Fisheries Assistant Engineer
Snapshot
Fisheries assistant engineers assist the marine chief engineer with checking operations and maintenance of the propulsion plant, machinery and auxiliary equipment of the ship. They collaborate on security, survival and health care on board, observing the national and international standards of application.
Fisheries assistant engineers work alongside the marine chief engineer on fishing vessels, providing essential support for the ship’s operations. Your days will involve monitoring and assisting with the maintenance of the propulsion plant, machinery, and auxiliary equipment. You’ll also contribute to safety protocols, survival procedures, and health care onboard, adhering to both national and international maritime standards. This role offers a blend of technical work, problem-solving, and a commitment to a vital industry.
- • Assist the chief engineer in routine inspections and maintenance of engines, generators, and other vital shipboard systems.
- • Monitor equipment performance and identify potential issues, contributing to preventative maintenance schedules.
- • Participate in drills and training exercises related to safety, survival, and emergency procedures.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Metal, machinery and related trades workers — 106 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia and 12 more.
Longest-running shortage: Austria, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $109,530 2025-05 | +1.6% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +15.1% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Shortage reported Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £64,322 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for fisheries assistant engineer
The outlook for fisheries assistant engineer is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 75%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could fisheries assistant engineer change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- extinguish fires
- prevent sea pollution
- survive at sea in the event of ship abandonment
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- operate ship propulsion system
- operate ship rescue machinery
- use maritime English
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Supply Chain & Transportation
A typical day as a fisheries assistant engineer
09 09:00 · Morning manage ship emergency plans
10 10:30 · Mid-morning operate ship propulsion system
12 12:00 · Midday prevent sea pollution
14 14:00 · Afternoon coordinate fire fighting
15 15:30 · Late afternoon operate ship rescue machinery
17 17:00 · Wrap-up extinguish fires
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
-
extinguish fires
Choose the adequate substances and methods to extinguish fires depending on their size, such as water and various chemical agents. Use a breathing apparatus.
-
prevent sea pollution
Organize and monitor environment protection applying the regulations for pollution prevention at sea.
-
coordinate fire fighting
Organize and direct the operations of fire fighting, according to the ship's emergency plans to ensure safety.
-
manage ship emergency plans
Organize and manage emergency operations, flooding, abandoning ship, survival at sea, search and rescue of shipwrecked, according to the ship's emergency plans, to ensure the safety
-
survive at sea in the event of ship abandonment
Identify muster signals and what emergencies they signal. Comply with established procedures. Don and use a lifejacket or an immersion suit. Safely jump into the water from a height. Swim and right an inverted liferaft while wearing a swim while wearing a lifejacket. Keep afloat without a lifejacket. Board a survival craft from the ship, or from the water while wearing a lifejacket. Take initial actions on boarding survival craft to enhance chance of survival. Stream a drogue or sea-anchor. Operate survival craft equipment. Operate location devices, including radio equipment.
-
use maritime English
Communicate in English employing language used in actual situations on board ships, in ports and elsewhere in the shipping chain.
-
operate ship propulsion system
Perform start-up and subsequent observation of the working parameters of the ship's propulsion system. Check the operating parameters of electric generators in the switchboard, power sources and electrical and electronic equipment and navigation lights. Verify that the operating parameters of pneumatic and hydraulic systems are within the values. Perform simple maintenance procedures, repair and replacement of damaged items.
-
operate ship rescue machinery
Operate rescue boats and survival craft. Launch the boats as required and operate their equipment. Take care of survivors and survival craft after abandoning ship. Use electronic devices to track and communicate location, including communications and signalling apparatus and pyrotechnics.
fisheries legislation
The study and analysis of different fisheries management approaches taking into account international treaties and industry norms in order to analyze fisheries management regulations.
fishing vessels
Denomination of the different elements and equipment of fishing vessels.
international regulations for preventing collisions at sea
Fundamental aspects of the international regulations to prevent collisions at sea, such as the conduct of vessels in sight of one another, navigation lights and markers, major light and accoustic signals, maritime signalling and buoys.
risks associated with undertaking fishing operations
General risks occuring when working on fishing boats and specific risks occurring only in some fishing modalities. Prevention of threats and accidents.
- International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
- pollution prevention
- assessment of risks and threats
- fisheries management
- Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
- quality of fish products
Path to become a fisheries assistant engineer
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Upper secondary education
21 programmes in 9 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 38 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Koulutuskeskus Salpaus · Finland
Westport Deep Sea Fishing School · New Zealand
Westport Deep Sea Fishing School · New Zealand
Fishing Technology Engineering (English)
GİRNE ÜNİVERSİTESİ (KKTC-GİRNE) · Türkiye
Bord Iascaigh Mhara · Ireland
These are 5 of 59.
Sources
- 1. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- 2. Source: Study with New Zealand (studywithnewzealand.govt.nz), Education New Zealand. Copyright in the material is owned by Education New Zealand (All content (c) Education New Zealand). Listings are provided by the education providers, are for information and promotional purposes only, and are not endorsed by Education New Zealand; each provider is responsible for its own content.
- 3. Source: YÖK Atlas, Council of Higher Education (yokatlas.yok.gov.tr).
- 4. Irish course data from Qualifax (qualifax.ie), run by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does fisheries assistant engineer fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of training or qualifications are typically needed to become a fisheries assistant engineer?
What are the working conditions like for a fisheries assistant engineer?
How does this role contribute to the sustainability of fisheries?
How much does Fisheries Assistant Engineer pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 19, 2026 About our data