NOC 85102: Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers

NOC 85102 is the NOC 2021 unit group for aquaculture and marine harvest labourers, with job titles such as shellfish harvester, marine plant gatherer and aquaculture support worker. It is a TEER 5 occupation in broad category 8, natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations.

TEER 5Broad category 8NOC 2021

Decode the code

Pick a level to see what each digit means.

85102

Unit group 85102: aquaculture and marine harvest labourers. This is the code you put on your application.

NOC 85102 job description: shellfish harvester duties and responsibilities

  • Assist aquaculture technicians in the operation of fish hatcheries or other aquatic farms
  • Feed aquaculture stocks, vaccinate stocks, perform culling and marking or banding techniques and report any observed irregularities in stocks
  • Operate, maintain and clean pumps, filters, tanks and other aquaculture equipment and clean and maintain aquaculture enclosures
  • Keep daily records of water flow and fish, shellfish and marine plant samples
  • Grade and weigh aquaculture stocks
  • Prepare aquaculture stocks for market
  • Rake seaweed, dulse or Irish moss from beach, rocks or shallow water and load into a cart, wagon or other receptacles
  • Spread gatherings to dry and remove foreign objects
  • Transport gatherings to processing plant
  • Dig clams from beds with spades, forks or other instruments, or collect other mollusks
  • Clean, sort and transport mollusks to market
  • May operate boats for aquaculture operations.

Job titles under NOC 85102

See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 5 jobs.

Is NOC 85102 eligible for Express Entry?

Not through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Trades Program, which all need TEER 0 to 3. Some provincial nominee streams and federal pilots accept TEER 5 jobs, so check your province's current list.

Federal program TEER requirements for NOC 85102
ProgramTEER checkWhy
Federal Skilled WorkerNot eligibleTEER 5 is outside TEER 0 to 3
Canadian Experience ClassNot eligibleTEER 5 is outside TEER 0 to 3
Federal Skilled TradesNot a listed tradeOnly certain trade groups qualify. Check IRCC
Spouse's open work permitNot eligibleTEER 4 and 5 do not qualify. SOWP rules

Category-based draws: NOC 85102 is not on any category-based selection list (checked 2026-10-16). Under NOC 2016, TEER 5 was skill level D ("NOC D").

Category-based Express Entry draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists. Check the current lists on IRCC's Express Entry page and provincial nominee page.

NOC 85102: common questions

What is NOC 85102?

NOC 85102 is the code for aquaculture and marine harvest labourers in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 8, is the broad category and its second digit, 5, is the TEER level. Immigration forms, job offers and LMIA applications use this five-digit code.

What TEER is NOC 85102?

NOC 85102 is TEER 5. Occupations that usually need a short work demonstration and no formal education. Under the older NOC 2016 system, TEER 5 lines up with skill level D.

Is NOC 85102 eligible for Express Entry and PR?

Not through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Trades Program, which all need TEER 0 to 3. Some provincial nominee streams and federal pilots accept TEER 5 jobs, so check your province's current list.

Is NOC 85102 in a category-based Express Entry draw?

No. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 85102 is not in any category-based selection list (healthcare, STEM, trades, education, transport and others). You can still be invited in general and program-specific draws.

Is NOC 85102 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?

No. For applications made since January 21, 2025, only TEER 0 and 1 jobs and a list of selected TEER 2 and 3 occupations qualify, and NOC 85102 is not on that list (IRCC page modified 2026-06-12).

What is the NOC code for a shellfish harvester?

Shellfish harvester is listed under NOC 85102, aquaculture and marine harvest labourers. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 85102.

How do I know if NOC 85102 is my NOC code?

Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 85102, not just your job title. IRCC expects your duties to match the lead statement and most of the main duties of the code you choose. If they fit another code better, use that one. You can paste your duties into nocfinder to see how they line up, duty by duty.

Source: ESDC NOC 2021 · IRCC program pages. Not legal advice.