How to become an aquaculturist

Is becoming an aquaculturist right for me?

The first step to choosing a career is to make sure you are actually willing to commit to pursuing the career. You don’t want to waste your time doing something you don’t want to do. If you’re new here, you should read about:

Overview
What do aquaculturists do?

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How to become an Aquaculturist

The process of becoming an aquaculture farmer typically starts with relevant formal education and continues with practical experience and lifelong learning. Here’s an overview of the pathway to the career:

Basic Education
Complete high school with a focus on biology, chemistry, environmental science, and math.

Postsecondary Education
Many employers and larger farms prefer job candidates with a diploma, associate degree, or bachelor’s degree. Among the most common majors are aquaculture, fisheries sciences and management, marine biology, environmental science, or agriculture.

For small-scale or family-run farms, formal education requirements may be less strict, but knowledge and practical skills remain critical.

Practical Experience
Pursue internships, apprenticeships, or entry-level jobs on aquaculture farms to gain hands-on skills. Under the guidance of experienced aquaculture farmers, learn about farm management, water quality monitoring, feeding practices, breeding, disease prevention, and sustainable farming techniques.

Develop Business Skills
Learn about farm operations, budgeting, marketing, and regulatory compliance.

Seek Employment or Establish a Farm
Start working with an established farm or launch your own aquaculture business.

Continuous Learning / Certifications
Keep up with new technologies, industry regulations, and best practices. Consider acquiring certifications that can enhance credibility, open markets, and promote sustainable and ethical farming:

  • Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Certification – The ASC credential focuses on environmentally and socially responsible farming of seafood. It applies to species like salmon, tilapia, shrimp, and mussels.
  • Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Certification – Administered by the Global Seafood Alliance, BAP is the only aquaculture certification program in the world that certifies every step of the production chain. This global non-profit covers four pillars: environmental responsibility, social accountability, food safety, and animal welfare.
  • Friend of the Sea Certification – This certification awards sustainable practices in fisheries, aquaculture, fishmeal and omega 3 fish oil. Friend of the Sea also promotes pilot projects related to restaurants, sustainable shipping, whale watching and dolphin watching, aquaria, ornamental fish, UV creams, and others.
  • Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) Certification – This certification, administered by the USDA National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, validates on-farm food safety in handling, harvesting, and storage; valid for one year from the date of audit.
  • USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Organic Certification – This USDA certification is for farms that meet strict organic farming standards in the US.
  • Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Certification – Offered by various food safety organizations, the HACCP credential demonstrates knowledge of this globally recognized food safety management system that ensures food safety throughout the food supply chain. In aquaculture, this includes harvesting and processing.
  • American Fisheries Society (AFS) Certifications – The AFS administers the Associate Fisheries Professional (FP-A) and the Certified Fisheries Professional (FP-C). Applicants must satisfy coursework, degree, and experience requirements.

Professional Organizations
In addition to the certifying bodies referenced above in the Certifications section, the following organizations also support the aquaculture farming community:

  • World Aquaculture Society (WAS) – a global organization dedicated to advancing aquaculture science and industry
  • Aquaculture North America – focuses on promoting aquaculture in North America through education and collaboration
  • European Aquaculture Society (EAS) – supports aquaculture development in Europe through events, publications, and networking