Studies & Degrees in Fisheries

Choose where you would like to study Fisheries:

Fishery is a multidisciplinary subject that studies the process of raising and/or harvesting aquatic species in both fresh and marine water. The objective is to equip interested individuals with necessary knowledge and best practices to make fishing a profitable and sustainable business to pursue. Methods of fishing and the discipline of managing this industry are being taught in technical schools offering courses in Fishery Science. In view of achieving an encompassing curriculum, Fishery Science discusses all aspects from technical (mechanical tasks, tools, anatomy of aquatic species, ecology, and oceanography) to management (operations, processing, marketing, and sales). Since aquatic resources are natural resources, which can be diminished in time if not taken care of, students are also taught about the environmental aspect of fishery. This includes discussing sustainable fishery and marine conservation to avoid issues that are commonly faced by huge industrial fishing companies. Huge fishing companies employ officers to handle the enforcement of fishery act/law applicable to area of operation to ensure legality of every operation.

Fishery can be categorized based on (1) the region where fishery is conducted and (2) the particular specie being hunted. Marine water fishery is more common as the supply is more abundant there than in fresh water. Aquatic species can be classified as either wild or farmed. Fishery comes in different packages - from a single person using a small boat up to hundreds of people processing tons of fish in huge fleet of trawlers in commercial or industrial fishing companies.

Fishery has been part of world’s civilization from onset, where this has been known as one of the primary means of acquiring food and source of income. This is true up to the now, where fishing industry is contributing huge percentage in world’s economy. Some of the largest fish producing countries in the world are China (the world’s largest exporter of fishery products), Japan, United States, and Russia. Fishery provides employment to millions of people around the world – from fishermen who do the actual catching, production staff who do the processing of fish for commercial or industrial purposes, to highly specialized researchers who focus on scientific breeding and technological innovation in fishing industry. Moreover, Fishery is now known to be done for many other purposes, such as sports and hobby or recreation.

Out of millions and millions of tons of fish being produced every year, about 90% is consumed by humans for food – either fresh or processed. Due to the nature of being highly perishable, however, about 90% of traded fish products are turned into processed goods. Trading is a huge business in fishing industry. Large part of the remaining portion is processed as fishmeal, which serves as animal food. Other portions are used in the production of compounds for laboratory and pharmaceutical industries.

Graduates of Fishery Science may choose vocation from being an aqua culturist, trader, breeder, exporter, farm manager, staff or manager in an industrial fishing firm, designer of fishing equipment, to being the owner of fishing farm to list some.