Fish Hatchery Technician

Fish hatcheries catch, supervise the reproduction of, and release or sell a broad variety of fish. Fish Hatchery Technicians supervise fish deliveries and direct them into the proper holding tank. When you’re a Fish Hatchery Technician, you’re often required to control heavy equipment. Depending on where you work, you might handle coldwater fish such as trout, warm water fish like bass, or fish listed on the endangered species list.

While the fish are at the hatchery, you keep close tabs on their water tank. It’s your job as a Fish Hatchery Technician to check the water level and temperature, and also perform tests to determine bacteria levels and fish health. In order to track the progress of your efforts, you maintain careful records of fish deaths, diseases, feeding schedules, and offspring produced.

As the eggs hatch and grow into larger fish, you move them to different tanks. When they finally reach a size and age where they can make it on their own, you supervise their transfer to rivers, lakes, or streams.

Hatcheries are often open to the public. Educating the public about fish policies is an effective way to increase fish populations in the area. So part of your job is to answer questions and provide information to visitors. This requires good communication skills and the ability to relate to a variety of people.

In addition to the public, you work with Aquaculture Biologists, performing tests on the water and fish in order to monitor disease, health, and reproduction.