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figured this might be a good place to put this. anyways i have to do a paper on what i want to do when i grow up. now the papers due tommorow so no one will probably post in time to help me but thats not why im posting lol. the title should probably tell you the career im looking at lol. I was just curious if anyone here is in this field of research or knows anything about it in general? if anyone could reccomend some types of courses i could take that would be helpful id appreciate it just curious and would like to know more about it. thanks guys in advance

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

I'm not Fisheries, but I can recommend some courses. At my school the closest thing I can do to what I'm going for is just Biology with a concentration in Ecology. I'll talk from the general framework and some of the course selection my school has, but a school you choose may be more specific. You of course need to fulfill general requirements for biology such as intro bio courses, chemistry, etc. As you advance will be able to study more in-depth, such as some higher Biology topics such as Vertebrate Morphology or perhaps even Ichthyology; I've taken Ichthyology already and it was fun, for me anyway, lol. Ecology and population ecology are other courses that probably should be worked into there, as fisheries does generally look at populations, of course. You may also take Oceanography-related topics such as Oceanography, Law of the Sea, Aquaculture, and Fisheries Management. Taking some courses to give yourself a background in economics is a good idea, as commercial fishing is after all an industry.

Keep in mind that studying fish is a broad field and if you are interested in fish, fisheries is not the only field of study.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

For pretty much anything in the realm of biology, there is no point in trying to narrow down as an undergrad. Just get a general biology degree and then go into zoology or aquatic biology or something similar in grad school.

Yeah, what Joe says is good advice, actually. Hence why my school doesn't have a marine biology major. Our school even has a marine lab, but it's for grad students (and the odd undergrad like me who go hang out there for a semester on a special program they have, haha!).

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Thanks guys. Ill try not to narrow down my choices to much Joe. The fisheries biologist part came mostly from the fact that i had to pick a career for this paper and was interested in learning more about it. I want to do something fish or maybe in wildlife conservation in general. The school i want to go to seems to have quite alot in the way of biology programs. its right on lake superior so thats a bonus. well then could anybody think of more fish related careers? or wildlife management? just to give me some ideas lol. like i said im gonna take joes advice and not narrow it down. thanks guys

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

You could do worse than live by the largest freshwater lake in the world, haha.

Rather than cough up information, why don't I just point you in the right direction...

http://www.marinebio.org/MarineBio/Careers/
http://www.fws.gov/hr/hr/Careers_FWS.htm
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/jobs/careers-pamphlet.html

Those look like some good links I google'd up to get you started.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

A good person to talk to would be longhairgrit. He knows a lot about fish, and I'm pretty sure he read a book or two in a formal setting on the subject.

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

Well, I studied wildlife science and I knew pretty much all the fisheries majors I graduated with (same department at Purdue), so perhaps I could help. (BTW, right now I'm working on my experience to become a zookeeper).

As for fisheries specifically, taking a lot of biology and (especially) chemistry will help you out a lot! Fisheries is very into physiology and chemistry so it'll help you to have a background in these things before you get to college. If you don't have advanced classes on these subjects at your high school, ecology, environmental science, possibly even earth science will help. And of course the general things universities like to see, like good writing and communication skills, including foreign language don't hurt. Mathematics skills are also very good to have, especially when you get into things like population dynamics - even calculus is used.

Wildlife management is similar, but less chemistry is needed. It would be great if you're involved in something like 4H to get experience with animals and nature (you may end up having to ID trees to species from leafless twigs, it helps a LOT if you have some background knowledge about them). It's surprising how much botany is involved in wildlife biology and management. Biology, botany, environmental science, etc will help out a lot.

And of course these are intensely outdoor career choices - be sure you're prepared to slog through mud, snow, dense tag alder swamps, and tick infested meadows. Some of the best schools have a field experience requirement (Purdue had a rigorous field camp involving most of those conditions), it's fun, but a lot of work, and not for people who are afraid of anything you find outdoors.

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Let's not forget marshes with mosquitoes and coastal water with their jellyfish... Gosh I got so many bites and stings doing field work... Handling little fish with wet hands in the winter pretty much sucks as well. Field work can be a blast, though, at least the first couple times, lol.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Thanks for the links shini. i looked through them quickly and they look pretty helpful. ill explore them more later tonight! And on the field experince parts...lol that should be interesting. Thanks superlion really. Wildlife management is something else ive been looking into. and i never even thought about id'ing trees. in the way of courses im taking in high school..well next year(senior year) is kinda up in the air. i signed up for advanced enviromental science, and intergrated chemistry and physics and i might try and become a student aid in my biology teachers class. but for advanced enviromental science apparently no one ever signs up for it so wether or not its offered is the problem. and i might not get in even if it is. i was really stupid and screwed around my first two years of High school. which means that they might not accept me in because of my previous bad science grades.

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

Lots of great info there for you Sora. I graduated with a Natural Resource Management degree and I took many biology courses. I now work for a Water Resources Institute, with much of my research close in hand with the fishery biologists. Myself, being on Lake Michigan, we don't have to deal with those Jellyfish, but definitely hot, humid summers, with lots of mosquitos and huge jumping spiders. Fieldwork is a blast, but like the rest said, know what you are getting into.

As for classes in Highschool, I would try to take a statistics class. This will be very important, and you will take many more advanced stats at a University.

Another to keep in mind would be a Macroinvertebrates course. Fish eat insects, and you will have to know these insects. They are a key factor in the population of fish, the quality of streams and lakes, and an integral part to the dynamics of a freshwater ecosystem. Good luck, you have chosen a find path to go by.

-B

Thanks Direwolf. Im so glad ive posted this Thread now ive gotten sooo much help. For some reason i didnt even think of studying insects but your right its something i should know! Statistics classes i had thought of but i cant really find any in our course list. As to the fieldwork stuff...well im not sure how prepared i am for that. Ive grown up in the suburbs so i havent really had much of a chance to spend time in a real wooded area. but i plan to spend the summer bumming around This place called the rez which is like idk 30 or so acres of pretty well wooded area. not the best but better than nothing. And also....JUMPING SPIDERS???

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

Jumping spiders, which apparently constitutes a large family of spiders, are found worldwide. As their name suggests they can jump. Even in suburbs they occasionally find their way into houses.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

"For pretty much anything in the realm of biology, there is no point in trying to narrow down as an undergrad. Just get a general biology degree and then go into zoology or aquatic biology or something similar in grad school."

Not quite true-especially when it comes to systems and bioinformatics.

Hence the phrase "for pretty much anything". The point about the grad school programs was because sora indicated an interest in fisheries. Obviously, someone interested in bioinformatics or molecular biology or anything else would want something else.

Well, what I'm saying is that biology is very malleable; if you specialize early, it is still quite easy to transition over, and frankly, most people do switch focus at least once; there are no real boons or banes to either strategy.

I think im gonna keep my options open. i just now realized that there were more replies to this thread sorry. anyways I like Joes advice i am kind of an indecisive person so going broad at first is probably a good idea. thanks for all the replies everyone!

The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we dont know what to do.

Not to worry-most individuals switch focus at least once during higher education.