I at one time was passionate about getting a job in natural resources management. Then I sat down and took a look at my qualifications against those of most of the people I would be graduating with. It didn't look good for me. So, I have begun down a different path. I am studying Geographic Information Systems. I still hope to work supporting natural resources conservation, but because of the high demand in GIS and relatively few GIS graduates, things are looking up for me in the natural resources area.

I guess my points are:
1. be honest and realistic with yourself about your chances for employment in your chosen area. This is not to say give up if it doesn't look good for you, it just means you'll have an idea of how much effort you'll have to put into finding the opportunity you want. If you haven't begun college yet, you have huge opportunities to improve your qualifications: volunteer, volunteer, volunteer! Any opportunity you can find to get experience, take advantage of (experience can be more valuable than pay).

2. find a niche for yourself. It sounds like you've got a rough idea of what type of work you want to do. Find out specific jobs that are out there and try to get volunteer opportunities in them. This also means if a door closes on you, open a new one. There are many more aspects to fishery management and water resources management than the water itself. This could include soil sciences, forestry, GIS, etc.

3. This is the most important one: never give up. Sounds simple, but is not so easy in practice.

I wish you the best on your endeavors in this area. Competition is tight, so try to get as much experience as you can as early as you can.

Cheers,
Tom