What you need to perform it
Primary qualification
- Professional certificate of Fishing Captain (RD 36/2014, art. 5)
- Issued by the competent fisheries administration (State / Autonomous Communities) with professional card
Basic STCW
- Basic Safety Training (maritime specialty certificate)
- Additional specialty certificates by vessel and gear (advanced firefighting, survival)
Specific courses
- Training and/or aptitude examination for Fishing Captain under RD 36/2014 and Order APM/243/2018
- GMDSS General Operator (GOC) by operating area
Indicative experience
Hold the fishing Patrón de Altura certificate and evidence 600 days of sea service as skipper or deck officer on fishing vessels, 300 of them after obtaining the Patrón de Altura certificate (art. 5 RD 36/2014).
Observations
Attributions (art. 5.2 RD 36/2014): command of fishing vessels without length or distance limitation; chief mate or deck officer on any fishing vessel. Valid medical fitness required. Spanish fishing ladder (RD 36/2014): Fishing Captain > Patrón de Altura > Patrón de Litoral > Patrón Costero Polivalente > Patrón Local de Pesca.
What this role does
The Fishing Captain tops the Spanish fishing-sector certificate ladder (RD 36/2014, transposing the STCW-F 1995 Convention). It qualifies for command of fishing vessels without length or distance limitation and for serving as chief mate or deck officer on any fishing vessel. It is reached from the fishing Patrón de Altura certificate with additional accredited sea service.
Typical watches
- Bridge watches according to the fishing trip regime and ship organisation
Key responsibilities
- Command fishing vessels without limitation of length or navigation area.
- Direct the fishing strategy of the trip integrating safety, fishing-ground regulations and profitability.
- Ensure compliance with STCW-F, maritime safety rules and fisheries regulations (quotas, closures, fishing logbook).
Operational scope
- Deep-sea and distant-water fishing in any fishing ground, with no length or distance limit (art. 5.2 RD 36/2014)
Profile reviewed by HydroAbyss (2026). Cited rules and timeframes are indicative: the final requirement is set by the flag State, the Administration and each company.