Occupation
Aquaculture technician
Aquaculture technicians raise fish or shellfish in hatcheries, tanks, ponds, or marine pens. The job mixes animal husbandry with water chemistry and equipment work: stock is fed and graded, water quality is tested, and pumps, nets, and aeration systems are maintained. Marine sites add boat work and weather-dependent shifts.
Also known as: Fish farm technician · Hatchery technician · Shellfish farm worker · Aquaculture worker
Occupation content
Part of Agriculture, animals and environment
What the work involves
- Feed stock to plan and adjust rations based on growth, temperature, and feeding response.
- Test dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, pH, and ammonia and act on out-of-range readings.
- Grade, count, and move stock between tanks, cages, or ponds, and record mortalities.
- Inspect and repair nets, pumps, filters, aeration, and biosecurity equipment.
- Follow biosecurity, disease-treatment, and escape-prevention procedures and log every action.
- Assist with spawning, egg incubation, and larval rearing in hatchery operations.
How people commonly enter
- A college certificate or diploma in aquaculture, fisheries technology, or marine biology.
- Direct entry as a farm hand with on-the-job training plus tickets such as boat handling or first aid.
- A bachelor's degree in aquaculture, marine biology, or fisheries science for technical and supervisory roles.
- Transfer from commercial fishing, marine operations, or livestock work with employer training.
Typical training: Certificate or college diploma
Licensing: Certification common, not usually required
Typical work context
Outdoors · Physically active · Shift work · Team based · Lab or workshop
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Investigative (analytical)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Agriculture, animals and environment.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations · United States
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- Canada Job Bank — Career planning and occupation search (Aquaculture technician) · Canada
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- EU ESCO — Occupations and skills classification · European Union
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Agriculture, animals and environment in Canada, not a figure for Aquaculture technician. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Agriculture, animals and environment family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Agriculture, animals and environment: education pathways
Some roles in Agriculture, animals and environment may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Agriculture, animals and environment: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)