Career Opportunities in Fisheries

Federal land management agencies such as the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management have indicated a tremendous need to hire fishery biologists and aquatic resource specialists in the next few years. Their current age demographics indicate that as many as 50% of their natural resource professional positions will be open in the next decade due to retirements. In addition to federal positions, state natural resource agencies will continue to hire graduates with aquatic resources background.

The need for fisheries professionals has grown in recent years as the economics of recreational fishing have become better understood. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resource's last survey of economic activities associated with resource use indicated that both public participation and the value of recreational fisheries has grown more rapidly than any other use of Utah's natural resources during the past decade. The demand for fish biologists has also increased in recent years in that public sentiment and federal regulations concerning endangered and threatened aquatic species has been enhanced. State water agencies are growing in importance and influence as demands on both the quality and quantity of water resources increase due to human population pressures and urban development in the Intermountain West. These increases in the importance of recreational fishing, conservation of aquatic species, and demands on water resources indicate that state and federal natural resources agencies will likely increase their hiring of graduates from programs like the graduate program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.


Career Opportunities in Watershed

Federal and state land management agencies such as the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Utah Department of Natural Resources have indicated a need to hire specialists in watershed management and the geographic sciences. The US Forest Service and Utah Department of Natural Resources have recently shifted their management organization to focus on watersheds. This change reflects their understanding of the need to integrate land and water resources in their assessment of all natural resources. The BS in Watershed and Earth Systems will educate students in this new management system. The current age demographics of these agencies indicate that as many as 50% of their natural resource professional positions will be open in the next decade due to retirements. State water agencies are growing in importance and influence as demands on both the quality and quantity of water resources increase due to human population pressures and urban development in the Intermountain West. These increases in the importance of demands on water resources indicate that state and federal natural resources agencies will likely increase their hiring of graduates from programs like the graduate program in Watershed and Earth Systems.