Fisheries management option Fish are important to many different people for many different uses such as recreational sport fishing, food, public and private aquariums, and as indicators of the quality of streams, rivers, and lakes. Fisheries management focuses on the processes and principles of the fisheries resource. Using classroom and laboratory instruction as well as hands-on field courses, students are provided with the skills to compete for jobs which meet those needs. Students are encouraged to enter the honors program which allows them to work directly with a professor on a research project. This experience allows students to develop research skills in areas of particular interest, preparing them for later graduate work or possibly a job as a fisheries research biologist.
Graduates are prepared to be competitive for jobs as fishery managers and aquaculturists.
With graduate degrees or job experience, students often find employment as fisheries researchers, administrators, and educators. In fact, all students who have completed graduate degrees in fisheries management at the School of Natural Resources were immediately employed in fisheries related jobs. Typical employers include private consulting firms, recreation and education facilities, state fish and game agencies, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and both private and government hatcheries. Wildlife management option Wildlife biologists spend considerable time outdoors determining size and health of wildlife populations, and taking corrective action. Many wild animals, such as the wood duck and the pronghorn, were managed back to abundance from the brink of extinction.