A career in aquaculture

Aquaculture

GREEN CAREERS

No Two Days the Same scotland.lantra.co.uk

Why work in Aquaculture?

With the world’s population expected to reach around 10 billion in 2050, aquaculture will have an increasingly important role in helping to provide us with sustainable animal protein.

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish and seaweed for food production, restoration of threatened and endangered populations, aquariums, fish cultures and habitat restoration.

Seafood is a very efficient foodstuff for us to eat compared to chicken, pork and beef, and is efficient for us to produce too, as it has a low feed conversion ratio.

The best way to increase the amount of seafood available to us is to grow our own in a sustainable way, as this will complement the quantity of fish we catch in the wild.

Most aquaculture production in Scotland comes from finfish in the sea, and nearly all of that is farmed Atlantic salmon. We’re currently the largest producer in Europe and the thirdlargest in the world, with over 200,000 tonnes grown each year.

After spending the first year of their lives in inland freshwater hatcheries, tanks and cages, the salmon are moved into marine farms in saltwater. This is similar to the natural life cycle of salmon in which they spend their early years in lochs and rivers before migrating to the sea.

These marine farms are on the West and North Coasts of the Scottish mainland and in the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland. They are normally in sea lochs and inlets to get some shelter from the weather.

Rainbow trout, brown trout and halibut are also produced in Scotland, though in smaller amounts than salmon, and the use of lumpsucker and wrasse as a parasite control for salmon aquaculture has increased in recent years.

The aquaculture industry has the potential to become a part of a more sustainable global food system. If you like the idea of working outdoors, developing new skills and keeping up with the latest science and technology, then a job in aquaculture could be for you.

You could specialise in science and research, helping to make the industry more sustainable, design the latest farm technology reducing water pollution and feed waste entering the water, or you could be look after the health and growth of the animals themselves in fish husbandry or veterinarian.

620 million

Aquaculture contributes around £885 million to the Scottish economy

Seaweed cultivation is now taking place on a small scale, and has a number of uses, including food for humans and animals. This industry is expected to grow, along with the farming of many aquatic species together on one site.

Different farming techniques and equipment are used for different aquatic organisms, and these can include feeding the fish using cameras and automatic feed dispensers, to using recirculating equipment to clean and condition the water before putting it back into the system.

Aquaculture supports a range of different jobs throughout the supply chain, often in remote and rural parts of Scotland. Many aquaculture companies have sites in several counties, offering career opportunities all over the world.

The average wage for workers in the Scottish salmon industry is around £43,000 per annum and more than 2,500 people are directly employed by the Scottish salmon sector alone, with over 10,000 supported in processing and the supply chain.

How do I get started?

Be part of the solution!

£

Mussels and Pacific oysters are our most commonly grown shellfish, although small quantities of scallop, queen scallop and native oysters are also farmed.

There’s always a demand for enthusiastic new entrants into the industry and there are lots of different career options.

It’s fast-paced, innovative and full of opportunities for enthusiastic and hard-working people. Whether you decide to do a degree at university or a Modern Apprenticeship in the workplace, a qualification in aquaculture will help improve your career prospects across Scotland and the rest of the world.

It offers something for everyone across all ages, providing good jobs in some beautiful parts of the country so have a look at some examples of jobs on the next page for inspiration.

11,700 jobs Aquaculture supports around 11,700 jobs in Scotland, mainly in rural areas of the North and West

54 countries Scottish Salmon is our top food export, going to 54 countries around the world

Aquaculture Career Options

Here are some of the jobs you could be doing in our industry.

// FRESHWATER

// FISH HEALTH

Freshwater Technician

Nutritionist Veterinarian

// MARINE

// ENGINEERING

Marine Operative

Aquaculture Engineer

// MANAGEMENT

// ENVIRONMENT

Farm Manager

Environmental Analyst

Routes into a Career in Aquaculture

Depending on your current skills and experience, you could enter at different levels.

JOB LEVEL

SENIOR ROLES

SUPERVISORY ROLES

SCQF LEVEL

TRAINING AND COURSES

12

Doctorate

11

Masters | Graduate Apprenticeship

10

Honours Degree | Graduate Apprenticeship

9

Degree | Graduate Apprenticeship Scottish Vocational Qualification | Technical Apprenticeship

8

HND Aquaculture Management CPD | Graduate Apprenticeship

7

Advanced Higher | Modern Apprenticeship | Scottish Vocational Qualification

6

NPA Local Food Production | Higher | Foundation Apprenticeship

5

NPA Aquaculture | NQ Marine and Aquaculture Skills | Modern Apprenticeship NPA Rural Skills | National 5 | Scottish Vocational Qualification

4

NPA Aquaculture | National 4 | Skills for Work: Rural Skills

SUPERVISED ROLES

Making a difference

Callum Duggan

Guy Tindall

I’ve always been interested and passionate in fish management so I am enjoying my current role at the Ardtaraig hatchery on Loch Striven. It’s a freshwater, flow-through Atlantic salmon hatchery. We receive fertilised eggs twice a year, hatch and raise them in tanks, on land until they’re ready to go to sea. We’re at the top of a loch and it’s a stunning place to work.

I used to work as a diver, but as I got older, the physical side of things got more difficult and I decided it was time to change jobs.

Freshwater Technician

The main things I do each day are fish husbandry, checking equipment, monitoring feed and oxygen to the fish and grading and vaccinating them. I also have responsibilities as fire marshal, forklift operator, fish care and training new staff.

“We all get on really well and are a great team” While the honours degree in marine biology I have is relevant to my job, I wanted to do something a bit more hands-on, so was delighted to be given the chance to do a Modern Apprenticeship. It’s a great way to improve your knowledge, skills and experience while you’re still working full-time on site.

I’m learning about team and site management, aquatic production, fish feeding and health care regimes and treatments, as there’s a big focus on fish health and providing the best care that you can. You sometimes have to be prepared to cancel personal plans at short notice, because the fish always come first.

Aquaculture Technician I wanted to stay on Shetland and keep working in aquaculture so was fortunate to find a position as an Aquaculture Technician looking after containment and biosecurity. I then did a Modern Apprenticeship in Aquaculture as well as training and qualifications in things like health and safety, first aid, sea survival and driving power boats.

“It’s hard work, but very satisfying” Each day I check all our boats, equipment and safety gear, then go over the cages, nets and grids. I work closely with our dive teams, directing them to areas of the site that need maintenance, such as repairing nets or checking moorings. That’s where my 10 years of working as a diver definitely comes in handy.

It’s hard work with many hours spent on site in all weather conditions.

But it’s very satisfying seeing the fish develop and thrive, growing from young parr up to adult salmon. You need to love working outdoors and have a good attention to detail, particularly in my role.

I’m fortunate to have landed this role, and am focused on building my experience and skills at the moment. I’ll take each day as it comes and welcome any opportunities that are presented to me. I love working on this site, as we have a great team and I’m very happy where I am.

The most rewarding part of the job for me is getting feedback from the sea site how chuffed they are with the fish we produce for them. Once we know the salmon are healthy and in great condition, it makes all the hard work worth it.

Find out more For information on training and qualifications available, email scotland@lantra.co.uk or call 01738 310 164. www.scotland.lantra.co.uk www.myworldofwork.co.uk @lantrascotland @lantrascotland @lantra.scotland

GREEN CAREERS

Lantra in Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government Updated October 2022