India being surrounded by water bodies on multiple sides, the fishing
industry is growing rapidly as an important industry and aquaculture is
a viable career option. Fishery and aquaculture is an integrated part
of marine industry. Marine industry which comprises of several sea food
import-export companies, fish preservation units, and seafood processing
plants, agricultural universities, research organizations and state fishery
departments, offer a plenty of employment opportunities for fisheries
and aquaculture graduates.
The Central Food Technological Research Institute's (CFTRI) Biology department,
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and The Marine Products
Export Development Authority (MPEDA) are all encouraging and boosting
the aquaculture industry in India.
What one specializes in, is a deciding factor in what kind of jobs one
can look for, later. If one is looking for a job in the industry, then
one can specialize in the ways of breeding and cultivating fishes for
industry. One can find a job in a pharmaceutical company if you specialize
in fields which seek to cultivate aquatic life for use in medicine. Those
who want to go into research and development, can specialise in studying
the life patterns, habits and breeding patterns of fishes. They can specialize
in either fresh water aquaculture or coastal aquaculture. Aspirants can
also study about the preservation of marine life. With water pollution
increasing rapidly, one can study about ways in which water pollution
can be prevented and how toxic industrial wastes can be disposed of safely,
without destroying the ecological system. A ban on the extensive fishing
of some breeds is one of the new fields that is being incorporated into
aquaculture studies in India and also in other countries. One can also
specialize in fish processing. Processing as well as harvesting is an
important part of studies in aquaculture.
Major careers available in this field are as aquaculturists, fish farm
or aqua farm managers, hatchery unit managers, sea food exporters, seafood
traders, fish breeding professionals and so on. One can find employment
in the various fish farms or interested students can get into research
where there is a huge need. In farm management, one performs supervisory
tasks like site selection, designing and construction of ponds and other
water bodies, feeding fishes, perform selective stocking, manage water
quality, and monitor the fishes and prevent toxication or infection till
they are harvested and also protecting the water body in general. In hatchery
management, one can be engaged in brood stock collection, breeding fishes
in artificial conditions, managing water quality, oxygen packing and transportation
to the farms. Aqua culturists are also needed in the pharmaceutical industry
for the preparation of various medicines. Freshers in this field can start
off as fishery inspector or a deep sea fishery worker. Fishery inspector's
duty is to transport fish seed safely to different fishery stations. Deep
sea fishery workers work as crew members of fishing vessels. For research
and development, one can be involved either with academic institutions
or with the research and development sections of fishing companies or
pharmaceutical companies. Teaching posts are available at all the institutes
offering courses in aquaculture. One can also find jobs in equipment manufacturing
units which provide equipments required in fish cultivation like nets,
fishing vessels, machines or equipments for cleaning, salting and freezing
fishes. Self employment is a good career option in this field.
