Diploma in Aquaculture Technician

North Island College - Campbell River Campus

Canada,British Columbia

 0 Shortlist

12 Months

Duration

CAD 12,730/year

Tuition Fee

CAD 100 FREE

Application Fee

Apply Date

Canada, British Columbia

Type: College

Location Type: Urban

Founded: 1975

Total Students: 8,383 +

Int. Students: 496 +

Campus Detail

Main Campus Address

1685 S Dogwood St, Campbell River, BC V9W 8C1, Canada

Diploma in Aquaculture Technician

Program Overview

Advance your aquaculture career and expand your skills. This industry-informed training includes equipment and facility maintenance, grow-out and hatchery production and a directed research project. You’ll be prepared to work as an aquaculture technician, site worker, hatchery or site manager, fisheries researcher or environmental monitor.

NIC’s Aquaculture Technician diploma provides you with advanced knowledge and skills to support aquatic food production. This includes ecological interactions between aquaculture and the environment from local to ecosystem scales, the operation and maintenance of aquaculture facilities and equipment, and finfish hatchery and grow-out production.

You will also develop skills in business communication, technical writing, project management and creative problem solving.

You will also complete a directed research or applied aquaculture project. Directed research will focus on improving specific issues. The research project will include a project proposal, review of literature and recommendations. In the applied project, you will design and complete a project aimed at improving and/or supporting current industry practices.

Skills and knowledge developed through the program include:

  • History and current status of aquaculture
  • Government regulations and Acts regarding fisheries and aquaculture practices
  • Third-party certification of aquaculture industry sustainability practices
  • Environmental impact of aquaculture, understanding and monitoring aquatic ecosystem, and best aquaculture practices
  • Biology of Atlantic and Pacific salmonid species including biodiversity, geographic distribution, taxonomy, anatomy, reproductive physiology, osmoregulation and smoltification, life history, ecology, and genetics
  • Salmonid husbandry techniques and principles including feeding and nutrition, fish health and biosecurity, biotechnology advancements to aid production, and all aspects related to growing the best possible fish from smolt to marketable size
  • Salmonid hatchery production techniques and principles to maximize survival and growth during the early life stages, including broodstock development and management, egg/alevin/parr/smolt development and culture, vaccination and sea site transfer
  • Salmonid diseases and health, from a holistic perspective of the cultured fish, pathogen, and environment - covering biosecurity protocols, harmful algae monitoring (HAMP) plankton training, sealice monitoring, management and treatment and benthic monitoring
  • Harvesting practices and physiology effects including processing, quality grading and transportation of product
  • Applied computer (MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook) and mathematics/statistics skills related to the daily operations of an aquaculture farm, using industry-relevant software
  • Equipment operation and maintenance (e.g. zoom boom, basic electrical, plumbing, aeration, recirculating aquaculture systems), wellboat use and design and equipment operation and maintenance
  • Business/technical communication skills, both written and oral, as applicable in aquaculture industry operations and in communicating with the public
  • Soft skills training related to working in a team environment, managing stress, conflict resolution, supervising others, mentoring and coaching, creative problem solving, workplace diversity, workplace harassment, interpersonal skills, anger management and leadership
  • Fish necropsy and sampling techniques
  • Biosecurity implementation
  • Research protocols (collecting, collating and analyzing data; report writing; and presentation)