Processor

What We Offer

• Competitive crew share based pay
• Medical/RX Benefits, upon meeting qualification periods
• 401K and 401K matching, upon meeting qualification periods
• Free room and board
• New hires are eligible for assistance with transportation to Seattle
• American Seafoods covers the cost of gear for new hires

Seafood processors work aboard at-sea processing vessels in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and the Aleutian Islands to convert raw fish products into a processed, high-quality product ready for sale. The work is strenuous and sometimes hazardous, with the vessel operating in all types of weather conditions.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Sort fish by species
• Tend and operate machines
• Hand fillet whole fish
• Inspect fish products to meet American Seafoods Company’s standards of quality
• Weigh, pack, label, stack and place the product into freezers
• Load and unload supplies on the vessel
• Clean factory equipment and perform other duties as assigned

Skill and Experience Required

• Able to follow visual or written directions and specific verbal instructions in English
• Able to live in close shared quarters with others and able to climb in and out of bunk beds 50 inches high
• Good balance/equilibrium
• Able to be on-board ship for long periods, without suffering from motion sickness (that is not correctable)
• Able to operate moving machinery, without need for medication that limits such activity
• Capable of working up to 16 hours per day – with no time off, during a 3-month period
• Able to work and live in tight/close quarters, without claustrophobic reactions
• Able to work in a cool, damp environment. With proper equipment, must be able to work in temperatures of 30 to – 40 degrees

Physical Ability Requirements

• Ability to pass a pre-employment and random drug tests
• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Capable of boarding and exiting a vessel without physical assistance by climbing up and down a gangplank or using a Jacob’s ladder
• Able to climb or descend one or more set of steep stairs, or vertical ladders inside and outside the vessel in all weather conditions as extreme as 30 degrees below zero
• Able to work in confined work-spaces
• Able to raise objects from floor level to overhead positions, moving objects horizontally from position-to-position
• Job requires frequent to constant use of the upper extremities, leg and back muscles for up to 16 hours per day. Weights vary from 0 - 77 pounds
• Able to exert force on/against an object in order to move it away or toward for up to 16 hours per day. Force varies from 0 – to 50 pounds
• Able to ascend or descend steep ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is required to move about, board and exit a vessel by climbing up and down a gangplank. Must possess enough hand and arm strength to support one’s body weight in the case of a Jacob’s ladder or scramble net for up to 16 hours per day
• Able to maintain body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing, or crouching on narrow, slippery or erratically moving surfaces due to the motion of the vessel or the environmental conditions
• Full body motion and use: (1) constant bending body downward and forward (bending spine at the waist or by bending legs and spine) requiring full use of the lower extremities and back muscles; (2) moving about or resting on the hands and knees or hands and feet (occasionally to frequently); (3) rotating the upper trunk/torso to one side or the other from a neutral position while sitting or standing (frequent to constant) for up to 16 hours per day
• Able to use both hands to handle fish fillets moving on a conveyor belt (40 inches high)
• Fine finger and manual dexterity to inspect and scoop or place fish manually into pans, to reach/push baskets (15-20 lbs) and block frames or freezer pans on a conveyor belt (full pans weigh 40+ lbs) for up to 16 hours per day

Work Schedule

• 12 to 16 hours per day for the duration of the trip, including loading and unloading
• Ability to work at sea for extended periods of time (3+ months)

Salary Range

Estimated earnings of $4,000 - $7,000 monthly (average of two trips per month)

*Crew share–based pay means compensation is tied to the vessel’s catch rather than a fixed hourly or daily wage. Pay varies by trip and reflects overall catch size and performance. Each fishing trip typically lasts 14–21 days, though trip length may vary depending on fishing conditions.