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  4. Job Profile: Aquaculture Worker

Aquaculture Worker

Note: Completion of a TAFE SA course does not guarantee an employment outcome. Formal requirements other than educational qualifications (eg licensing, professional registration), may apply to some occupations.

Job Prospects
Openings 5 years to November 2020: < 5,000
Salary
Median weekly earnings: <$950
Source
Australian Government Department of Employment projections to 2020
Brief
Aquaculture workers will support and assist Aquaculture Farmers in performing daily operational duties such as feeding animals, testing water conditions and breeding fish and other water animals.

TAFE SA courses that may be relevant for: Aquaculture Worker

Accredited (Award)

  • Introduction

    Aquaculture workers will have a broad range of well-developed skills and the ability to adapt and transfer skills to new activities. They will have some responsibility for decision making and may coordinate some team activities.

    OutdoorPractical and ManualScientific

  • Education Requirements

    A Year 10 Certificate, Certificate 1 or a short period of on-the-job training is sometimes needed.

    TAFE SA offers courses relevant to this occupation including the Certificate III in Aquaculture or Diploma of Aquaculture.

    Studying at TAFE SA is one of the easiest and most successful pathways towards a University Degree. Dual offer courses are available at TAFE SA in the Diploma of Aquaculture/Bachelor of Hospitality Management.

    Still unsure? Then try a short course also offered through TAFE SA - check the website for short courses available.

  • Career Path

    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).

    One aquaculture professional explains that mining companies with an environmental responsibility to rehabilitate mine sites are considering aquaculture. 'Mine sites can be filled in with soil and the trees replanted. Another option is to look at using some of these sites for aquaculture and fishing'. He adds that anyone can get involved in aquaculture, as there are so many areas to go into.

  • Nature of the Job

    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.

  • Typical Physical Working Environment

    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.

  • Typical Occupational Example

    Full-time workers, on average, work 42.8 hours and full-time work is fairly common. Tasmania and South Australia have a large share of aquaculture workers however there are jobs in many part of Australia.

    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.