Life in the water: whales and dolphins, fish and shellfish, and the people who study, rescue, farm, and catch them.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Aquatic Animal Veterinarian: Treats dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, sharks, and fish at aquariums, rescue centers, and fish farms. Typical pay $115k.
Fisheries Stock Assessment Scientist: Uses math and computer models to estimate how many fish are in the ocean and how many can safely be caught. Typical pay $115k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Marine Mammal Scientist: Studies whales, dolphins, seals, and manatees in the wild. Typical pay $85k.
Commercial Fishing Captain: Commands a commercial fishing boat and crew, deciding where, when, and how to fish. Typical pay $90k.
Fisheries Biologist: Studies fish populations in rivers, lakes, and oceans to manage and protect them. Typical pay $72k.
Aquaculture Farm Manager: Runs a farm that raises fish, shrimp, oysters, or seaweed. Typical pay $68k.
Fish Health Biologist: Diagnoses and prevents diseases in hatchery, farmed, and wild fish. Typical pay $70k.
Marine Bioacoustician: Studies the sounds whales, dolphins, and fish make, and how human noise affects them. Typical pay $80k.
Fish Hatchery Manager: Runs a hatchery that raises millions of fish to stock rivers and lakes. Typical pay $65k.
Sea Turtle Biologist: Studies and protects endangered sea turtles for wildlife agencies, nonprofits and aquariums, monitoring nests, tagging turtles and tracking migrations. Typical pay $62k.
Shark Biologist: Researches sharks and rays: where they go, how many there are, and how to protect them. Typical pay $75k.
Oyster Farmer: Grows oysters, clams, or mussels in coastal waters. Typical pay $40k.
Fish Hatchery Technician: Raises fish like trout and salmon at state, federal and tribal hatcheries, feeding fish, cleaning tanks, and helping stock lakes and rivers. Typical pay $38k.
Whale Watch Naturalist: Narrates whale-watching and wildlife boat tours and teaches passengers about marine life. Typical pay $32k.
Fish Age Reader: Figures out the age of fish by counting growth rings in their ear bones (otoliths), like tree rings. Typical pay $52k.
Fisheries Port Sampler: Meets fishing boats at the dock to measure, weigh and sample the catch, giving scientists the data used to set fishing limits. Typical pay $46k.
Baitfish Farmer: Raises minnows, shiners and goldfish in ponds to sell as bait and feeder fish; Arkansas is the national center of the industry. Typical pay $40k.
Creel Survey Clerk: Interviews people fishing at boat ramps, piers and riverbanks, counting and measuring their catch so agencies know how many fish anglers take. Typical pay $36k.
Commercial Fly Tier: Ties fishing flies by hand from feathers, fur and thread, selling them to fly shops, guides and anglers who chase trout, salmon and saltwater fish. Typical pay $30k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.