Aquaculture

As an aquaculturist, you will be studying and caring for freshwater and marine organisms and may be involved in the commercial or recreational farming of fish, crustaceans, and aquatic plants.

What do Aquaculturists do?

Working for private laboratories or government agencies, often in natural habitats, aquaculturists conduct research in areas such as fish nutrition, water quality, aquaculture engineering, fish genetics, hatchery production and fish pathology. Their job may include production of fish and shellfish at fish farms and for sport fishing. They may also be responsible for creating suitable living conditions for aquatic animals and plants, and monitoring their functioning.

What does a typical day at work involve?

  • Checked Reviewing aquaculture reports written by contractors
  • Checked Maintaining records on fish health, fish inventories, ponds and fish movements to and from the station
  • Checked Maintaining protocols on chemical safety
  • Checked Identifying operational farming needs
  • Checked Overseeing the maintenance of all ponds and other aquaculture systems, water supply, electrical systems, equipment, buildings etc
  • Checked Taking adequate measures to prevent fish losses due to escaping or mortality
  • Checked Providing strategies to optimize production procedures
  • Checked Producing day to day reports on the running of the farm
  • Checked Providing leadership and expert advice on the topic of sustainable aquaculture

What job roles can an aquaculturist take up?

An aquaculture specialist conducts research operations at aquaculture farms and fisheries. The results of their analysis are then communicated to the public, private industries or other interested parties.
An aquacultural manager works at a facility that cultivates and harvests marine plants, fish or shellfish for commercial sale or for replenishment of wildlife stocks. They monitor environments to ensure maintenance of optimum conditions for aquatic life and organise activities to improve hatching and growth rates and to prevent disease in hatcheries.
An aquarist is in charge of the well-being of fish and marine animals in an aquarium. An aquarist looks after the feeding of the fish, performs daily health checks on aquatic species and monitors the activities of the organisms within the aquarium. In addition, the aquarist tends to the organisms’ environment, overseeing tasks such as cleaning tanks, cleaning water recirculation pumps and maintaining required tools and equipment.
A food inspector is usually responsible for verifying the operations and end products leaving an aquatic species farm to ensure that they are acceptable for human consumption and do not spoil in transit or storage. The inspector will examine procedures, species’ health and working conditions to determine if the site is in compliance with local, national or international policies.

How to become?

Step 1
Take science stream in 12th

Students who are planning to take up a degree course in aquaculture are recommended to take Science stream with Physics, Chemistry and Biology as main subjects for their plus two. And the students who are looking to be an engineer in this field shall take, up Physics, Chemistry and Maths as the main subjects.

Step 2
Take B.Sc in Fisheries or B.Tech in Agricultural and Food Engineering

B.Sc. in Fisheries is a 3 year course. Candidates who are having a keen interest in aquatic life and want to grow their career in the same field are best suitable for this course. B.Tech in Agricultural and Food Engineering is a four year course where one of the areas of focus is aquacultural engineering.

Step 3
Take M.Sc. in Fisheries

M.Sc in Fisheries is a two-year post-graduate course that can be pursued on completion of a relevant UG degree.

Aquaculture Colleges

Name State District Type Website Course

Requirements for masters (MSc) in aquaculture

Requirements for admission into a PG course in one of the top institutions to help you get an overall picture

India (For M.F.Sc in Aquaculture from Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Mumbai)

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Fisheries Science (B.F.Sc.) with at least 60% marks.
  • A combined examination for the award of ICAR Junior Research Fellowship.

Foreign (For M.Sc. in Aquaculture from Wageningen University, Netherlands)

  • A BSc degree in a field of science relevant to the program.
  • A Grade Point Average (GPA) for this BSc of at least 70% of the maximum grade
  • Official Transcripts
  • IELTS - an overall grade of 6.5
  • A statement of motivation/purpose

To see the entrance exams, scholarships and UG admission details, click here

Skills Required

Technical & Practical Skills

An aquaculturist must be able to understand, measure, and monitor various situations and apply technical knowledge. They must be open to seek training opportunities for further development to improve their performance in day to day tasks.

Analytical Skills

An aquaculturist must possess the ability to collect and analyze information in a methodical way.

Communication Skills

In this position, one should possess a balance in listening and talking; speaking and writing clearly and accurately; in order to keep others informed.

Self Management

As an aquaculturist, self managing is of great importance. They should focus on effective planning and time management as well as prioritisation of tasks.

Industries

  • Checked Aquaculture & Fisheries
  • Checked Environment
  • Checked Forestry
  • Checked Organic Agriculture
  • Checked Sustainability
  • Checked Textiles
  • Checked Quality management system

Top Companies

  • Checked Mowi
  • Checked Trident Seafoods Corporation
  • Checked Avanti Feeds
  • Checked Coastal Corporation Ltd
  • Checked The Waterbase Ltd
  • Checked Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods)
  • Checked Pacific Andes

Resources to make use of

Useful links

Videos

The Importance of Sustainable Aquaculture in Our Future | Perry Raso | TEDxProvidence
The Importance of Sustainable Aquaculture in Our Future | Perry Raso | TEDxProvidence Perry Raso, an aquaculturist examines his path to developing sustainable aquaculture in Rhode Island, and points to the global need as protein demands rise and fisheries decline.