Become a fishery officer!

Wondering what a typical day is like for a fishery officer? It’s hard to say because every day is different!

A fishery officer may be required to do one or more of these activities every day:

• Carry out surveillance of fishery operations by land, sea and air (commercial fishery; recreational fishery; Indigenous community fishery; and food, social and ceremonial [FSC] fishery).
• Protect fish habitat.
• Meet with citizens and youth in schools to educate them about the importance of protecting our aquatic resources.
• Promote and ensure compliance with the laws concerning the protection of certain species at risk in the region.
• Gather intelligence on illegal activities during routine patrols and special investigations to be used in court.
• Performs administrative duties: writing reports and court cases, administrative investigations to ensure compliance of fishers, etc. 

These activities vary according to the home office. Each region is different and includes its own species, commercial or recreational fishery activities and issues, so there’s something for everyone.

Click the following tab to find out!

In order to help you target the offices that interest you, here’s what sets them apart :

• Quebec City:
  • Monitoring of the beluga hunt in Northern Quebec.
  • During the navigation season, fishery officers meet with boaters to raise awareness of aquatic invasive species.
• Baie-Comeau:
  • In Baie-Comeau, shellfish harvesting is popular, so officers are required to monitor them regularly.
  • During the winter, the team is called upon to conduct patrols for ice fishing in Saguenay.
• Sept-Îles:
  • The office of Sept-Îles conducts increased monitoring of lobster poaching to protect the resource.
• Havre-Saint-Pierre:
  • The fisheries officers conduct patrols to monitor the poaching of lobster and snow crabs.
• Blanc-Sablon:
  • Fisheries officers focus on the poaching of small crabs, lobsters and Atlantic halibut.
  • Good to know: 80% of the work is done on board watercraft.
• Sainte-Anne-des-Monts:
  • Significant patrol are linked to the recreative fisheries to meet the challenge of poaching.
  • This sector stands out for the emergence of new fisheries such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers.
• Gaspé:
  • At-sea patrols are focused on the protection of marine mammals living in the Banc-des-Américains, a Marine Protected Area (MPA).
  • It is in Gaspé that the office of aerial, maritime and electronic surveillance is located : fishery officers are required to patrol offshore fishing areas and coral reefs and sponges by plane and boat. They also carry out electronic surveillance with ships or underwater drones.
• Grande-Rivière:
  • It is the largest district in the Quebec region in terms of distance and number of fishery officers.
  • Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé, located 10 km from Grande-Rivière, is recognized as the snow crab capital of the Quebec region.
• Cap-aux-Meules:
  • Fishery officers ensure compliance of the seal hunt with helicopter, boat, and all-terrain vehicles.
  • The Magdalen Islands are home to the largest lobster fishery in Quebec.

Want to work somewhere else in Canada? Check out our national recruitment page! 

Working conditions and benefits

• 37.5-hour week (paid overtime)
• Annual salary between $58,206 and $65,792, plus an allowance of $6,500 per year 
• After completing the career progression program, the annual salary for a fully trained Fishery Officer ranges from $73,341 to $83,385 plus allowance
• Isolated post allowance for certain offices: Havre-Saint-Pierre, Blanc-Sablon et Cap-aux-Meules

Benefits

• Disability Insurance / Long-term Disability Insurance Plan
• Paid annual leave
• Bereavement leave with pay
• Paid sick leave
• Supplementary death benefits
• Public Service Pension Plan
• Public Service Health Care Plan
• Public Service Dental Care Plan

Click the following links to learn more about the benefits

• Public Service Health Care Plan: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/topics/benefit-plans/plans/health-care-plan.html
• Public Service Dental Care Plan: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/benefit-plans/dental-care-plan/public-service-dental-care-plan-mem…

Before joining our team, we have to make sure that this job is for you! That’s why we encourage you to participate in our selection process to help us get to know your strengths, abilities and skills better. Here’s how it works:

1. Submit your application and provide the requested documents.
2. If your application is accepted, you will be invited to take the following tests:
   • Situational Judgement Test – you will have to determine the most appropriate action to take in a scenario.
   • Written communication test – you will be assessed mainly on your spelling, sentence structure, punctuation and use of words.
   • Knowledge Test – you will have to demonstrate knowledge of the mandate, key legislation and legal processes that guide Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Conservation and Protection program.
   • Interview with some of our team members.
   • Reference checks: These are references from your former employers.
   • Medical examinations, including assessments of vision, hearing, perception, colour vision, neuromuscular and cardiovascular abilities, and psychological qualities.
   • Psychological examination to ensure that you are suitable to carry a firearm and can manage stressful situations
   • Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation (PARE) is the three-step fitness assessment (obstacle course, push and pull, and weight carry).
   • Obtain a secret security clearance: You will have to obtain the security clearance before being able to access federal public service information, assets and workplaces.
3. If you complete all these steps and are accepted as a new recruit, a 16 weeks fishery officer training could be provided to you. During this training, an allowance would be granted to you.

Do you still have questions? We would be happy to answer them. 

Information sessions

Stay tuned for upcoming information sessions!

You can also write to us directly with any questions.

Contact Us