Medical standards for fishery officers

Learn what mental and physical medical standards you’ll have to meet to be a fishery officer.

On this page

• Vision
• Hearing
• Coordination
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Related links

Vision

Your duties require that you can see in a variety of lighting conditions, and that you have proper red, green and blue colour vision. You also need good peripheral and night vision for safety and operational reasons.

You must be able to:

• distinguish colours
• detect signal and navigation lights
• identify objects and people at a distance to accurately testify in court

You must pass a vision test to become a fishery officer. The standard without corrective lenses is 6/60 in both eyes. This means you can see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision can see from 60 metres away.

If you need corrective lenses, your:

• better eye must be able to see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision can see from 9 metres away
• other eye must be able to see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision can see from 15 metres away

You don’t need to periodically test your colour vision unless your eyes change significantly, such as needing new glasses.

Reduced vision

If you have reduced vision, you can still meet the requirements for the position if your doctor indicates that:

• with corrective lenses, your:
  • better eye can see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision can see from 9 metres away
  • other eye can see at 6 metres what someone with standard vision can see from 60 metres away
• your depth perception is suitable
• your visual defect is unlikely to interfere with performing your duties safely
• your peripheral vision allows you to see 120 degrees in your horizontal field of vision

You’ll need to get tested yearly if you have a condition that’s responsible for reducing your vision. 

Hearing

Fishery officers are expected to understand voice communication when others are speaking, shouting or using radio, often with background noise. Good hearing includes directional sense so you’ll be able to identify from which direction a pistol shot originated.

Coordination

To perform fishery officer duties, you must have normal:

• balance
• strength
• coordination
• manual dexterity for using pepper spray, a baton, firearms and handcuffs

Physical health

To be a fishery officer, you’ll need to deal with physical activity in bad weather or during stressful operations. Land- and sea-based employees are required to participate in a limited physical fitness assessment program which tests:

• agility
• upper body strength
• cardiovascular fitness

You must be able to lift and carry heavy loads unassisted over rough ground and uphill.

Health conditions

As a fishery officer, you must not suffer from a medical condition:

• which could result in sudden incapacitation or require emergency medical care
• such as a vascular disease, including Raynaud's or Berger's disease, which limit blood flow

Immunization

You should be vaccinated for:

• tetanus
• diphtheria
• hepatitis B

Mental health

Your mental health should be stable. You must not suffer from psychological issues that would:

• prohibit you from using a firearm
• result in an aggressive response in a stressful situation
• lead to unsafe behaviour while carrying out your enforcement duties

Related links

• Fishery officer work description
• Expectations and requirements for fishery officers