Fishery Resources

The Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at the University of Idaho is a nationally respected program that will give you a comprehensive understanding of fisheries resources and management concepts. We offer a master of science (M.S.) thesis option and a non-thesis option in fishery resources.

Graduate program courses cover topics ranging from population ecology, fisheries management, fish behavior, riparian ecology, wetland restoration and conservation concepts. You will form a comprehensive understanding of fish biology and ecology and you will develop the skills needed to apply these principles in a corporate or public-sector environment.

As a graduate student in fishery resources, you’ll be prepared to take leadership roles in public and private institutions that are looking for solutions to our most pressing fish ecology and management challenges. Your study will be centered around:

• Fisheries management
• Ecological fundamentals
• Aquatic ecology
• Aquaculture/fish health management
• Population ecology

The Fish and Wildlife Resources program at the University of Idaho has more than 230 undergraduate and 70 graduate students, with 15 full-time faculty members. As a graduate student you will learn through fieldwork, data analysis, class work, and a final thesis or dissertation.

Our program is nationally recognized for its teaching and research credentials, giving you excellent opportunities to contribute to groundbreaking research happening in areas of fishery resource management.

Prepare for Success

To be successful in this program and as a professional in the workforce, you should have a strong desire to ensure that fish species are secure and sustainable for generations to come. Of course, you also need a strong educational foundation in biology, science, ecology and math, with the ability to communicate complex ideas and concepts to others who may not have an extensive scientific background. Although some of your work will be done inside the lab, at the office, or in community meeting rooms, you should also love the idea of working outside in streams, rivers and other natural water sources.

Your First Year

Entrance into the College of Graduate Studies program is highly competitive. Admission normally requires completion of undergraduate course work in the area of natural and social sciences. If you do not have an undergraduate degree in one of these areas, you may be required to make up deficiencies as determined by our advisory committee. Depending on your area of focus, here is a sample list of first-year classes for fishery resources graduate students:

• Advanced Fishery Management
• Fish Physiology
• Fish Population Ecology
• Large River Fisheries
• Fish Genetics

What You Can Do

With a master’s in fishery resources, you may become a:

• Fisheries biologist
• Riparian ecologist
• Water quality analyst
• Fisheries conservation officer
• Fish hatchery manager
• Land management consultant

Opportunities

Career opportunities in the areas of natural resource management continue to grow at a tremendous pace. Examples of employers are:

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Idaho Department of Fish and Game
• The Nature Conservancy
• Trout Unlimited
• Bureau of Indian Affairs
• U.S. Forest Service
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Bureau of Land Management
• American Fisheries Society
• State Departments of Fish and Game
• Bureau of Reclamation
• Engineering, consulting and project management firms

Idaho Graduates at Work

Current Research

Faculty members of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources are extremely committed to personal and collective research efforts happening on campus. The overall goal of these research activities is to make bold discoveries, collect new knowledge and learn techniques for improving how we conserve and manage our fish resources. Each research project is set in the context of a sophisticated and constantly evolving biological, social and political environment.

Activities

There are several ways you can get involved on campus. One is by joining The Palouse unit of the American Fisheries Society. This organization is for all students interested in fisheries conservation, recreation, management and production.

Hands-On Experience

Graduate students are incredibly active in the area of research. To give you an idea of what they are studying, here are some titles of recent graduate student projects:

• Energy Use and Reproductive Success of Chinook Salmon in the Salmon River, Idaho
• Assessment of Cool Water Fishes in Idaho
• Evaluating Control Strategies for New Zealand Mud Snails in Fish Hatcheries
• Evaluation of Release Methods on Growth and Survival of Juvenile Hatchery Fall Chinook Salmon in the Snake River

Facilities

The university hosts world-class research centers such as:

• The Aquaculture Research Institute: Provides specialized opportunities to work with fish farming, conservation aquaculture, fish health/diseases, fish genetics and nutrition.
• Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station: The $3.2 million, 13,000-square-foot building houses a biotechnology aquaculture laboratory, office complex, 6 analytical laboratories, 14 offices, 8 cubicles for technicians and graduate students, and 2 conference rooms wired for distance learning and videoconferencing with the university’s Moscow campus.
• Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Conducting research that addresses complex environmental issues across virtually every North American ecological community.

College of Natural Resources facilities also include:

• University of Idaho Experimental Forest
• University of Idaho Center for Forest Nursery and Seedling Research
• Remote Sensing and GIS Research Laboratory
• Remote Sensing/GIS Teaching Laboratory
• Forest and Range Measurements Laboratory
• Guernsey Outdoor Classroom
• Taylor Ranch Field Station
• Idaho Stable Isotopes Laboratory
• Inland Empire Tree Improvement Cooperative
• Intermountain Forest Tree Nutrition Cooperative
• University of Idaho Laboratory for Conservation and Ecological Genetics
• Landscape Dynamics Laboratory
• Lee Sharp Experimental Area
• McCall Field Campus
• Policy Analysis Group

Online & Outreach

As a graduate student, you will also gain valuable real-world experience and have the chance to learn directly from professionals in the field. The University of Idaho, in collaboration with the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica, has established an interdisciplinary, multi-institution graduate research and education program. The program emphasizes conservation biology and sustainability of agricultural and forest systems.

The program also works closely with the U.S. Geological Survey branch, the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, which is housed in the department, and the Aquaculture Research Institute.

The program also offers Online Courses and Programs.

Faculty Involvement

An extremely diverse group of faculty challenge students both in and out of the classroom. Lab and field facilities are used both on and off campus.

Kenneth Cain
Associate Professor, Associate Director of the Aquaculture Research Institute
Specialty Areas of Interest: Fish Immunology, Aquaculture Vaccine Development, Host-pathogen Interactions, Development of new Disease Diagnostic Tools, Antigen Characterization/Identification
» View Ken Cain's profile

Brian Kennedy
Assistant Professor
Fish Ecology, Bioenergetics and Community Ecology of Streams, Ecosystem Controls on Aquatic Processes, Bigeochemical Tracers in Aquatic Systems
» Brian Kennedy - profile