Fish Farmer

The Job and What's Involved

Fish farmers breed and rear fish and shellfish for sale, mostly for food, although some breed fin fish for angling and ornamental pools. They either breed fish from eggs, or buy in young fish.

Freshwater fish are kept in tanks, ponds, cages, or concrete raceways. Sea fish are usually housed in sea cages or large pens. Shellfish are farmed in their natural marine environment - for example, mussels are reared on ropes hanging in the sea.

There are some differences with salmon farming. These are bred in fresh water for six months to two years, then transferred to pens in the sea until they are mature and are ready to sell.

The main areas of work are:

• Feeding fish by hand or by filling hoppers that feed the fish automatically. (Shellfish feed naturally from the sea.)
• Grading fish or shellfish by size and moving them to bigger tanks or other holding units.
• Maintaining water quality through regular checks on water temperature and oxygen content. On a freshwater fish farm, filters and screens that trap leaves and other debris must be cleaned.
• Preventing disease through draining, cleaning and hosing tanks, and where necessary, adding chemicals to the water to protect fish.
• Treating fish that show signs of infection or disease.
• Harvesting fish for eating and sale. This involves killing and gutting them and packing them in ice.

Fish farmers may also do other tasks such as maintaining buildings and equipment, using hand or power tools for jobs involving carpentry, plumbing and electrical work. They keep records and accounts, buy in fresh stock, feedstuff and equipment, and arrange the sale of the fish.

In larger fish farms, fish farmers may supervise other staff as well as being involved in all areas of the work themselves.

Fish farms operate seven days a week. Fish farmers usually work flexible hours based around the jobs that need completing at different times of the year. In larger farms, they are likely to work on a rota system with other members of staff.

Most of their working time is spent outdoors in all weather conditions - the farms are often situated in quite isolated areas. The work is active and involves a lot of heavy lifting, standing, bending and carrying.

Fish farms need to collect feed or equipment and deliver fish to local buyers, so a driving licence is required.

Fish farmers may start on around £10,000 a year.

Getting Started with this Career Choice

There are around 1,100 fish farms throughout the UK employing about 7,000 people full time and part time. Job opportunities occur in rural areas, mainly in southern and central England, North Yorkshire and southern, western and central Scotland. Salmon sea cage farms are mainly located in Scotland at The Shetland Isles.

Vacancies for full-time fish farmers occur infrequently and there is likely to be much competition for them.

Fish farmers work for private businesses and estates, angling organisations, garden centres specialising in aquatics, and sometimes water supply companies or the Environment Agency.

Job vacancies can be found by contacting fish farms direct, or in specialist magazines and journals. The British Trout Association website includes a job advert and case histories section.

Education and Training

There are no set academic requirements, but some employers prefer applicants with GCSE's/S grades (A-C/1-3). Entry into the profession as a manager or assistant manager usually requires a specialist qualification such as:

- BSc (Hons) Degree in Aquaculture
- BSc (Hons) Degree in Aquaculture & Fishery Management
- Foundation Degree in Aquaculture & Fishery Management
- BTEC National Award in Fish Management Level 3
- BTEC First Diploma in Fish Husbandry
- NVQ's/SVQ's in Aquaculture Levels 2 and 3

There are also BSc (Hons) Degrees in Aquatic Sciences and Marine and Freshwater Biology.

For course details and entry requirements, contact Edexcel for BTEC courses, the Scottish Qualifications Authority for SVQ's, and universities listed on the UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) website for degrees (www.ucas.ac.uk).

Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships provide structured training with an employer. As an apprentice you must be paid at least £95 per week; you may well be paid more. A recent survey found that the average wage for apprentices was £170 a week. Your pay will depend on the sector in which you work, your age, the area where you live and the stage at which you have arrived in the Apprenticeship.

Entry to Employment (e2e) can help to prepare those who are not yet ready for an Apprenticeship. In addition, Young Apprenticeships may be available for 14- to 16-year-olds. More information is available from a Connexions personal adviser or at www.apprenticeships.org.uk.

There are different arrangements for Apprenticeships in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For further information contact Careers Scotland www.careers-scotland.org.uk, Careers Wales www.careerswales.com or Careers Service Northern Ireland www.careersserviceni.com.

A Few More Exams You Might Need

There is likely to be on-the-job training for people with fish farming qualifications or those who have become fish farmers after working in other relevant jobs. Fish farmers can work towards NVQ's/SVQ's at work, as achieving these qualifications includes workplace assessment.

The Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM) offers qualifications for people wishing to develop their skills and progress:

Certificate in Fisheries Management - aimed at people wishing to run their own fishery or become a fisheries inspector.

Diploma in Fisheries Management - aimed at people wishing to become an area fisheries manager.

The courses involve a mixture of distance learning, short field courses, and exams. Contact the Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM) for full details.