Fisheries Biologist

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
1

I am a junior in high school and I?m starting to think about college and what I want to do when I?m older, I first thought that I want to be a computer networker for the money and the ease of getting the job, but I have started to consider what I would really like to do and not just about money and I think I want to become a fisheries biologist for a Missouri department of conservation or something similar. I was wondering if any body had any information about becoming a fisheries biologist or was one and what need to do to become one.

I?m Grateful for the help

Thanks,

Stan

2

stan

i have no advise as far as how to get the position you are persuing, but i wish you good fortune and success in your quest.

don’t give up if it is what you would really like to do, because if you do something you love you will never really work a day in your life.

grumps

3

We do have at least 2 biologists here on faol and hopefully they will chime in with some good advice.

If I have learned anything at all in my 64 years on the planet it is that you have to find a job that you truly like. Otherwise it is just work. If you like doing it then it is play that you get paid for.

Good on you for considering college. :smiley:

4

Stan, I work as a biologist for the USDA Forest Service in Colorado. Although I do mostly terrestrial work, I occasionally dabble in fisheries.

Almost every fisheries biologist I know went to college and got a bachelor’s degree, many of which were in fisheries. Some had degrees in other fields (mine was in Biochemistry), then went ahead and got another degree that was a little more focused. For a professional job, you WILL need a degree, and the more advanced the degree, the more you get paid and the higher position you can obtain. Research schools that have fisheries programs, talk to local biologists, and find out where you want to go to school. There are many good fisheries programs around the country.

It is not easy. Biology is based on chemistry, which is based on physics, which means math. Expect a lot of all of those. Plus you need to be a decent writer, good at research, good with people, good with technology, a decent tinkerer (electrician, carpenter, and so on), and able to balance a budget.

One thing I would recommend would be to look for and take either volunteer positions or seasonal jobs doing fisheries or related work. Such jobs look good on your resume and will show you the practical side of fisheries work, which schooling will not necessarily do. Once you are in college, these jobs will be easier to find, and your department will likely help with that. One avenue to consider is the Student Conservation Association, which helps volunteers get jobs in the field to help them gain experience and make contacts. For paying jobs, many federal agencies advertise at USAJOBS (google it), and your local and state agencies most likely advertise online as well. You may decide after a few fisheries field jobs that you would prefer something else in life.

I will also tell you that I pretty much gave up hunting once I became a wildlife biologist (not completely, but I can take or leave most of it), and one of the reasons I never pursued a fisheries career was that I didn’t want to lose my enjoyment of the sport by knowing too much about the fish. It’s hard to retain hope that there is a lunker in a stream when you have snorkeled or electrofished it and know what is in it, for instance. I do know fisheries biologists who are still hardcore anglers, and wildlife bios who are serious hunters, tho, so not everyone feels as I do.

Feel free to PM me with other questions or details, if you so desire.

Dennis Garrison (DG)

5

Thanks for the great response DG. You give credit to your profession and to FAOL. Stan, this is a good approach, and you won’t find a better group of people to bounce your questions off.

6

Stan,

I have been a fisheries biologist for the Tennessee Valley Authority for over 30 years now. I have worked all over the Tennessee Valley and other locations throughout the Southeast as well. It’s been a rewarding career; but not necessarily in monetary terms! I can not advise getting in to fisheries if you want to make big money! However, if you want a career that is rewarding in terms of being a good steward of God’s creation, this is the place!

Mr. Garrison has given you some excellent insight and advice. If I may add my two cents worth, please allow it to build upon the fine base Dennis provided. First, in today’s world of fishery biology, it would behoove you to pursue at least a Master’s degree in fisheries management from a well accredited university. Most biologists positions now require a Master’s as a minimum, unless you have years of experience. As Dennis said, check with your State fisheries department for summer aide types of positions to get a feel of this career.

Secondly, a well-rounded education is essential for today’s fisheries professionals. You will need to study the basics such as English, mathematics, and the sciences. Additionally, I highly recommend courses in public relations, public speaking, technical writing, and popular writing. A biologist in today’s world frequently works more with people than with critters; you really need to be able to relay biological information to the general public as well as your peers in biology. With a more highly educated and interested public in today’s world, you must be able to make reasonable arguments for any changes in management philosophies that you wish to implement, such as creel and size limit changes, season changes, closures of fisheries, management for native species; the list could go on and on. Finally, a course in ethics is valuable as well. You must be able to not only communicate potentially unpopular (on the surface) information, but be able to sway public opinion with your ethical dedication to proper resource management. Finally, BE HONEST in everything you do!

Next, join the American Fisheries Society. They have student chapters scattered all across the country; I was one of the charter members of the University of Tennessee Student Chapter. Almost every State also has an annual meeting of the State Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Try to attend some of these meetings and introduce yourself around. You would be amazed just how many professional biologists like to take an interested young person such as yourself under their wing and guide them along. These contacts will be extremely valuable to you when you finish your degree and enter the job search market!

In the past, I have known a number of fisheries biologists in the State of Missouri. All those I knew were really fine individuals and outstanding biologists. Additionally, the State of Missouri has one of the best fish and game departments in the country, in my opinion. They really do some good work, and it helps that they have the funding they have from the State. Get in contact with your local fisheries biologist; you can find him/her through the Missouri Depoartment of Conservation website.

Again, as Dennis said, there are a number of really good schools that offer advanced fisheries degrees. Try to determine which aspect of fisheries you wish to pursue and apply to the school that most closely will educate you for the position(s) you want. For example, if you wish to get into fish culture, a university such as Auburn in Alabama is tough to beat. If you wish to get into management of reservoirs, MU would be a good choice. Like I said, lots of choices!

