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Paying assessments in the fishing industry
If you are a commercial fisherman
You must report the fishing gear that you used to catch and land your fish to the buyers. This is required because the classification of the buyer who registers for insurance coverage and pays premiums to WorkSafeBC is based on the gear you used. If you use several types of gear, you must indicate which gear was associated with what portion of your catch.
If you sell your catch directly to buyers not required to be registered with WorkSafeBC (e.g. out-of-province purchasers or the general public), you may be responsible for paying premiums on the payroll derived from those fish sales. To find out if a buyer is registered with WorkSafeBC, it's good practice to ask for their WorkSafeBC account number. Record this number on the fish slip.
If you are a commercial buyer
If you are the first commercial buyer of fish from B.C. commercial fishermen, you are responsible for registering and paying premiums on the fish you buy.You must also complete your payroll reports according to the gear type that was used to catch and land the fish. When a fishing claim appears on your claim cost statement, make sure the classification unit aligns with the fishery in which the worker was injured. This will help ensure the claim costs are applied to the appropriate fishery.
Out-of-province sales
If the fish isn't sold to a commercial buyer registered with WorkSafeBC, premiums are the responsibility of the person who engaged the master or crew of the fishing boat or the person or organization that paid the crew. This may be the vessel owner, master, charterer, or the person or organization that controls or decides where the fish is sold.
Read information about registering in the fishing industry.