Career In Fisheries & Aquaculture: Courses, Scope, Jobs & Salary

Have you ever done fishing?…Do you have interest in Aquaculture?

Fishery is the occupation or industry of catching, processing or selling of a fish or other aquatic species for human consumption. The fishes are harvested from the natural resources like river, oceans and lakes.

Aquaculture also referred as fish farming is the cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, especially, fish, shellfish and seaweed, in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments.

India is currently, the 3rd largest producer of fish and 4th largest exporter of fish and fish products. With a continuous demand of seafood across the globe, candidates can find career opportunities in Fishery and Aquaculture domestically as well as globally.

If you are interested in the harvesting and capturing of fish then you can choose your career in fisheries. In this article we will learn about courses, career scope, top colleges and job prospects in fisheries and Aquaculture.

“The term fisheries & Aquaculture itself clear its meaning. It is related to catching of inland and marine fishes for commercial purposes. It involves aquaculture, gears, navigation, oceanography, aquarium management, breeding, processing, export and import of seafood, special products and by-products , research and related activities.”

Career Scope

There are numerous of career or job opportunities in government and the private sector. Aspirants can go for entrepreneurship or self-employed in their own fisheries-related business. You can see that in every state or country, the government has fisheries department in which you can apply for various posts.

Aspirants can also do jobs in central government agencies like Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Fisheries Survey of India (FSI), ICAR, NIO, WHO and many others.

Candidates can also go for higher studies and research in Fisheries science by pursuing postgraduate courses like M.F.Sc (Master of Fisheries Science) or Ph.D. in Fisheries or Aquaculture.

Candidates can find the number of job opportunities in teaching, research institutions, and various roles in policy-making, consultancy, and scientific advisory positions.

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Fisheries Courses in India

There are various undergraduate and postgraduate courses available in the field of Fisheries & Aquaculture. The course duration for bachelors program is generally 3 to 4 years.

Below is the list of popular UG and PG courses in Fisheries & Aquaculture science:

Diploma Courses

• Diploma in Fisheries Science 1-2 years
• Diploma in Aquaculture and Fishery Biology 1-2 years

Bachelor’s Courses

• Bachelor of Fisheries Science (B.F.Sc) – 4 years
• Bachelor of Science (Industrial Fish and Fisheries) – 3 years
• B.Sc. (Fisheries) – 3 years
• B.Sc. (Aquaculture) – 3 years

Master’s Courses

• Master’s of fisheries science (M.F.Sc) – 2 years
• Master’s of Science (M.Sc) – 2 years

You can pursue M.Sc in the following specializations:

• Aquatic Biology & Fisheries
• Coastal Aquaculture and Marine
• Fishery Science and Aquaculture
• Industrial Fisheries
• Limnology and Fisheries
• Marine Biology and Fisheries

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Top Colleges in India

Here is the list of top Colleges in India, that provide academic education in fisheries:

• Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Mumbai – Deemed University under ICAR
• Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University (TNJFU), Nagapattinam
• Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), Kochi
• College of Fisheries, Mangalore – Karnataka Veterinary, Animal & Fisheries Sciences University
• Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Ratnagiri
• College of Fisheries, Ratnagiri (Maharashtra)
• College of Fisheries Science, Nagpur (MAFSU)
• College of Fisheries, Dholi – Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Bihar
• College of Fisheries, Lembucherra – Central Agricultural University, Tripura
• College of Fisheries, Junagadh Agricultural University, Veraval (Gujarat)
• College of Fisheries Science, Jabalpur – Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University (NDVSU), MP
• West Bengal University of Animal & Fishery Sciences, Kolkata

Admission Process

One can apply for the bachelor’s courses in fisheries after completing of 10+2 with PCB group of subjects.

The admission in the top agriculture university is based on the entrance examination usually conducted at national or university level.

The admission in UG level courses is based on CUET UG score. For admission to PG courses, candidates need to appear in ICAR AIEEA PG exam.

For pursuing master’s courses like M.F.Sc from Central Institutes of India, you are required to clear the All India Level Common Entrance Test conducted by ICAR.

After qualifying the entrance examination, candidates will be called for the counselling and documents verification process to complete the admission formalities.

Below is the list of popular entrance exams for admission to Fisheries & Aquaculture courses:

• CUET UG 
• ICAR AIEEA

Check – Agriculture Entrance Exams in India

Several universities also conducts their own entrance test for providing admission. Below we have listed the colleges offering UG & PG courses in Fisheries & Aquaculture

Jobs Prospects

The fisheries graduates can find job opportunities as a fisheries expert, technicians, Fish Processing & Packaging, Marine research and fish production and supply companies.

After completing a degree of B.F.Sc, candidates can find jobs in government sector for the role of Instructor, Research Assistant, Biochemist, Biologist etc.

Also, you can apply in the fisheries department of state government for the post of Inspector of Fisheries/Research Assistants, Sub-Inspector of Fisheries, Assistant Directors, Assistant Fisheries Development Officer ( AFDO ) / Fisheries Extension Officer ( FEO ) and Fisheries Development Officer(FDO).

Central agencies also recruits fisheries graduates as technical officers and assistant directors in

• Marine Product Export Development Authority (MPEDA)
• Export Inspection Agency ( EIA)
• Coastal Aquaculture Authority of India (CAA)
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
• Fisheries Survey of India (FSI)
• National Institute of Oceanography(NIO)
• Indian National Centre for Ocean and Information Services(INCOIS), Hyderabad

In addition to this, there is also a scope of self employment in this field. After, owning degree of B.F.Sc, you can also open your own fish export and retail business.

You will also get the opportunity to work in abroad where you can do business in the field of aquaculture, fish processing export and import. Fisheries professionals in aquaculture sectors are high in demand USA and european countries.

In the field of fisheries, you can become an aquaculturist, farm managers, exporters,breeders and modern fishermen’s etc.

The job titles of fisheries is given below:

• Fisheries Biologist
• Fisheries Extension Officer (AEO)
• Fisheries Officer
• Fishery Manager
• Fishery technician
• Fishery Observer
• Assistant Fisheries Development Officer (AFDO)
• District Fisheries Development Officer (DFDO)

Recruiters

• ICAR
• Fisheries Development Board
• Food Department
• Food Processing and Technology
• Fish Breeding Farms

Salary

The Salary in this field depends upon the educational qualification, skills, work experience and location. In private sector, candidates can start their career with INR 3-6 LPA.

Candidates working in government departments are paid as per the government norms and salary structure. The salary in government sector vary based on posts and number of years in service.

The salary of the fisheries development officer (FDO) could range between ₹35,000 – ₹55,000. Candidates working as an Assistant Fisheries Officer (AFO) earn in the range ₹40,000 – ₹60,000 per month.

Books & Study Materials

Some of the best books for the preparation of fisheries is mentioned below:

• Basics of Fisheries Science: Aquaculture – K.C. Badapanda
• Aquaculture Technology and Environment by Ujwala Jadhav
• A textbook of Fish Biology and Fisheries – S.S. Khanna
• Integrated Aquaculture by B. Ahilan, K. Ravaneshwaran, P. Kumaravel
• Aquaculture and Fisheries – N. Arumugam
  
• A Textbook of Fishery Science and Indian Fisheries – C.B.L. Srivastava

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