Best of luck to you; if I can be of further assistance, let me know.

Gary Jenkins

7

thanks for all your help i will look into everything you guys have told me…

Gary were you around during tennesse valley authority v. Hill, i was just learing about that case.

Thanks alot

Stan

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Stan,

Good on you for thinking about careers at such an early age. Getting a job you love may be one of the most important things you can do in life. You?ve gotten some great advice from DG and Garyj.

Here are some additional resources for you to check out to gain good experience for your college applications as well as get a chance to brush elbows with professionals.:

The Federal Government Fish and Wildlife Service has an out reach program in Missouri through their Columbia Fisheries Resource Office. You can find out more about it here:

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ColumbiaFisheries/outreach.htm

They do a lot of great work, and have opportunities for volunteers to help out on stream surveys, fish tagging as well as lab work etc. A good person to contact is their volunteer coordinator, Joanne Grady at

Joanne_Grady@fws.gov or call 573/234-2132, ext. 101

And here?s a contact with the Missouri Dept of Conservation :

Denise Otto, MDC Fisheries Biologist
Denise.Otto@mdc.mo.gov
(636) 300-1953 x243

Here?s a link to Missouri?s Stream Team program for volunteers. Part of the program involves going through a 9 hour training course to learn about aquatic organisms and chemicals that can affect water quality

http://www.mostreamteam.org/

As already mentioned, the American Fisheries Society is the professional association for Fisheries professionals. Their national website is www.afs.org If you browse their job boards, you will get a sense of the requirements for different positions to guide you in future coursework. They also give scholarships to students interested in pursuing a career in fisheries.

In addition there is a Missouri Chapter of AFS at www.moafs.org A good contact there is John Fantz at: fantzj@socket.net

You may want to consider talking to John, Denise and Joanne to see if you could shadow a professional fisheries biologist for a day or two, to get a sense of what they do, how they got there, career advice and develop some contacts---- they may be even able to suggest summer jobs in the field, or have a project that you could help on as a volunteer.

If you talk to your high school guidance counselor you may be able to get some credit for an independent study project for your volunteer work and get a sense of the things that are helpful on a college application.

The Univ of Missouri has a Fish and Wildlife Program at the School of Natural Resources. Take a look at courses and requirements:

http://www.snr.missouri.edu/fw/

And here are some people to contact there for more info about the program:

Laura Hertel hertell@missouri.edu 573-882-1730
Janice Faaborg faaborgje@missouri.edu 573 882-9422
Bob Pierce piercer@missouri.edu 573 882-4337

Good luck!!!

peregrines

9

Stan,

The “…something similar” option to being a fisheries biologist. One employment option that is very closely related to fisheries biologist in that it involves having considerable knowledge of fish species and their behavior – would be to get into fish and wildlife law enforcement. Become a state or a federal game warden.

We have many highly educated people who dedicate their lives to maintaining and improving the fishing in the United States.

We also have many highly intelligent people who dedicate their lives to stealing wildlife and degrading the habitats where wildlife live.

You would derive a lot of satisfaction each time you investigated, handcuffed and locked behind bars any member belonging to the second group.

Joe
“Better small than not at all.”

10

Stan,

All I can add is this:

It is much easier to roll out of bed in the morning and trot off to work if you enjoy your job. Sure, we are all addicted to food, clothing and shelter, but if you find yourself in a career that is strictly for the money, you won’t have much fun.

I’m a forester by trade, so I’ll never get rich at this, … I knew that from the start. However, I do truly like what I do.

Best of luck. PM me if you want any info on a forestry career. Maybe I can sway you over to the Dark Side :wink:

11

I have to agree with everyone who’s told you to do something you love, it really is more important than money. I have worked for the same agency (as an engineer) for 29 years in many different positions; some I hated and some (like the position I have now) I love.

When you sometimes feel guilty that you’re getting paid to do what you are doing, you found the right job. It’s a real pleasure to wake up in the morning and look forward to going to work.

Good luck in your choosen field.

12

Gentlemen all, thank you for your very professional advice. I am grateful to each.

13

This is what I do “computer networker”, sort of. Not to be argumentative and also I understand you are young, but please I don’t make that much money and not sure what you mean by ease of getting the job but the job is not all that easy.

Carry on.

14

[quote=“Kerry_Stratton”]

This is what I do “computer networker”, sort of. Not to be argumentative and also I understand you are young, but please I don’t make that much money and not sure what you mean by ease of getting the job but the job is not all that easy.

Carry on.[/quote]

Sorry I didn?t mean to put it down, my dad is a computer networker for AT&T. So he always said that if I needed a referral and what not that he could do it for me and get me on a group I didn’t mean to offend.

Stan

15

Stan,

The old “snail darter” case! I was in school at UT when Dave Etnier discovered the snail darter in the “Little T”. Dave and Larry Wilson were two of my profs at UT from 1973-1977. Dave Etnier was one of the best professors at UT in my opinion, and Larry is outstanding as well. Really brilliant men.

I’m sure you have read all the gory details of the case. It was a quite controversial subject, with lots of blame to go around to a number of individuals and agencies, including agencies charged with “protection”. The upshot of all this is that snail darters were eventuially found in several other locations and have done relatively well in those locations where TVA relocated them. They were delisted several years ago.

In the past, I was involved in some of the efforts to monitor the progress of the stocked populations. Man, talk about a difficult fish to sample! The habitat they live in makes for very difficult sampling. One of the best ways is to merely observe them while snorkeling. Trying to seine them in the deeper, boulder strewn, more current laden waters they inhabit is TOUGH!