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INSHORE
HAS MORE

INSHORE
HAS MORE

Fish icon

A career in Newfoundland and Labrador’s inshore fishery is more than you imagined. 

It’s a chance to earn a great living, live a life of adventure, and build a future on your own terms, all while doing work that matters and strengthens our coastal communities.

Ready to set course on a life of adventure?

The NL New Harvesters Network is here to help you explore career opportunities in the inshore fishery. Whether you’re ready to find a crew or are simply wondering if this work could be a fit for your life, we can guide you in the right direction and connect you with key people in the industry.

The NL New Harvesters Network is an initiative of the Fish, Food & Allied Workers Union (FFAW), Professional Fish Harvesters Certification Board (PFHCB), and Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesters Safety Association (NL-FHSA).

A man looking over the side of a boat
Two men smiling as they look over their catch of lobster

A $1.5B+ Industry in NL 

A woman in a boat holding a cod fish

Why consider the inshore fishery?

This is more than a job on the water. It’s a career that can take you places — and a life you can make your own.

A lobster trap being pulled from the ocean into a boat

3,000

Owner-Operator Enterprises

7,000

Crew Members

3,000

Owner-Operator Enterprises

7,000

Crew Members

More freedom than you figured.

Shape your life the way you want to live it.

Fishing is seasonal and offers high earning potential during the season, so it can give you room to build a lifestyle that works for you. Many harvesters combine it with another career or business, continue their education, or make more time for personal priorities.

A smiling man in a hoodie and life vest standing outside the helm of a boat
A trap full of lobster

More opportunity than you might expect.

Earn while you learn.

Start as an apprentice; build sea time, skills, and confidence; then work toward becoming a certified Professional Fish Harvester. From crew member to leader to owner-operator, there’s a clear path forward – and you don’t need a résumé full of experience to take the first step.

“There’s a clear path forward – and you don’t need a résumé full of experience to take the first step.”

More rewarding than you realized.

The work you put in can really pay off.

As your experience and responsibilities grow, so can your earning potential, as you work towards professional certification, leadership, ownership, and long-term success.

Two smiling men on the deck of a boat with boxes of caught lobster
Four people having a conversation on the desk of a fishing boat

More meaning than you might think.

Your work reaches far beyond the boat.

Fish harvesters keep local businesses moving, strengthen coastal communities, and carry forward an industry that has shaped Newfoundland and Labrador for generations. That means a promising future for you, and for our province.

Want to know more?

Let’s talk.

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