Job expectations and requirements for fishery officers

Learn about the working and employment conditions for fishery officers.

On this page

• Working conditions
• Employment conditions
• Related links

Working conditions

Expect physical and psychological extremes in this line of work.

Physical

In addition to the weight of your own gear, you’ll have to lift items weighing more than 20 kilograms daily, such as:

• fish
• ATVs
• snowmobiles
• seized fishing gear

These physical requirements call for:

• strength, coordination, balance and dexterity
• adequate cardiovascular capacity for dealing with physical activity and stressful situations, such as arresting violators

Your land, air and sea patrols will last for hours or days. At times, you must remain stationary for lengthy periods while:

• conducting surveillance
• driving or operating a program vessel
• working in the office at a computer terminal

Be prepared for health risks on a regular basis while performing arrests and enforcement activities. You’ll be in contact with aggressive, violent and/or ill individuals. Illness may include contagious diseases.

Psychological

While your body may be able to cope with the physical demands, your mind must also deal with:

• irregular and long working hours
• multiple shift and scheduling changes
• frequent long periods of isolation from family and community

Because of how unpredictable enforcement actions can be, there’s potential for serious accidents, injuries or illness. So, you must be mentally and emotionally prepared. For instance, you may become a target for violence if your identity is discovered during an infiltration operation. You may need to use deadly force in such instances.

Your training will prepare you to address these situations.

Employment conditions

To be a fishery officer, you must first complete the Fishery Officer Career Progression Program classroom training.

You will also need to:

• pass a general competency test
• meet our use of force proficiency standards
• wear a uniform and certain protective clothing
• meet medical, psychological and other general standards
• carry and use firearms and other restricted and prohibited weapons
• have a valid driver's licence as well as current certificates in first aid and CPR
• accept deployment to any part of the country, or assignment to different enforcement activities, such as patrols that are:
  • inland
  • coastal
  • offshore (including air patrols)

Related links

• Training and recruitment
• Fishery officer work description
• Fisheries Act