In a fishery where hundreds of tons of fish can be caught in a single trip, transporting herring becomes a crucial need. Larger trawlers have huge holds capable of carrying many tons of fish. Once the seiner or trawler has filled its own holds, herring remaining in the net are pumped onto the carrier. Weir fishermen rely on carriers for their transport needs as weir boats are usually too small to have their own holds. Profits from selling the carrier's herring are typically split between the carrier and seiner or trawler which made the catch.

Weir fishermen radio in carriers prior to harvest. Carriers working at sea may follow a single vessel or wait in a heavily fished area for catches that need transport. At sea carriers share inherent risk with the fishing vessels as fish may or may not be caught on a particular night.

Herring Carriers from the Gulf of Maine Fishery