Duties:

A marine fish technician can be one of the most diverse and interesting jobs in the fisheries profession. Marine fish technicians are involved in a variety of jobs including stock assessments, age and growth studies, larval fish surveys, and other research projects. A marine fish technician is likely to spend as much as 25% of their time on research vessels. Research vessels range in size from small boats operated in coastal embayments to large (200 ft) ocean-going ships.  When not at sea, much of the marine fish technicians time will be spent in a laboratory where samples collected as sea are processed. Procedures might include species identification, measuring and weighing specimens, and tissue collection. Tissue is collected for genetics work, health assessment, or age studies.

Education & Experience:

Most marine fish technicians have at least a Bachelor of Science degree. Many have Master of Science degrees as well. Pay for this type of position is closely linked to experience. The more ship time and years of lab experience, the higher one's salary. Starting salaries might range from $18,000 to $22,000. Technicians with a Master of Science degree and ten years of experience might make as much as $30,000 to $35,000.