Protective Service · Holland code RCI
Fish and Game Wardens
Patrol assigned area to prevent fish and game law violations. Investigate reports of damage to crops or property by wildlife. Compile biological data.
Also called: Game Warden, State Wildlife Officer, Wildlife Conservation Officer, Wildlife Officer, Conservation Enforcement Officer, Conservation Officer, Conservation Warden, Fish and Game Constable.
O*NET 33-3031.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $74,060
- Middle half earn $61,430 to $89,110. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Participate in search-and-rescue operations.
- Compile and present evidence for court actions.
- Protect and preserve native wildlife, plants, or ecosystems.
- Patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land.
- Investigate hunting accidents or reports of fish or game law violations.
- Provide assistance to other local law enforcement agencies as required.
- Issue warnings or citations and file reports as necessary.
- Provide advice or information to park or reserve visitors.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Speaking3.9 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
- Active Listening3.8 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
- Writing3.1 / 5
- Monitoring3.1 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security4.8 / 5
- Law and Government4.7 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.6 / 5
- English Language4.1 / 5
- Telecommunications3.9 / 5
- Psychology3.8 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic90
- Investigative49
- Artistic0
- Social23
- Enterprising34
- Conventional54
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- forester · DE Forstwirt/Forstwirtin · FR forestier
- conservation scientist · DE Wissenschaftler Natur- und Artenschutz/Wissenschaftlerin Natur- und Artenschutz · FR agent chargé de protection et sauvegarde du patrimoine naturel/agente chargée de protection et sauvegarde du patrimoine naturel
- countryside officer · DE Forstverwalter/Forstverwalterin · FR agent technique forestier/agente technique forestière
- ecologist · DE Ökologe/Ökologin · FR écologue
- nature conservation officer · DE Umweltberater/Umweltberaterin · FR chargé de mission patrimoine naturel/chargée de mission patrimoine naturel
- forestry technician · DE Forstaufseher/Forstaufseherin · FR technicien forestier/technicienne forestière
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Conservation professionals (2151)21,900 employed
- Managers and proprietors in agriculture and horticulture (1211)40,300 employed
- Environment professionals (2152)80,200 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.46. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (33-3031).
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