Description
Aquaculture is the controlled cultivation of freshwater and marine resources, both plants and animals, for human consumption. Some of the aquatic weeds grown through aquaculture yield substances that are used as thickeners or gelling agents in foods, drugs, and other products. Acquaculturists work in natural water bodies or in artificial ponds, lakes or reservoirs. By adopting best management practices such as controlling the environment, nutrition, breeding and life cycle of the organism,
Requirements
Do Class 12 with PCB ie Physics, Chemistry and Biology. After that, apply for bachelor of fisheries science (BFSc), a professional degree programme in any state agricultural university. Work in the corporate/government sectors or go in for higher studies.
The skills needed for this profession are:
Job Prospects
Pay varies depending on the scale of your organisation, and is higher than what one can earn from agricultural crop production. A person can earn a minimum profit of Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 80,000 per year from one hectare of pond area. If integrated practice is followed, the profit margin can double. In commercial prawn culture, a hatchery of 10 million post-larvae capacity can yield profits of Rs. 7 lakh per year
Pros & Cons
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors in the world, hence sectoral growth is high compared to other agricultural activities. One can suffer big losses if the fish die due to contamination.
