Fish processing jobs in Canada: filleting, freezing and packing on both coasts

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What does fish plant work involve?

Workers sort landed fish, head and gut it, fillet it by hand or monitor machines, then rinse, weigh, freeze or smoke and pack it. Others handle forklifts, ice, sanitation and shipping, keeping product moving from dock to freezer as quickly as possible.

Skilled filleters are paid more than packers because the job requires speed and knife precision. Beginners usually start on the packing, sorting or trimming line before being trained on site for more technical positions as the season progresses.

Plants also hire for value-added work such as smoking salmon, salting and pickling herring, preparing portions for supermarkets and producing fish meal and oil from by-products. These lines often run beyond the landing season and keep part of the seasonal crew employed longer.

Regions and species processed

On the Pacific coast, Prince Rupert, Steveston and Vancouver Island process wild salmon. In the Atlantic, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia handle herring and farmed salmon, Newfoundland and Labrador capelin and groundfish, and Gaspésie cod and halibut.

Season calendar

Pacific wild salmon is processed mainly from July to September. Newfoundland capelin arrives in June and July, while Atlantic herring runs from spring to autumn depending on stocks. Farmed salmon, by contrast, provides almost continuous work throughout the year.

Quotas and uncertainty

Volumes depend on quotas set every year by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and on the state of stocks. Some fisheries have been sharply reduced in recent years, shortening seasons and pushing plants to diversify the species they handle.

Who can be hired in a Canadian fish plant?

Citizens and permanent residents work freely. Foreign nationals need a work permit. There is no free movement for Europeans: a tourist stay, however long, never allows work, not even covering a few days for an absent employee.

The open permit from International Experience Canada remains the simplest route: French citizens aged 18 to 35 can work up to 24 months, Belgians aged 18 to 30 for 12 months. It allows combining Pacific salmon with Atlantic fish in the same year.

The low-wage stream of the TFWP

Plants recruiting abroad obtain an LMIA in the low-wage stream. Fish and seafood plant workers (NOC 94142) and labourers in fish and seafood processing (NOC 95107) are among the occupations prioritised for application processing by Employment and Social Development Canada.

The 20% cap and seasonal positions

Fish processing belongs to food manufacturing (NAICS 311), with a cap of 20% low-wage foreign workers per work location. Seasonal positions lasting no more than 270 days may be exempt when peaks recur on the same dates every year.

Housing and transportation

Employers recruiting through this stream pay the round-trip airfare from the worker's country of residence and ensure suitable housing costing less than 30% of gross income. These expenses cannot be deducted from the worker's pay.

In Quebec, most employer-specific permits also require a Quebec Acceptance Certificate, which adds processing time; working holiday participants are exempt, so young Europeans can start in Gaspésie or on the North Shore without that extra step.

Wages and conditions in 2026

Pay is hourly, with frequent overtime at the peak. The minimum is CAD 18.25 in British Columbia since June 1, 2026, CAD 16.60 in Quebec since May 1 and CAD 15.90 in New Brunswick since April 1.

How to get recruited

1. Pick a coast and species according to your available dates.
2. Obtain an IEC permit or be hired by a plant holding an LMIA.
3. List plants in the region and check their career pages.
4. Apply two to three months before the season starts.
5. Have guaranteed hours, housing and transport written into the contract.
6. Pack waterproof clothing and warm base layers.
7. Get a Social Insurance Number on arrival.

Common pitfalls in the sector

• Paying a so-called agent for a plant contract.
• Letting the employer keep your identity documents.
• Ignoring that a reduced quota can halve the season.
• Working with knives without cut-resistant gloves.
• Accepting overcrowded housing charged at a high price.

A worker on an employer-specific permit who suffers mistreatment can apply for an open work permit for vulnerable workers. Wage complaints are filed with the provincial employment standards office, which prohibits reprisals against employees who make complaints.

Safety at work

Cuts, falls on wet floors, cold and repetitive strain injuries are the main risks. Training must precede the first shift, and injuries are covered by the provincial workers' compensation board regardless of the worker's immigration status or type of permit.

Fish processing in Canada: FAQ

The following answers apply to the 2026 season; because quotas and stocks vary greatly from year to year, it is wise to ask the plant how many hours were actually worked during the previous season before accepting.

Do I need filleting skills?

Not to start. Plants train newcomers on packing, sorting or trimming lines. Experience as a filleter or fishmonger is nevertheless a strong asset and helps negotiate a higher hourly rate from the first day of employment.

Does the work last all year?

Rarely for wild fish, whose season lasts only a few months. Farmed salmon plants in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and British Columbia, on the other hand, offer more stable positions, sometimes year-round with regular weekday shifts.

Which language is spoken in the plants?

English in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. French in Gaspésie, the North Shore and the Acadian Peninsula. Many plants also employ Spanish-speaking or Filipino crews led by bilingual supervisors who relay safety instructions.

Fish or shellfish: which to choose?

Shellfish plants offer intense, short spring seasons. Fish, especially Pacific salmon and farmed salmon, allows contracts spread over more of the year. Both sectors can be combined during the same stay with an open working holiday permit.