Pisciculturist is a professional who is involved in the breeding of fish in an organized and scientific manner. There was a time when rearing of fish was considered as a part-time additional work along with agriculture and other allied activities. At that time fishery was not taken as a full-fledged profession. In today scenario when due to the increasing population on the earth thereby depleting land resources there is a great need for water sources for the food and other consumables for the mankind from the sea Thus there is a great need of the professionals who could restore the existing source and develop the new methods by using the fisheries sciences.
The fast developing fishery industry provides employment not only to the traditional fishermen, but also to the highly skilled personnel engaged in the scientific breeding and management of fisheries. The scope in the field of fishery science is increasing with the development of aquaculture. Because the country is expansive inland natural water resources, dynamic entrepreneurial skills, this profession is advantageous to the Indian economy too.
Young people with desire and capacity for hard work and with very little investment can get both money and satisfaction in this ever-expanding profession involving new and scientific methods. But to adopt this profession in the right sense and excel one need to have the special non-conventional type of education along with the aptitude to live in aquatic surrounding for long times.
Pisciculturist Eligibility
Candidates should have been passed their Bachelor’s Degree with Biology as one of the subjects from a recognised institute.
Pisciculturist Required Skills
- Pisciculturist should possess the ability to work in the aquatic surroundings for long hours.
- They should also have good entrepreneur skills to utilize different fishery resources
- Other skills are good analytical and research skills which are also essential for them.
- They should also possess good communication skills, good knowledge of aquatic animals, ability to recognize illness of fishes and thorough knowledge of wider varieties of subjects to work on the scientific concepts and techniques of fish cultivation.
How to become a Pisciculturist?
To become a Pisciculturist one has to undergo one or more of the following Courses-
1. 4 year degree course B.F.Sc.
Eligibility
1. Educational Qualification
Candidates who wish to apply for Bachelor of Fisheries Science bachelor’s degree should have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with biology as the of the main subjects relevant subjects preferably with 50% marks.
Step 1
Interested candidate has to appear in an all India level common entrance test conducted by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), New Delhi.
However, some colleges/universities also give admission on the basis of % of marks obtained in the qualifying examinations.
Step 2
After completing B.F.Sc., one can take M.F.Sc. which is of 2-year duration. (Masters of Fisheries Science) After getting a professional degree in Fisheries Science, one can go into research-oriented activities also.
Eligibility
1. Educational Qualification
To get admission to above Master’s level degree course students should have passed Bachelors courses in relevant topics with at least 50% marks in aggregate.
Step 1
Interested candidate has to appear in an entrance test conducted by the various Universities providing 2-3 years of Master’s degree courses
However, some universities also give admission on the basis of % of marks obtained in the qualifying class
Step 2
After completing this 2 years of course in which one has to go through all the major aspects of Fishery Science like capture, culture and post-harvest technology.
After completion of the Education, a Fishery Culturist one can work for a variety of Governmental and non-Governmental organization.
Pisciculturist Job Description
Pisculturist plays a crucial role in the development of the fishery industry. They can work in various fish breeding farms, fish research centres and hatcheries. They are responsible for conducting scientific fish breeding. They also implement new methods for fish hatching.
Pisciculturist Career Prospects
Enormous employment opportunities are available for Pisciculturist as there are ample water bodies in various parts of India to adopt this profession. Pisciculturist can earn nearly 2 lakhs rupees per annum from an acre of land. Besides if need be arise the professionals of these fields can also associate themselves with private as well as public sector organisations. Like the government sector, a fisheries graduate can apply for the post of Assistant Fisheries Development Officer (AFDO)/ Fisheries Extension Officer (FEO) and District Fisheries Development Officer.
Pisciculturist Salary
Pisciculturist can expect to earn anything between Rs. 2,00,000 to Rs. 2,50,000 from an acre of land per year. Those working with private or government sector organization can earn as good as Rs. 25,000 per month and more. However, it depends upon the efforts of an individual.
