Eligibility

There have been entrepreneurs coming into this field without specialized knowledge, but for propagation and research, scientific training is essential.

Training

Training in the field of aquaculture is usually offered at the postgraduate level. Professional courses are also offered to postgraduates. Some of the important institutes offering training in aquaculture include the College of Fisheries, Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu), Calcutta University, Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Kakinada, College of Fisheries, Rajendra Agricultural University, Bihar and Central Polytechnic, Madras. 

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) conducts a thirty-day shrimp farm management course. The course fee is Rs 3,000 and it is available for graduates and postgraduates in zoology, marine biology, chemistry or civil Engineering. Candidates with B.Tech. or M.Tech. qualifications are also recruited from the IITs for marine farm construction. 

They are trained in all the design and engineering aspects of farm construction. Entrepreneurs, with or without graduate qualifications, are also eligible for the course, provided they are able to prove their eligibility. The MPEDA also has a placement service, which assists candidates in their job hunt. In the field of hatchery management, the two major training centers are TASPARC in Vishakhapatnam and OSSPARC in Bhubaneshwar. 

The courses are of 30 days duration and the fee is Rs 4,000 at both the centers. A postgraduate diploma course in shrimp farming is available as a two-month course at the MAC School of Aquaculture in Tuticorin, for candidates having a M.Sc./B.F.Sc./M.F.Sc. degree. 

A postgraduate diploma course in aquaculture, in prawn and fish technology and in post-harvest technology and marketing is offered as a one-year course for science graduates at the Raman Academy of Aquaculture in Kakinada. 

A graduate diploma in shrimp farming is available as a five-month course for graduates with zoology as an ancillary subject in B.Sc., at the MAC School of Aquaculture in Tuticorin. The Raman Academy of Aquaculture in Kakinada also offers a diploma in aquaculture, in shrimp hatchery, feed, nutrition, and in shrimp culture, feed, nutrition. 

The course is of a year's duration and is offered to science graduates. A Shrimp Farming Training Certificate course of 15 days duration is available for entrepreneurs and their nominees at the MAC School of Aquaculture, Tuticorin. 

The Raman Academy of Aquaculture in Kakinada, conducts a Certificate Course in prawn management as well as in fish farm management. The course is of three months duration and is offered to candidates who have cleared the High School examination. 

Research facilities also exist in various universities, including the Madurai Kamraj University, University of Cochin, Mangalore Fisheries University, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, CMFRI, Kochi and CIFRI, Kharagpur.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Dedication; devotion, ability to work hard, an interest in marine life activities, knowledge of swimming, ability to adjust to life in remote coastal areas. An aqua culturist should be free from seasickness.

RELATED CAREERS

Agriculture, oceanography.