Fishing at Sea
Commercial fishing vessels launching from the Top of the South catch up to 600,000 tonnes of fish a year including mackerel, tuna, orange roughy, squid. Hoki is a key product, accounting for around 120,000 of the total tonnage.
Locations
Port Nelson is a key departure point for vessels often at sea for several weeks at a time.
The Westport Deepsea Fishing School is where new crew members can go to complete their training and induction before heading out to sea.
Learn more about the roles
Deep Sea Crew
Fishing boats offer a diversity of roles, ranging from cook/galley hand to deckhands, onboard seafood processing, electricians, engineers, through to skipper.
During hoki season, fishing work increases and vessels take on extra staff to allow for the additional catch. This includes work based at the port to help with unloading.
Plan Your Next Step
Come and see what our industry has to offer and plan an employment and training path.
For Employers
If your work is coming to an end and you are interested in seasonal workforce redeployment please contact:
Top of the South Early Response Team: totsearlyresponse@msd.govt.nz