Work on farms that raise fish and other aquatic animals.
You feed them, check their health and monitor water quality. You set up nets, cages and pumps, keep equipment running and record growth and water quality data. You also help harvest and pack fish when they’re ready. Your work keeps the farm operating smoothly and supports healthy, productive stock.

TAFE SA offers Certificate III in Aquaculture relevant to this occupation.

SA Apprenticeships are available in this occupation for further information go to the Traineeship & Apprenticeship Services Website at http://www.skills.sa.gov.au/apprenticeships-traineeships or phone the Freecall number 1800 673 097.

Aquaculture workers can be employed in a range of positions including as a shift or team leader, autonomous farm attendant or leading hand.

Employment can also be found with state and territory fishery authorities, tertiary institutions, industrial organisations, private hatcheries and farms, or research organisations such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

Aquaculture workers perform routine tasks in breeding and raising fish and other aquatic stock. Tasks can include feeding and grading fish, monitoring their growth, assisting with farm layout and constructing nets, long-lines and cages, checking and looking after equipment and fish housing, operating pumps and other equipment, testing and checking on water quality, removing dead and dying fish, operating lifting equipment such as forklifts and small cranes, harvesting fish and sorting and packing for transportation, restocking pens, pools, tanks, ponds, rivers and dams with juvenile fish, collecting and recording growth, production and water quality data.

Aquaculture workers work in a water environment and in all kinds of weather, usually in isolated locations. They need to be physically fit and be prepared to work long hours including early mornings, particularly during harvesting.

Strong growth is expected in the future. Employers include the Fisheries Department, CSIRO, aquaculture farmers, or the research departments of universities. Opportunities for employment in regional areas will expand with the development of arid land aquaculture, where cultivation takes place in expended salt lakes. Traditional aquaculture farms are also beginning to diversify into aquaculture tourism activities.