AFS Guide to Fisheries Employment is a special project of the Student Subsection of the Education Section American Fisheries Society Copyright 1995 by the Education Section, American Fisheries Society Permission is given to individuals to make single copies of chapters for personal use. Finding a Graduate Program in Fisheries Donald J. orth and Ira A. Adelman .
Aquaculture is defined as the production of aquatic species -vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants.
Although many people identify aquaculture with fish farming and even more narrowly as the production of fish in fresh waters, aquaculture is similar to agriculture and produces a wide variety of food fish, hobby fish, bait fish, ornamental plants, shrimp, mollusks, and algae. As the catch from global fisheries declines, the importance of aquaculture products is expected to expand. Job opportunities in aquaculture are wide ranging and employ the skills and training of all levels from high school graduates to individuals with highly specialized doctoral degrees. This chapter presents some of the job opportunities in aquaculture with the skills and training required for those jobs. Commercial Producers Fish farms may be privately owned or owned by large corporations.