anything over 14 but im not legally sure. On the holidays you could work deck, run ropes and floats, bait and depending on your size you may start stacking pots but id be waiting till you fully physaically developed to avoid doing any damage. It would be a good experience and great if you need to get your sea legs.

Long term though? personally the industry is not well, you should consider other careers in my opinion.

though it can have some savage ups and down.

But honestly mate if your looking at it seriously for a career, then go and do a mechanical (or electrical) trade first.

1/ It will give you valuable mechanical experience which will help you all your seagoing life

2/ You'll get better deckie jobs, easier and be more useful to your boss.

3/ He'll be more likely to give you a drive down the track

4/ If and when you need to, you will have something to fall back on.

Personally Id avoid prawn/scallop trawlers for a young bloke, JMO but I dont reckon (generally) that itd be a good introduction to the industry.

Crays, charter, wetline, Fisheries maybe then into the Offshore industry down the track.

Good luck with it mate!

Smash's comments are spot on, get a trade certificate first then look at going fishing. With the cray industry on quota now most of the top percentage decky jobs are turning in to weekly wages as the owners/ skippers pull their pots out chasing the higher prices leaving the poor decky with no income until they start fishing again. The prawn trawler crews are not called "trawler trash"for nothing with more and more boats being raided for drugs each season while at sea.

Many years ago there was a future in fishing but its almost gone now with all the changes, closures and restrictions brought in over recent times and having a trade to fall back on is a necessity nowadays

cheers everyone for all your help