A Comprehensive Business
Aquaculture farmers are involved in all aspects of the planning, design and operation of hatcheries where breeding takes place and grow out ponds and floating fish cages where fish are raised. They are also involved in the marketing of their product and the management of the overall business and its finances.
Professional Career
Aquaculture technicians usually work under the supervision of a qualified aquaculture farmer. They undertake the many detailed tasks and processes involved in the cultivation of freshwater and marine life and the care of their environment. In many cases, particularly on small farms, aquaculture farmers also perform these duties.
On a typical aquaculture farm, there's a grow-out facility, as well as brood stock (adult breeding fish) ponds and a hatchery. Because female fish in captivity don't usually spawn naturally, eggs that are laid are often fertilised artificially to produce fish larvae.
The technician anaesthetises the fish, separates the males and females and then injects the females with hormones to induce spawning. In some cases the aquaculture technician is required to manually extract eggs from female fish and mix them with sperm for fertilisation.
In addition to raising the eggs, technicians are responsible for feeding the stock, preparing algal cultures, which are essential to the feeding process and ensuring that the environment is in optimum condition. They also collect and record growth, production, and water quality data, check stock for disease and treat them when necessary.
The harvesting of fish is also undertaken by aquaculture technicians using a variety of techniques. To maintain the freshness of the fish, technicians bag and box them live for transportation to a processing plant, to the fish markets or for release into the wild.
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