Salary
Average Salary: $33,430
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,395,636
Payment may seem to be a no brainer―catch fish and get paid somewhere between $20-$45,000 a year (source). But it's not exactly that cut and dry. Some piscators work for fishing companies in a cog-meets-machine-type relationship and take home an annual wage.
These workers often live on boats for weeks or months at a time, and have the means to house literal tons of fish, as well as to process the fish before ever reaching the shore. It's a lot of time to spend at sea, but at the end of the trip you're at least guaranteed a paycheck.
Those who seek to work a more independent schedule are much more at the whims of the size of their haul and, subsequently, what that haul can fetch at market. Everyone who works on board gets a share of the profits of their labor, with the captain taking the biggest share (don't argue with the guy who owns the boat) (source).
As far as the employee benefits go, well, there aren't any. This isn't the most stable profession, as many of the mom-and-pop outfits are losing more and more yields to bigger companies (although some are bouncing back, thanks to technology). That's not exactly the best environment when it comes to long-term health care planning.
The good news is there's money out there for the hardworking fishmonger. People come from far and wide to make a pretty penny during Alaska's bountiful fishing season, an annual sea harvest that nets an incredible three billion dollars with a "buh" (source).
It's not just a frontier game either; across the country, coastal and lakestal states make bank. From Washington's world-famous salmon, to the quintessential Maine lobster, to the Louisiana shrimp stewing in that thick and tasty bowl of gumbo, people around the globe are looking for that authentic taste.