A manager is responsible for Safety, Quality, Production, Sanitation, Shipping, Receiving, and Maintenance, as well as recruiting, motivating and retaining a processing team on multiple shifts.

Interview 1

With thanks to: Eleftherios Arapakis

Can you tell us a little about your job?

I work for a social enterprise that aims to improve each fisherman’s fishing skills. It is an award-winning youth initiative aimed at attracting people to the fisheries sector, educating them and at the same time creating conditions for sustainable fishing.

Can you explain us more about the career opportunities in the sector?

The fisheries sector is distinguished in coastal fishing, that means the distance from the coast and secondly, the trawler fishing. Indicatively, in coastal fishing, one can either work as a crew member or have a fishing vessel and work on it. With the change of legislation in 2016, fishing tourism was legitimized, which is a new venture for the fishing industry. In the trawler fishing, the boatswain, the engineer and the captain are referred to.

Interview 2

With thanks to: Nikos Syrigos

What is a fishing trip and what process is being followed?

The fishing trip is the ability of the tourist to hire a boat and go for fishing with a trainer or a knowledgeable person on the coast, river, lake or fishing in these places. The excursionist who pays the boat, the equipment, the baits (all of them are in the package of the fishing trip) books an appointment online via the platform, that is the excursion that interests him. Wherever there are many organizers in Greece, either at sea or in fresh waters, there is the possibility to organize this trip with your company. So far, this activity has taken place mainly abroad but there are reservations every day in Greece, Chania, Ionian and Chalkidiki. The tourist finds on the page where to go, sees the available organizers and selects the type of fishing trip because each organizer can have different excursions such as a 4-6 hour guided tour or a one-day or multi-day excursion

What are the reasons why you were interested in working with the fishing trips?

Fishing excursions are a thematic tourism promoted by the Ministry of Tourism for tourism all year around in Greece, not only in coastal areas but also in mountainous areas where lakes and rivers are combined with the legislation that allows us. Changing the legislation has led to the creation of this new business venture. The first change concerns the abolition of the license for amateur fishing, so the tourist or the Greek can go fishing without having to produce special law papers and the second change in 2015 allows professional fishermen to board tourists on their boats and therefore they receive the permission for fishing tourism. Until recently, anyone who was on board had to be a professional fisherman or employee.

What are your competencies?

Our responsibility is to promote the fishing trips of all the organizers from professional fishing boats, rental companies, recreational boats, small boats on the beaches to interested foreign tourists or within our country. We provide training for fishermen on legislative issues, possible modifications to the vessel, and updates on their local market. The potential organizer completes the organizer’s application form through our platform, we evaluate him / her if he / she is able to organize the fishing trip and then sign an extensive contract to ensure himself / herself, the tourist and us.