SOC 45-3031.00

    Fishing and Hunting Workers

    Hunt, trap, catch, or gather wild animals or aquatic animals and plants.

    Median pay
    Not reported
    Growth
    -4.2%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    3,300
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Not reported in the 2025 federal data

    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    28,200 people work in this occupation.

    What fishing and hunting workers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Hunt, trap, catch, or gather wild animals or aquatic animals and plants. May use nets, traps, or other equipment. May haul catch onto ship or other vessel.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    21 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    1 / 100
    Social (S)
    1 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    17 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    38 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    79
    Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
    78
    Performing General Physical Activities
    78
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    71
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    68
    Getting Information
    67
    Handling and Moving Objects
    67
    Thinking Creatively
    67
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    66
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    63
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Coordination
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Speaking
    • Monitoring
    • Time Management
    • Active Listening
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Instructing
    • Learning Strategies

    Knowledge

    • Geography
    • Mechanical
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Law and Government
    • Biology
    • English Language
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Education and Training
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Public Safety and Security

    Abilities

    • Spatial Orientation
    • Far Vision
    • Static Strength
    • Flexibility of Closure
    • Near Vision
    • Trunk Strength
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Control Precision

    Work styles

    • Perseverance
    • Dependability
    • Adaptability
    • Integrity
    • Cautiousness
    • Self-Control
    • Tolerance for Ambiguity
    • Initiative
    • Attention to Detail
    • Optimism

    Also called

    Abalone Fisherman · Albacore Fishing Boat Crewman · Alligator Hunter · Alligator Trapper · Animal Bounty Hunter · Animal Damage Control Agent · Animal Trapper · Bait Man · Beachman · Bird Trapper

    Career pathway

    From your interests to fishing and hunting workers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Fishing and Hunting WorkersPay not reported

    3. Majors

      • Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management32 colleges

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point logo
      University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

      Stevens Point, WI · Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $40,837
      4 yrs after
      $52,424
      Median debt
      $20,192
    2. 2California Polytechnic State University-Humboldt logo
      California Polytechnic State University-Humboldt

      Arcata, CA · Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $50,525
      Median debt
      Not reported
    3. 3University of Rhode Island URI logo
      University of Rhode Island URI

      Kingston, RI · Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $48,348
      Median debt
      Not reported
    4. 4Oregon State University logo
      Oregon State University

      Corvallis, OR · Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $39,669
      4 yrs after
      $48,077
      Median debt
      $28,000
    5. 5Texas A & M University-College Station logo
      Texas A & M University-College Station

      College Station, TX · Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $32,373
      4 yrs after
      $47,918
      Median debt
      $20,250
    6. 6Lake Superior State University logo
      Lake Superior State University

      Sault Ste Marie, MI · Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $39,894
      4 yrs after
      $44,090
      Median debt
      $20,500
    7. 7Purdue University-Main Campus logo
      Purdue University-Main Campus

      West Lafayette, IN · Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $33,684
      4 yrs after
      $40,053
      Median debt
      $17,750

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What fishing and hunting workers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    20 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.