NOC 85102: Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers
What aquaculture and marine harvest labourers do
Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers include aquaculture support workers, marine plant gatherers, shellfish diggers and other labourers in aquaculture and fishing. Aquaculture support workers are employed by public or private fish hatcheries and commercial aquatic farms. Marine plant gatherers and mollusk harvesters may be self-employed.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Assist aquaculture technicians in the operation of fish hatcheries or other aquatic farms
- Feed aquaculture stocks, vaccinate stocks, perform culling and marking or banding techniques and report any observed irregularities in stocks
- Operate, maintain and clean pumps, filters, tanks and other aquaculture equipment and clean and maintain aquaculture enclosures
- Keep daily records of water flow and fish, shellfish and marine plant samples
- Grade and weigh aquaculture stocks
- Prepare aquaculture stocks for market
- Rake seaweed, dulse or Irish moss from beach, rocks or shallow water and load into a cart, wagon or other receptacles
- Spread gatherings to dry and remove foreign objects
- Transport gatherings to processing plant
- Dig clams from beds with spades, forks or other instruments, or collect other mollusks
- Clean, sort and transport mollusks to market
- May operate boats for aquaculture operations.
Job titles under NOC 85102
30 job titles are classified here, including aquaculture support worker, clam digger, dulse gatherer.
- aquaculture support worker
- aquaculture worker
- clam digger
- dulse gatherer
- fish farm helper
- fish farm worker
- fish hatchery attendant
- fish hatchery tagger
- fish hatchery worker
- fish hatchery worker - aquaculture
- fish tagger
- fry marker
- fry marker - fishing
- fry tagger
- hatchery helper
- hatchery worker - aquaculture
- Irish moss gatherer
- lobster pound attendant
- marine plant gatherer
- mussel farm labourer
- mussel harvester
- oyster harvester
- oyster picker
- oyster picker-shucker
Employment requirements
- Some secondary school education is usually required.
- Shellfish harvesters require commercial fishing licences.
- Marine Emergency Duties certificate may be required for some occupations in this unit group.
Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $17.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $36.06/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $21.15/hr | $29.03/hr | $41.76/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $19.77/hr | $23.32/hr | $32.62/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $20.00/hr | $30.00/hr | $41.78/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $17.00/hr | $25.35/hr | $36.06/hr |
Nova Scotia | $16.50/hr | $21.15/hr | $35.00/hr |
New Brunswick | $17.00/hr | $20.00/hr | $35.00/hr |
Quebec | $19.77/hr | $23.32/hr | $32.62/hr |
British Columbia | $20.00/hr | $30.00/hr | $39.56/hr |
Using NOC 85102 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 30 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Fishermen/women (NOC 83121)
- Fishing vessel deckhands (NOC 84121)
- Managers in aquaculture (NOC 80022)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for aquaculture and marine harvest labourers?
Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers are NOC 2021 unit group 85102. Example job titles in this group include aquaculture support worker, clam digger, dulse gatherer, fish farm helper.
What TEER is NOC 85102?
NOC 85102 is TEER 5 (Short work demonstration). Usually requires a short work demonstration and no formal education. TEER 4 and 5 work does not count as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do aquaculture and marine harvest labourers earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $22.00/hr, about $43,000 a year full-time, with a range of $17.00/hr to $36.06/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.