Aquaculture Support Worker

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.