Self-employment through fishing is the only self-employment which generates Employment Insurance benefits. A thorough assessment of fishermen must be completed to determine if income during the seasonal work was sufficient to provide for the fisherman's family for the rest of the year.
Fishermen does not refer to "fishermen's helpers" who are employees, and are therefore not self-employed.
Assets
Fishing related equipment should be recorded as fixed assets.
Liquid assets are assessed as usual.
Eligibility
The fisherman's boat must be out of the water in order to be eligible.
Fishermen's real net income is determined by using the "Annual Fishing Revenue Statement". This is considered to be income for both the two month fishing season, and the four months during which there is no Employment Insurance (EI) income. Therefore, that amount (the net income for prorating) is to be divided by six and prorated over the six months during which the fisherman has no EI income. That monthly amount is compared to the basic household rate to determine possible eligibility.