Imagine it is a crisp autumn morning, the sun just beginning to burn off the fog as you direct your boat through the still water of the bay. You are an aquaculture support worker and this is how most of your days begin. Dressed in chest waders and a rain shell, you start by feeding the different groups of salmon on the fish farm. There are 25 floating net cages on the farm, each containing thousands of juvenile salmon being reared for food. It is your job to see that these salmon are well taken care of. As an aquaculture support worker, you are responsible for many of the day-to-day activities on the salmon farm. Today, you will spend most of your morning feeding the fish with an automatic feed blower.
As you walk along the metal decking that separates the net cages of salmon, you aim the blower over each cage and shoot feed pellets into the water. Seconds later, the water comes to life with a roar as hungry juveniles race to the surface to devour the pellets. Part of your job is to calculate and measure how much feed goes into each cage to ensure the fish aren't being over- or underfed. While feeding the fish, you also keep an eye out for unusual behaviour or problems with the net cages.
Over the last few weeks, you've noticed that a couple of cages have become increasingly fouled, blocked with barnacles and mussels. Later today, you will replace these cages by sinking new nets under the fouled net cage, raising the two, and spilling the salmon into the new net cage. This is a common activity in the fall: the new net cages ensure the fish have a good supply of fresh seawater and oxygen in order to grow properly. Your biggest priority is making certain these fish are getting what they need and the salmon farm is operating smoothly.
Duties vary significantly from job to job, but the following list includes typical job duties one might encounter as an aquaculture support worker:
If you are a high school student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, you should have a keen interest in:
If you are a post-secondary student considering a career as an environmental geophysicist, the following programs are most applicable.
In most cases, the minimum education requirement to work as an environmental geophysicist is a graduate degree. Pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree in fields related to environmental geophysics can enhance your expertise, career prospects, and ability to contribute to the field. These advanced degrees offer specialized knowledge and skills highly valued in both the professional and academic worlds.
In many provinces, geophysicists must obtain registration and licensure with their provincial association as a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.). The certification process for geophysicists is similar to that of engineering professions and is typically overseen by the same regulatory body.
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers look for professionals who can combine technical knowledge with soft skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
As key executive leaders who shape their company’s sustainability policy, CSOs work in many different types of organizations. Common employers of CSOs include:
Search for jobs on the ECO Canada Job Board.
If you are a post-secondary student seeking a CSO role in the future, consider pursuing a university degree related to:
In addition to the educational fields mentioned above, you will also need extensive management experience to become a CSO, with well-developed human resources management and leadership skills. Consider educational seminars or post-graduate studies that will hone your analytical thinking, such as:
Our Environmental Professional (EP) designation can also help you progress in your chosen environmental career.
Technical Skills
Personal and Professional Skills
Environmental employers seek professionals who combine technical knowledge with personal and professional skills. Watch our free webinar “Essential Not Optional: Skills Needed to Succeed in Canada’s Environmental Industry” or take our Essential Skills courses.
"Our family has always been avid fishermen…so I’ve always had a basic interest in fish and wildlife,” says Chris Weaver. As an employee with the Province of Ontario, the aquaculture support worker has translated this interest into a full-time job. Chris works at one of the province’s fish hatcheries, overseeing the development of several species of fish from the time they are eggs until they are released into the wild. For Chris, his job is an ideal combination of duties. "I didn’t want to just do stuff in an office or completely in the field either.”
He enjoys his job, including cleaning the fish tanks, feeding the fish, and ensuring their oxygen and water temperatures are at safe levels. He is especially proud of how the hatchery is helping preserve the province’s natural aquatic environments. "We’re putting fish in lakes…to rehabilitate them, so that the fish will eventually spawn on their own.” Sometimes Chris’s work can get repetitive, but he’s developed ways to counteract the monotony of such tasks as separating unfertilized fish eggs. "You play some music and you talk with the other workers,” and the time flies. The drawbacks of the job are few compared to the satisfaction Chris gets knowing he’s making a positive contribution to the environment industry.
Marine geologists are classified into the following occupational grouping:
NOC Code: 21102 – Geoscientists and oceanographers
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market. It gives statisticians, labour market analysts, career counsellors, employers, and individual job seekers a consistent way to collect data and describe and understand the nature of work within different occupations.
See ECO’s Blue National Occupational Standard for a career competency profile for a marine geologist that outlines the specific skills, knowledge, and behaviours required for individuals to perform effectively in this particular role. This profile is a benchmark for training and development, ensuring consistency and quality across professions within the blue economy.
Dans un esprit de respect, de réciprocité et de vérité, nous honorons et reconnaissons Moh’kinsstis, le territoire traditionnel du Traité 7 et les pratiques orales de la confédération des Pieds-Noirs : Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, ainsi que les nations Îyâxe Nakoda et Tsuut’ina. Nous reconnaissons que ce territoire abrite la Nation métisse de l’Alberta, la région 3 au sein de la patrie historique des Métis du Nord-Ouest. Enfin, nous reconnaissons toutes les nations qui vivent, travaillent et se divertissent sur ce territoire, et qui l’honorent et le célèbrent.
In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, we acknowledge that we live, work, and gather on the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, including the Blackfoot Confederacy—comprising the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations—as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina Nations.
This land, known as Moh’kinsstis in the Blackfoot language and encompassing what is now Districts 5 and 6, is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3, within the historical Northwest Métis homeland.
We recognize and honour the deep connection these Nations have to the land, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share in its stewardship.
As we continue our work, we commit to learning from Indigenous knowledge systems, uplifting Indigenous voices, and fostering relationships rooted in equity, understanding, and reconciliation.
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