The rule you can use
Each fisherman catches one type of fish. You do not pick that type from a menu. Merging is how a higher type appears.
Two independent beginner guides agree on the action: step on the Merge pad once you have three or more fishermen of the same type. Three Tier 1 fishermen become one Tier 2 fisherman. The merge pad for the tutorial sits by the waterfront, and the prompt changes to "Merge 3 fishermen."
The named first result is specific. Three Sardine Tier 1 fishermen merge into one Mackerel Tier 2 fisherman. No extra cash price for that merge itself is documented; the cost is the three hires you already paid on the Hire pad.
Keep one catcher working
A merge removes the three inputs and leaves one output. If those three are your whole crew, the fish counter stops until the new fisherman produces. Hire and collect through one sale first, using the first-sale steps, and only then merge a set you can spare.
What is confirmed, and what is only a ladder claim
| Claim | Evidence |
|---|---|
| 3 of the same type make 1 of the next tier | Opening tutorial and the Sportskeeda beginner guide |
| Sardine Tier 1 to Mackerel Tier 2 | Named first merge in the reviewed tutorial |
| Player cannot choose the fish type except by merging | Sportskeeda beginner guide |
| Highest tier is 24 | Sportskeeda beginner guide; later species names are not listed there |
| Every tier above Mackerel has a published name | Not confirmed. A Portuguese session that links this exact Roblox place shows trout, salmon, and yellowtail after merges, but it does not assign those names to tier numbers |
A Turkish session on the same place ID later says the player reached tier 6. That supports tiers above 2 existing in play. It does not publish the fish name for tier 3, 4, 5, or 6.
Read the merge prompt in your own server before you spend a large crew. If the prompt ever asks for a count other than 3, use that number in the same-tier merge counter.
One step versus several steps
If every step stays 3-to-1, the base fishermen required to climb n tiers with nothing left over is 3 to the power of n.
| Tiers you want to climb | Same-type fishermen, exact 3-to-1 |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3 |
| 2 | 9 |
| 3 | 27 |
| 4 | 81 |
| 5 | 243 |
Sportskeeda also says that hiring 12 fishermen and merging can produce one tier 3 instead of three tier 2 fishermen. Under a strict 3-to-1 cascade, 9 base fishermen make one tier 3, and 12 leaves a remainder of 3, which is one extra tier 2. Treat "12 becomes one tier 3" as a rough batch example, not as an exact recipe. The prompt and the 3-of-a-kind rule are the parts both guides support.
Where to spend after the first Mackerel
The chef button beside the chef station raises cash per second, and the beginner guide treats it as secondary to merging. Upgrade it when fish is already reaching the counter and customers are paying. If the chef is idle, another merge or another hire moves the restaurant more than the chef button. Compare a real price with the payback calculator after you have watched one collect cycle.