Aquaculture Technicians

Job Titles: Aquaculture Technician, Fish Culturist, Fish Farm Technologist, Fish Hatchery Technician, Fish Roe Technician, Fishery Bacteriological Technician

What’s It Like?

Aquaculture is the cultivation of plants and animals that live in water, including fish, shellfish and crustaceans. There are many uses for these creatures including food, pets, exhibition in public aquariums or zoos, and the restocking of wild populations.

Aquaculture technician/technologists usually enter their field as labourers or technicians. They are employed by fish hatcheries, aquatic farms, research facilities, environmental monitoring companies and government agencies. As they gain more experience they can work their way up to managers.

Aquaculture Technician may:

Feed the stock, whether it’s baby shrimp or full-grown salmon
Monitor the organisms’ environment as many variables affect the quality of water (e.g. salt content, pH level, temperature, chemical content, etc.)
Check the stock for disease and administer treatments when necessary
Monitor and record the growth of the fish or crustaceans
Help during the harvesting process
Operate and maintain cultivating and harvesting equipment
Collect and record growth and production data
Restore streams or habitat and assess stock (electrofishing, snorkel surveys)
Assist with habitat assessment and restoration feasibility assessment and monitoring

Money & Benefits

Wages

Designation	Hourly Rate
Entry Level	$14.00 - $18.00
Experienced (+5 years)	$18.00 - $24.00
Management (Senior)	$25.00 - $35.00

Benefits

Benefits are unique to each company.

Larger businesses and government have employee benefits packages including health care.

Why We're Betting On This

There were an estimated 54 Aquaculture Technicians and Technologists working in the central Vancouver Island region as of 2005 (BC Stats)
The projected Annual Growth Rate for aquaculture technicians and technologists is 3.8% from 2005-2009 (BC Stats)
According to the Aquaculture Centre website developed by Prof. Richard Moccia, Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph:
- The aquaculture industry has grown to be worth almost 700 million dollars to the national economy, and has produced nearly 5,000 new jobs (as of 2000) for Canadian workers
- It is expected that by 2010, the Canadian aquaculture sector could generate more than $6.2 billion in revenues and produce over 12,000 jobs in the production and service areas
- The aquaculture industry will account for 35% or more of the total world supply of seafood in terms of tonnage, and control approximately 50% of the economic value of edible fish protein
- The predicted decline in the wild harvest of fish will require an expansion of aquaculture production to fill the void
Current local labour market research indicates there has been an increase of over 15 positions for Aquaculture Technicians And Technologists in the past three months
Employment opportunities in the central Vancouver Island region include:
- Aquaculture farms - there are approximately six commercial businesses producing farmed seafood
- Malaspina University-College - one of the lar gest employers of Aquaculture Technicians in their research facilities including the International Centre for Sturgeon Studies and The Centre for Shellfish Research
- Federal and Provincial government (Fisheries and Oceans Canada, including the Pacific Biological Station, the British Columbia Conservation Service)
- Private environmental monitoring companies

Interested? Where To Start

Educational Requirements

Upon high school graduation, a college diploma in aquaculture or several years of experience in fishing or aquaculture operations is required.

A commercial aquaculture or fish hatchery licence, permit or lease is required for self-employed aquaculture operators and managers.

Certification with provincial associations is available, but voluntary.

Educational Institution

Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo

www.mala.ca/calendar/Technology/fisheries.asp

Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology: 4 or 6-semester Diploma Program. Students may take the Fisheries and Aquaculture Diploma program in 1, 2 or 3-year formats (2, 4 or 6 semesters). In addition, there is an option to take up to two terms of paid, Co-operative Education work placements.

Success Stories

Interviewed & Documented

PROOF of the abundance of Jobs in the Aquaculture Technicians Industry