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Fisherman & Aquaculture Harvester

Agriculture

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.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Agriculture

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments.
  2. 2Scrape fat, blubber, or flesh from skin sides of pelts with knives or hand scrapers.
  3. 3Patrol trap lines or nets to inspect settings, remove catch, and reset or relocate traps.
  4. 4Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size.
  5. 5Direct fishing or hunting operations, and supervise crew members.
  6. 6Locate fish, using fish-finding equipment.
  7. 7Interpret weather and vessel conditions to determine appropriate responses.
  8. 8Kill or stun trapped quarry, using clubs, poisons, guns, or drowning methods.
  9. 9Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
  10. 10Maintain and repair trapping equipment.
  11. 11Obtain permission from landowners to hunt or trap on their land.
  12. 12Select, bait, and set traps, and lay poison along trails, according to species, size, habits, and environs of birds or animals and reasons for trapping them.
  13. 13Maintain engines, fishing gear, and other on-board equipment and perform minor repairs.
  14. 14Put fishing equipment into the water and anchor or tow equipment, according to the fishing method used.
  15. 15Compute positions and plot courses on charts to navigate vessels, using instruments such as compasses, sextants, and charts.
  16. 16Sort, pack, and store catch in holds with salt and ice.
  17. 17Obtain required approvals for using poisons or traps, and notify persons in areas where traps and poison are set.
  18. 18Skin quarry, using knives, and stretch pelts on frames to be cured.
  19. 19Track animals by checking for signs such as droppings or destruction of vegetation.
  20. 20Transport fish to processing plants or to buyers.
  21. 21Connect accessories such as floats, weights, flags, lights, or markers to nets, lines, or traps.
  22. 22Wash decks, conveyors, knives, and other equipment, using brushes, detergents, and water.
  23. 23Harvest marine life for human or animal consumption, using diving or dredging equipment, traps, barges, rods, reels, or tackle.
  24. 24Attach nets, slings, hooks, blades, or lifting devices to cables, booms, hoists, or dredges.
  25. 25Release quarry from traps or nets and transfer to cages.
  26. 26Teach or guide individuals or groups unfamiliar with specific hunting methods or types of prey.
  27. 27Oversee the purchase of supplies, gear, and equipment.
  28. 28Participate in animal damage control, wildlife management, disease control, and research activities.
  29. 29Load and unload vessel equipment and supplies, by hand or using hoisting equipment.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Diver
  • Eeler
  • Chaser
  • Choker
  • Dulser
  • Gunner
  • Hooker
  • Hunter
  • Netter
  • Pelter

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationLess than high school

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

GeographyDraws directly on Geography — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
PhysicsDraws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Mechanical — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
History (Sejarah)Draws directly on Law and Government — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Geography69%

    Geography

  • Mechanical68%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Law and Government66%

    History (Sejarah)

  • Customer and Personal Service66%
  • Biology66%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • English Language61%

    English

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersA little
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
  • Noisy environmentEvery day

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Operate and maintain drone technology for aerial surveillance of hunting and fishing areas.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Fishing and Hunting Workers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue