Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management Degree
Students study aquatic ecosystems, fish biology, population dynamics, and sustainable fisheries management practices. Graduates typically pursue careers as fisheries biologists, aquaculture managers, marine resource consultants, and wildlife agency scientists. This niche field is critical for managing both commercial fishing industries and the health of aquatic ecosystems.
What Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management Graduates Do
Forget a typical desk job; your office will be the open water, a coastal hatchery, or the deck of a commercial vessel. You’ll likely start with hands-on work: operating nets and traps, sorting the daily catch, and maintaining gear in challenging conditions. As you gain experience, you can advance to a first-line supervisor, where your focus shifts from physical labor to leadership. In this role, you'll coordinate your crew’s activities, enforce safety protocols, manage vessel logistics, and report harvest data to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
While the number of traditional fishing jobs faces headwinds, opportunities for skilled managers who can lead teams and oversee complex operations are more stable. A significant advantage of this career path is its resilience to automation. AI has a very limited impact on the core work, which requires physical skill, on-the-spot problem-solving, and in-person team leadership. Technology may assist with navigation or data logging, but it can’t replace the human judgment needed to run a successful operation at sea.
Common Career Paths
Where Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 11,300 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Salary Range | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers | 8,500 | +2.5% | 28% | |
| Fishing and hunting workers | N/A | 2,800 | -4.6% | 4% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).
Best Schools for Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management
10 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI |
44 45–44 |
$42,297/yr | 13.5x |
| 2 | Lake Superior State University Sault Ste Marie, MI |
31 36–32 |
$34,729/yr | 8.0x |
| 3 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA |
31 37–32 |
$29,862/yr | 13.8x |
| 4 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR |
30 35–31 |
$33,314/yr | 8.8x |
| 5 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX |
29 34–29 |
$33,410/yr | 8.1x |
| 6 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR |
29 34–30 |
$33,314/yr | 8.1x |
| 7 | Northern Michigan University Marquette, MI |
25 31–26 |
$31,386/yr | 4.9x |
| 8 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN |
25 31–26 |
$31,317/yr | 9.1x |
| 9 | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science Paul Smiths, NY |
24 28–24 |
$34,321/yr | 1.7x |
| 10 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN |
17 22–17 |
$26,655/yr | 4.6x |
Highest Earning Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management Programs
Schools where Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | $42,297/yr | 44 |
| Lake Superior State University | $34,729/yr | 31 |
| Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science | $34,321/yr | 24 |
| Texas A & M University-College Station | $33,410/yr | 29 |
| Oregon State University-Cascades Campus | $33,314/yr | 30 |
| Oregon State University | $33,314/yr | 29 |
| Northern Michigan University | $31,386/yr | 25 |
| Purdue University-Main Campus | $31,317/yr | 25 |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | $29,862/yr | 31 |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | $26,655/yr | 17 |
Best ROI for Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | 13.8x | $29,862/yr | 31 |
| University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | 13.5x | $42,297/yr | 44 |
| Purdue University-Main Campus | 9.1x | $31,317/yr | 25 |
| Oregon State University-Cascades Campus | 8.8x | $33,314/yr | 30 |
| Oregon State University | 8.1x | $33,314/yr | 29 |
| Texas A & M University-College Station | 8.1x | $33,410/yr | 29 |
| Lake Superior State University | 8.0x | $34,729/yr | 31 |
| Northern Michigan University | 4.9x | $31,386/yr | 25 |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 4.6x | $26,655/yr | 17 |
| Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science | 1.7x | $34,321/yr | 24 |
Related Majors
Explore similar fields of study.