Master of Fisheries Science

Every state government has a Fisheries Department in which fisheries graduate can apply for the post of Inspector of Fisheries/Research Assistants, Sub-Inspector of Fisheries, Assistant Directors, Assistant Fisheries Development Officer (AFDO) / Fisheries Extension Officer (FEO) and Fisheries Development Officer(FDO). In State Fisheries Development Corporations, they can apply for the posts of Deputy Managers, Managers, Project Officers and Fisheries Officers. In Fish Farmers Development Agency (FFDA) and Brackish water Farmers Development Agency (BFDA),they can apply for the post of Executive Officers in respective states. Eligibility criteria vary for each state and can be known from respective public service commissions.

Apart from Central Fisheries Institutes listed previously, one can get a job in central agencies; for example, as Technical Officers and Assistant Directors in Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Export Inspection Agency (EIA), Coastal Aquaculture Authority of India (CAA), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and as Technical Officers and Scientists in Fisheries Survey of India (FSI), National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, etc.

Candidates with bachelor's degrees can apply for the post of Instructor, Research Assistant, Biochemist, Biologist, Technicians, etc. in some conventional universities. Candidates with postgraduate degrees can apply for the post of Assistant Professor in the faculty of Fisheries. For the recruitment of scientists in various agricultural and fisheries Institutions under the ICAR, Agricultural Scientist Recruitment Board (ASRB) conducts an All India Competitive Exam, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) followed by viva voce.

Fisheries graduates can get jobs as an Assistant Development Officer in National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Rural Development Officer, Field Officer, Managers in agriculture loan section in nationalized as well as private banks.

Candidates can work as a manager or officers in seafood processing and export units:

The fish processing industry is well developed in the country. There are about 236 EU-approved processing plants and 33 exclusive cold storage facility (storing fish & fishery products only) are available. In addition to this, 215 ice plants, 481 shrimp peeling plants, 371 freezing plants, 495 cold storage units, 7 canning plants, 16 fish meal plants, 11 surimi plants, and one agar-agar production unit are also present. Lot of jobs are available in the above units.

Most of the fish farms employ professional fisheries graduates as Farm In Charge. Apart from this, the fish feed requirement is growing steadily. There are 33 feed mills with an installed capacity of 150 000 tpa. This sector is providing direct employment to about 0.3 million people and ancillary activities provide employment to 0.6-0.7 million people.

The technical competency of the professional fisheries graduates make them as successful Aqua Consultants. Most of them are working in this area. As an entrepreneur, after obtaining the professional degree in B.F.Sc, candidates can start their own enterprise. The financial support can be obtained through NABARD or through other nationalized banks. The main area in which fisheries enterprise can be developed are: feed manufacturing, feed sales, ornamental fish culture and breeding, aquaculture, hatchery and seed production, fish processing and marketing, net making, establishment of Agri Clinics for fish disease diagnosis and for testing and supply of farm inputs.

Apart from scope for higher education in fisheries in countries such as USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, China and in European countries, there is a demand for fisheries professionals in the aquaculture and processing sectors in Gulf and African countries. Several fisheries graduates are doing business in foreign countries in field of aquaculture, fish processing export and import.