The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture offers graduate education leading to the Master of Science in Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Career Information

Profit-oriented organizations

Timber/paper companies

Many timber companies such as Weyerhaeuser, International Paper, Georgia-Pacific, Anderson-Tully, etc. employ wildlife biologists because they lease their lands to hunting clubs for deer, turkey, waterfowl, etc and/or their waters for fishing and water recreation.

Aquaculture Industry

There is an increasing need for individuals to serve the aquaculture industry in farm management, fish processing management, new food product development, feed milling, marketing and sales. Aquaculture companies that specialize in the culture of fish (e.g., channel catfish) and shellfish (e.g., shrimp) require individuals with specialized skills with respect to fish/shellfish rearing, fish/shellfish husbandry, pond management, fish processing, marketing and sales. Employees of these industries often are required to have advanced training, including fish/shellfish disease diagnosis, equipment repair, water quality monitoring and management, fish/shellfish harvesting techniques, etc.

Other companies (oil, natural gas, etc.)

Less often, many gas, oil, or public utilities companies own rights-of-way and may hire biologists to manage these areas for wildlife. They may also hire human dimensions specialists to study and serve the recreational users of these areas.