How to become a Fisher
Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 水产捕捞工
Also called: Aquatic Plant and Animal Gatherer, Freshwater Fisher, Sea Fisher
Catches, harvests and handles aquatic animals and plants with fishing boats and fishing and collecting gear.
Main tasks
- Choosing fishing grounds and times to suit the season and the catch
- Checking and assembling nets, equipment and tools
- Harvesting aquatic plants with tools and equipment
- Steering fishing boats, setting and hauling nets and bringing in the catch
- Handling and processing the catch
- Maintaining boats, equipment and fishing tools
AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- The census group Fishery Production Workers holds 0.37% of everyone employed in China; 26% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
- 15.7% are under 35, 53.5% are 35 to 54 and 30.8% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 45 to 49.
- Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.
Related jobs
Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz
Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of a Fisher?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.
Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.
Updated 4 October 2026