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Studies & Degrees in Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the farming of fish, shellfish, crustaceans and aquatic plants. NOAA Fisheries, the US federal fisheries agency, defines it as the breeding, rearing and harvesting of animals and plants in all types of water environments, and states that aquaculture supplies more than 50 percent of all seafood produced for human consumption worldwide. Farms work in the sea, in estuaries and in fresh water, in cages, ponds, tanks and on ropes and rafts.

As a subject of study, aquaculture is applied biology combined with production management. Students learn aquatic animal biology, nutrition and feeds, reproduction and genetics, disease and health management, water quality and the environmental effects of farming. They also learn how hatcheries and on-growing units are designed and run, and the rules that farms must follow: in the European Union, aquaculture production is subject to licensing and monitoring.

Qualifications and levels

  • Vocational training in Spain. There are two official vocational training (FP) qualifications in the maritime and fishing family, each of 2,000 hours: the intermediate-level Técnico en Cultivos Acuícolas and the higher-level Técnico Superior en Acuicultura. The higher-level course teaches students to plan and supervise aquaculture production.
  • Bachelor's level. Aquaculture is usually a pathway inside a broader degree in marine science, biology or fisheries. The University of Maine offers an aquaculture concentration within its marine science degree and an aquaculture minor. The University of Akureyri in Iceland teaches a BS in Fisheries Science of 180 ECTS credits over three academic years, in Icelandic. At the University of Stirling, the Institute of Aquaculture teaches a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology.
  • Master's level. The MSc Sustainable Aquaculture at the University of Stirling takes 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time, and can also be taken as a postgraduate certificate or diploma. It asks for at least a second class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject. In Spain, the Máster Universitario en Acuicultura y Pesca of the Universidad de Cádiz has 60 credits in one academic year, is taught on campus and offers 30 places. The University of Maine offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources.
  • Doctorate and short courses. Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture has MPhil and PhD programmes and also runs short professional courses, such as a two-day course on fish health and welfare.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 20 schools for aquaculture: seven in the United States, four in Spain, two in Ireland and one each in Argentina, Bermuda, Colombia, Ecuador, Iceland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In Spain the list includes the Universidad de Cádiz, the Universidad de Murcia and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In Latin America it includes the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral in Guayaquil, the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín and the Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Elsewhere it includes the University of Stirling, Wageningen University, University College Cork, the University of Maine and the University of Akureyri.

Universities in Spain and Latin America teach mainly in Spanish, and those in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States in English; the Akureyri degree is taught in Icelandic. Check the language on each programme page. Location matters more than in most subjects: programmes are tied to the species and farming systems of their region, and many are based on the coast. Within the European Union, 67% of aquaculture production is concentrated in France, Greece, Spain and Italy, and the most farmed species are mussels, trout, oysters, seabream, seabass, carp and tuna.

Careers

Graduates work in hatcheries, nurseries and on-growing farms, in feed and fish health companies, in research centres and in public bodies that license and inspect farms. The Spanish higher-level qualification leads to jobs such as technical manager of fish, mollusc or crustacean reproduction and on-growing, environmental technician for aquaculture and quality control laboratory technician. Its official description also names research centres, public aquariums, producers of aquarium fish and shellfish gatherers' guilds as employers.

According to the European Commission, the EU aquaculture sector directly employed around 57,000 people in approximately 14,000 enterprises in 2020, with sales of 1.2 million tonnes worth €3.9 billion. Most of these enterprises are small.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a bachelor's degree in aquaculture?

Some universities offer one, but aquaculture is more often a concentration, minor or optional pathway inside a degree in marine science, biology or fisheries, as at the University of Maine. Many students specialise with a master's degree.

How long does a master's degree in aquaculture take?

Usually one year full-time. The MSc Sustainable Aquaculture at the University of Stirling takes 12 months, and the Máster Universitario en Acuicultura y Pesca at the Universidad de Cádiz has 60 credits in one academic year.

Can I train in aquaculture without going to university?

Yes. In Spain there are two official vocational qualifications of 2,000 hours each: Técnico en Cultivos Acuícolas (intermediate level) and Técnico Superior en Acuicultura (higher level).

What do aquaculture graduates do?

They manage reproduction, hatchery and on-growing units, look after fish health and feeding, control product quality, or work in research and environmental monitoring.