1. Aquaculture Veterinarians
Similar to other forms of agriculture, fish farms and other aquaculture facilities are constantly
seeking to optimize their production abilities.
Aquaculture veterinariansare rathernew rolesinthe industryimportantin helpingfishfarmsand
otherbusinessesimproveproductionefficiencies.Veterinariansmonitoraquaticspecieshealthand
qualityandofferwaystokeepdiseasesfromimpactingoperations.Inthe UnitedStates,over250
aquaculture veterinarianspractice eitherindividuallyoras part of an organizationinbothprivate
and publicentities.
In general,anaquaculture veterinarianworkstogetherwithfishfarmersandotheraquaticspecies
growersto optimize the healthof the aquaticstockand addressanyissuesthatarise.Many
veterinariansare nowturnedtoforthe monitoringof the healthof aquaticspeciesinfishfarmsand
otheroperations.Theyare able toidentifydiseaseanddevelopatreatmentorpreventionplan
much more quicklyandefficientlythan otherdisciplines.Inparticular,aquaculture veterinariansare
legallyable toprescribe certaindrugtreatmentsormedicationthatthe average fishfarmworker
wouldnotbe able to. Many aquaculture veterinariansworkwith seafoodinspectors andaquaculture
techniciansindevelopingtreatmentplans.Manyof these tasksare no differentthanwhatan animal
veterinarianwoulddofora cattle or hog farmer.
As the aquaculture industryseeksformore waystooptimize theirpractices,the abilityto
understandbiological impactsonaquaticspeciespopulationsbecomesmore andmore important.
Aquaculture veterinariansare able todetermineif the presence of bacteriaorother microscopic
organismsare detrimental toaspecificstock.Theyare critical indeterminingif thatstockneedsto
be destroyedorif a chemical treatmentcanbe usedtomanage the situationandstill provide asafe
source of foodforhumans.
An aquaculture veterinariangenerallyneedsadoctorate degree inveterinarymedicine,alongwith
bachelor'sandmaster'sdegreesinsome sortof aquaculture,biologyorotherscience-relatedfield.
Initial salariesforveterinariansrange betweenaboutUS$50,000 to US$90,000. Many aquaculture
veterinariansare self-employed,while othersworkfora wide range of governmentagenciesand
aquaculture industry associations.
Aquaculture veterinariansmustbe able toworkina wide range of conditions,fromlaboratory
settingstoperformingfieldanalysisonall varietiesof aquaticspecies.S/he mustbe willingto
continue aneducational processtostayup-to-date onthe latestfindingsandresearch.The
veterinarianmustalsobe able tocommunicate findingsintermsthatthe average aquaculturists
wouldunderstand.