Will AI replace fishing and hunting workers?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 1h 13m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by robots. The other 6h 47m (85%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 4.2% fewer of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

For some tasks, yes. Robots have done 3 of this job's tasks in workplaces like this one, about 1h 13m of a typical shift. 6 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here. For 12 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

• Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments. (39m a shift; e.g. Saildrone Voyager USV, in use)
• Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas. (17m a shift; e.g. Saildrone Explorer USV, in use)
• Transport fish to processing plants or to buyers. (17m a shift; e.g. GENBU (MEGURI2040 Stage 2 autonomous coastal containership), in use)

6h 47m of a typical shift, or 85%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size. (44m a shift)
• Put fishing equipment into the water and anchor or tow equipment, according to the fishing method used. (44m a shift)
• Maintain engines, fishing gear, and other on-board equipment and perform minor repairs. (39m a shift)
• Sort, pack, and store catch in holds with salt and ice. (33m a shift)
• Patrol trap lines or nets to inspect settings, remove catch, and reset or relocate traps. (28m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 89% work outdoors in all weather every day
• 78% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 74% work in very hot or cold conditions at least weekly

BLS projects a decline of 4.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 27,000 jobs in 2035. Even so, it expects about 3,300 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

The most common requirement is less than a high school diploma: about 45% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 1 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: little or no preparation. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Speaking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 6h 47m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

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

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals (4h 51m touched, $37k median pay)
• Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse (2h 20m touched, $36k median pay)
• Forest and Conservation Workers (2h 29m touched, $44k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 3 with robots in real deployments, 26 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.