Suitability

One of the most important conditions of employment is that you must pass an Enhanced Secret Clearance check by the Government of Canada. This clearance is mandatory for all federal enforcement officers. It shows Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) that you are trustworthy and capable of handling sensitive information, accessing secure government facilities, and working in environments where confidentiality and integrity must be maintained at all times.

The duties of a fishery officer require physical strength, coordination, stamina, and the ability to remain active or stationary for extended periods during patrols, surveillance, vehicle operation, or office work. For example, in addition to the weight of your own gear (soft body armour, duty belt and enforcement tools), you'll often have to lift, carry and maneuver items weighing more than 20 kilograms such as fishing gear, duffle bags filled with specialized equipment, ATVs, etc. Therefore, candidates must meet and maintain standards of physical health. This includes undergoing a series of medical assessments that evaluate your vision, hearing, and colour perception, as well as your overall physical health.

As a fishery officer, you should not suffer from a medical condition which could result in sudden incapacitation or require emergency medical care.

Vision

Your duties require that you can see in a variety of lighting conditions, and that you have proper red, green and blue colour vision. You also need good peripheral and night vision for safety and operational reasons.

You must be able to:

• distinguish colours
• detect signal and navigation lights
• identify objects and people at a distance to accurately testify in court

You must pass a vision test to become a fishery officer. The standard without corrective lenses is 6/30 in both eyes. This means you can see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision can see from 30 metres away. Your colour vision must be tested every two years, along with your regular vision.

If you have reduced vision, you can still meet the requirements for the position if your doctor indicates that:

• with corrective lenses, your:
  • better eye can see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision can see from 9 metres away
  • other eye can see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision can see from 30 metres away
• your depth perception is suitable
• your visual defect is unlikely to interfere with performing your duties safely
• your visual fields allows you to see at least 150 degrees horizontally one eye, or binocular (both eyes together)

You'll need to get tested yearly if you have a condition that's responsible for reducing your vision.

Hearing

Fishery officers are expected to understand voice communication when others are speaking, shouting or using radio communication, often with background noise.

If you have reduced hearing, your hearing loss should be no more than an average loss of 30 dB hearing loss (HL) in each ear averaged over the frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz on a Pure Tone Audiogram (PTA), with or without hearing aid(s). 

Accommodations can be made for candidates with hearing impairments, depending on the specific requirements of the role. Each case is assessed individually to determine if accommodation is possible and the appropriate support, if applicable.

Coordination

To perform fishery officer duties, you must have normal:

• balance
• strength
• coordination
• manual dexterity for using pepper spray, a baton, firearms and handcuffs

Strength and stamina

To be a fishery officer, you must be prepared for physically demanding work in bad weather or during high-stress situations. Many fishery officer duties are conducted in or around the water, often in rough or unstable conditions or platforms, such as fishing vessels. Candidates should be comfortable working at sea where the ability to stay balanced and effective on vessels is essential for operational safety and performance.

During the selection process, land and sea-based employees are required to successfully complete a physical fitness test, such as the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation (PARE). This test simulates the physical challenges faced by fishery officers in the field and is divided into three stages:

1. an obstacle course (which tests your agility)
2. a push/pull resistance test (which tests your upper body strength)
3. a weighted carry (which tests your ability to lift and carry heavy loads unassisted over rough ground and uphill)

To be eligible for fishery officer training, candidates must first complete the PARE in 4 minutes and 45 seconds or less; to successfully graduate from the fishery officer initial training program, you must complete the test in 4 minutes or less. This ensures that all officers are physically capable of responding to emergencies and performing their duties safely and effectively.

While your body may be able to handle the physical demands, your mind must also adapt to irregular and extended hours, frequent schedule changes, time away from loved ones, public criticism, etc. That's why the psychological health check is such an important part of assessing a candidate's suitability for the job.

The psychological evaluations assess your emotional resilience, decision-making abilities, and overall mental fitness for a law enforcement role. These assessments are not just a one-time requirement—they must be maintained throughout your career to ensure you're able to do your job to your full ability.

You must not suffer from psychological issues that would:

• prohibit you from using a firearm
• result in an aggressive response in a stressful situation
• lead to unsafe behaviour while carrying out your enforcement duties

It is recommended that fishery officers be immunized against:

• tetanus
• diphtheria
• hepatitis B
• influenza & COVID-19
• baseline 2 step tuberculin skin testing

Candidates must hold a valid driver's licence, since fishery officers often need to drive specialized vehicles in remote or challenging environments. A specialized driver’s licence (for oversize/overweight vehicles) may be required once you have been hired.

First aid and CPR: all applicants must have, at a minimum, valid standard first aid and CPR certifications. This includes completing a two-day, in-person first aid course that covers Level C CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). These certifications ensure that officers can respond to medical emergencies in the field, where help may not be immediately available.

Candidates will need to complete the 19-week in-residence classroom training, fishery officer training exam, and 30 months of field training in order to become a fishery officer.

Other conditions of employment include:

• meeting DFO's use-of-force proficiency standards
• wearing a uniform and certain protective clothing
• work on short notice, shiftwork, overtime, weekends
• accepting deployments to locations as outlined by your hiring region
• accepting assignments to different enforcement activities, such as patrols