Home Fishing Skipper Salary
Fishing Skipper salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a fishing skipper is $93,600 per annum, before tax, up $19,900 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- For many skippers, pay is a share of the catch rather than a wage, so a good season on a well-priced species pays well and a closed fishery or a run of bad weather does not.
- Skippers on larger company boats are more likely to be on a salary or an enterprise agreement that includes leave and super.
- Owning the boat and holding the quota is where the larger earnings sit, along with the fuel, maintenance and licence costs that come with them.
The median salary rose by $19,900 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than fishing skipper
The largest typical pay rise is $81,400 a year, moving into Ship Captain.
- Ship Captain+$81,400/yr
- Marine Engine Driver+$5,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher fishing skipper salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time fishing skipper salary is $93,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Fishing Skippers are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Operations management and Regulatory compliance tend to command a premium over general fishing skipper experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Ship Captain pays a typical $81,400 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Fishing Skipper salary questions
How much do fishing skippers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a fishing skipper is $93,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is fishing skipper pay rising or falling?
The median fishing skipper salary is up $19,900 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than fishing skipper?
Ship Captain pays a typical $81,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to fishing skipper.
Related salaries
- Ship Captain salary
- Marine Engine Driver salary
- Fishing Hand salary
- Deckhand salary
- Product Grader salary
- Abalone Diver salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.