Aquaculture and Fisheries: A Look at Industry Opportunities

What is Aquaculture?

Aquaculture is the controlled breeding of aquatic life, which includes the capture, cultivation, breeding and harvesting of all marine life forms and freshwater aquatic life. The industry is diversified into several subsectors:

• Algae farming: Production of kelp, seaweed and other algae.
• Fish farming: Breeding of finfish.
• Shellfish farming: Breeding of shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels.
• Pearl farming: Production of pearls from pearl oysters.

Aquaculture Occupations and Sectors

People who work in aquaculture and fishing often interact with various industries such as:

• Animal care and training;
• Horticulture;
• Conservation and land management;
• Food and beverage processing;
• Science;
• Transport and storage;
• Water industry.

Specific Aquaculture Occupations

Fish farm workers: Assist in the farming and breeding of fish and shellfish, and maintain the fish farm facilities and equipment.
Aquaculture technicians: Are responsible for supervising and managing the technical and scientific aspects of aquatic farming.

Forestry and Logging

This area focuses on growing timber in native forests or plantations specifically for logging purposes. Products can range from railway sleepers and posts to firewood and other forest products such as fungi and resins used in varnishes.

Occupations in Forestry

• Foresters
• Forest Technical Officers
• Saw Sharpeners
• Forestry Workers

Support Services

As diverse as wool classing, aerial crop spraying, livestock mustering, sowing, planting and pruning trees, these support services are essential for the smooth running of the aquaculture, fishing and forestry industries. They also include services such as artificial insemination and fruit or vegetable picking.

Occupations in Support Services

• Wool classers;
• Aerial spraying operators;
• Farmers specialising in sowing and planting;
• Artificial insemination technicians;
• Fruit and vegetable pickers.

Whether you're interested in working directly in farming and breeding aquatic life, or in support sectors that interact with aquaculture and fisheries, there is a wide range of available occupations that require a variety of skills and levels of experience.