Managing wild fish populations and farming fish, oysters, and seaweed: from salmon hatcheries and trout streams to oyster farms and indoor shrimp tanks.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Fisheries Stock Assessment Scientist: Uses math models to estimate how many fish are in the ocean and how many can be caught without crashing the population. Typical pay $112k.
Aquaculture Systems Engineer: Designs high-tech indoor fish farms that recycle water, so salmon and shrimp can be raised far from the ocean. Typical pay $105k.
Fisheries Biologist: Studies fish populations in rivers, lakes, and oceans to manage fishing and protect species like salmon. Typical pay $72k.
Fish Hatchery Manager: Runs a hatchery that raises millions of trout, salmon, or other fish to stock lakes and rivers or supply fish farms. Typical pay $68k.
Aquaculture Farm Manager: Runs a fish or shellfish farm, from Mississippi catfish ponds to indoor shrimp tanks. Typical pay $70k.
Oyster / Shellfish Farmer: Grows oysters, clams, and mussels in bays and estuaries, which also helps clean the water. Typical pay $55k.
Fish Passage Engineer: Designs fish ladders, culverts, and dam removals so salmon and other fish can migrate past human-made barriers. Typical pay $98k.
State Fisheries Manager: Manages fishing in a region's lakes and rivers: setting regulations, stocking plans, and habitat projects. Typical pay $80k.
Aquaculture Professor: Teaches and researches fish and shellfish farming at a university. Typical pay $85k.
Catfish & Shrimp Farmer: Raises catfish, tilapia, or shrimp in ponds and tanks, managing water, feed, and harvest. Typical pay $65k.
Lake & Pond Management Specialist: Keeps lakes and ponds healthy by controlling algae and weeds, stocking fish, and managing water quality. Typical pay $77k.
Shellfish Sanitation Inspector: Tests coastal water and oysters for bacteria and toxins and decides which beds are safe to harvest, closing them after storms or red tides. Typical pay $62k.
Starter: fastest way in
Fisheries Observer: Rides along on commercial fishing boats for weeks, recording what's caught, including protected species like turtles and seabirds. Typical pay $52k.
Fisheries Technician: Collects fish data in the field, from netting and tagging fish to monitoring water quality. Typical pay $42k.
Seaweed / Kelp Farmer: Grows kelp and other seaweeds on underwater ropes for food, fertilizer, and even bioplastics. Typical pay $40k.
Fishing Guide: Takes clients fishing on rivers, lakes, or coastal waters, teaching technique and finding the fish. Typical pay $38k.
Seafood Processing Worker: Cleans, fillets, packs, and freezes fish and shellfish at processing plants. Typical pay $36k.
Fish Counter (Dam Fish Ladder): Sits at a window beside a dam fish ladder and counts and identifies every salmon and steelhead swimming past. Typical pay $42k.
Aquaponics Farmer: Raises fish and vegetables together in a system where fish waste fertilizes plants and plants clean the water. Typical pay $38k.
Fish Farm Worker: Feeds fish, checks tanks and ponds, and helps harvest on a fish or shellfish farm. Typical pay $37k.
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.