The Master of Fisheries Science (M.F.Sc) is a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

for studies in

fisheries science Fisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding fisheries. It is a multidisciplinary science, which draws on the disciplines of limnology, oceanography, freshwater biology, marine biology, meteorology, conservation, eco ...

in India. Fisheries science is the academic discipline of managing and understanding

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

. It is typically taught in a university setting, and can be the focus of an

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

program. Master level fisheries courses were started by the state agricultural universities to make available the much needed technically competent personnel for teaching, research and development and transfer of technology in the field of fisheries science.http://employmentnews.gov.in/Issue-No-36.pdf

History

Fisheries education in India started with the establishment of the

Central Institute of Fisheries Education The Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) is a Deemed to be a University and institution of higher learning for fisheries science in Mumbai, India. CIFE has over four decades of leadership in human resource development with its alumn ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, in 1961, for in-service training, and later with the establishment of the

College of Fisheries The College of Fisheries, Mangalore, Karnataka is a fisheries education and research institute in India. It was established in 1969 by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore. The college has become part of the newly established Kar ...

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

under the

State Agricultural University State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

(SAU) system in 1969. Over the next four decades, the field grew manifold and evolved as a professional discipline consisting of

Bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

and

Doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

programmes in various branches of Fisheries Science. At present, out of the nineteen Fisheries Colleges, ten of them offer Master of Fisheries Science in various disciplines and six offer Doctoral programmes. The postgraduate curricula and syllabi are periodically revised by the

Indian Council of Agricultural Research The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India. It reports to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture. Th ...

(ICAR) for a common syllabus. All the Fisheries Colleges are in the process of adapting these, bringing in parity of standards between Colleges.

Eligibility

The postgraduate degree Master of Fisheries Science is a two-year course offered in various disciplines. Candidates possessing a Bachelor of Fisheries Science degree from SAU are eligible for admission through a common entrance test conducted by various universities. ICAR common syllabus for M.F.Sc. programme is periodically revised. The programme has 55 total

credits Credit refers to any form of deferred payment, the granting of a loan and the creation of debt. Credit may also refer to: Places * Credit, Arkansas, a ghost town * Credit River, a river in Ontario, Canada * Credit River (Minnesota), a river in ...

, including 1 credit for seminar and 15 credits for research. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is a three-year course offered in various displines. The Ph.D. programmes are offered in regular and part-time mode. Candidates possessing a basic B.F.Sc. degree from SAU are eligible for admission through a common entrance test conducted by various universities. The programme has 75 total credits, including 2 credits for seminar and 45 credits for research. Various colleges are awarding Master ( MFSc) degrees, Doctoral degree and M.Phil in the field of fisheries science and conducting various training programmes and diploma and certificate courses in fisheries.

Opportunities for fisheries graduates

State government

Every state government has a Fisheries Department in which fisheries graduate can apply for the post of Inspector of Fisheries/Research Assistants, Sub-Inspector of Fisheries, Assistant Directors, Assistant Fisheries Development Officer (AFDO) / Fisheries Extension Officer (FEO) and Fisheries Development Officer(FDO). In State Fisheries Development Corporations, they can apply for the posts of Deputy Managers, Managers, Project Officers and Fisheries Officers. In Fish Farmers Development Agency (FFDA) and Brackish water Farmers Development Agency (BFDA),they can apply for the post of Executive Officers in respective states. Eligibility criteria vary for each state and can be known from respective public service commissions.

Central government

Apart from Central Fisheries Institutes listed previously, one can get a job in central agencies; for example, as Technical Officers and Assistant Directors in

Marine Products Export Development Authority The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) is a Government of India company headquartered at Kochi. It was constituted on 24 August 1972, under the ''Marine Products Export Development Authority Act 1972 (No.13 of 1972)''. The role ...

(MPEDA), Export Inspection Agency (EIA), Coastal Aquaculture Authority of India (CAA),

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. The FSSAI has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which is a co ...

(FSSAI) and as Technical Officers and Scientists in Fisheries Survey of India (FSI), National Institute of Oceanography (NIO),

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is an autonomous organization of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, located in Pragathi Nagar, Hyderabad. ESSO-INCOIS was established as an autonomous body ...

(INCOIS), Hyderabad, etc.

Academic institutes

Candidates with bachelor's degrees can apply for the post of Instructor, Research Assistant, Biochemist, Biologist, Technicians, etc. in some conventional universities. Candidates with postgraduate degrees can apply for the post of Assistant Professor in the faculty of Fisheries. For the recruitment of scientists in various agricultural and fisheries Institutions under the ICAR, Agricultural Scientist Recruitment Board (ASRB) conducts an All India Competitive Exam, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) followed by viva voce.

Nationalised banks

Fisheries graduates can get jobs as an Assistant Development Officer in

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an apex regulatory body for overall regulation of regional rural banks and apex cooperative banks in India. It is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance, Government of India ...

(NABARD), Rural Development Officer, Field Officer, Managers in agriculture loan section in nationalized as well as private banks.

Private sector

Candidates can work as a manager or officers in seafood processing and export units:

Scope in fish processing sector

The

fish processing The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in ...

industry is well developed in the country. There are about 236 EU-approved processing plants and 33 exclusive cold storage facility (storing fish & fishery products only) are available. In addition to this, 215 ice plants, 481 shrimp peeling plants, 371 freezing plants, 495 cold storage units, 7 canning plants, 16

fish meal Fish meal is a commercial product made from whole wild-caught fish, bycatch and fish by-products to feed farm animals, e.g., pigs, poultry, and farmed fish.R. D. Miles and F. A. Chapman.FA122: The Benefits of Fish Meal in Aquaculture DietsFisheri ...

plants, 11

surimi is a paste made from Fish as food, fish or other meat. The term can also refer to a number of East Asian cuisine, East Asian foods that use that paste as their primary ingredient. It is available in many shapes, forms, and textures, and is ofte ...

plants, and one

agar-agar Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar i ...

production unit are also present. Lot of jobs are available in the above units.

Scope in fish farming and allied sectors

Most of the fish farms employ professional fisheries graduates as Farm In Charge. Apart from this, the fish feed requirement is growing steadily. There are 33 feed mills with an installed capacity of 150 000 tpa. This sector is providing direct employment to about 0.3 million people and ancillary activities provide employment to 0.6-0.7 million people.

Self-employment

The technical competency of the professional fisheries graduates make them as successful Aqua Consultants. Most of them are working in this area. As an entrepreneur, after obtaining the professional degree in B.F.Sc, candidates can start their own enterprise. The financial support can be obtained through NABARD or through other nationalized banks. The main area in which fisheries enterprise can be developed are: feed manufacturing, feed sales, ornamental fish culture and breeding, aquaculture, hatchery and seed production, fish processing and marketing, net making, establishment of Agri Clinics for fish disease diagnosis and for testing and supply of farm inputs.

Jobs abroad

Apart from scope for higher education in fisheries in countries such as USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, China and in European countries, there is a demand for fisheries professionals in the aquaculture and processing sectors in Gulf and African countries. Several fisheries graduates are doing business in foreign countries in field of aquaculture, fish processing export and import.

References

{{reflist Fishing in India Academic degrees of India Fisheries science