M.F.Sc (Master of Fisheries Sciences) - Course, Eligibility, Admission, Subjects, Scope & Salary

What is Master of fisheries sciences?

M.F.Sc. (Master of Fisheries Sciences) is the academic category of management and comprehending fisheries. M.F.Sc. is a multidisciplinary sciences, which pulls on disciplines of limnology, oceanography, freshwater biology, marine biology, meteorology, conservation, ecology, population dynamics, economics, and management in effort to provide an integrated picture of fisheries. In some cases, new categories have emerged, as in the case of bioeconomics and fisheries law.

Fisheries sciences is usually taught in a university setting, and can be the focus of an undergraduate, master or PhD program. The master of fisheries sciences is a two-year course of fisheries sciences in India. 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 sciences.

Highlights - M.F.Sc (Master of Fisheries Sciences)

M.F.Sc Eligibility

The Master of fisheries sciences is a two-year programme offered across India in various universities. However, there are some prerequisites for the programme that are to be fulfilled by the candidates interested to take admission for the master programme. Students are required to meet the basic parameters set by the government and universities in order to be eligible for the admission. The basic Eligibility criteria for candidates to get enrolled in Master of fisheries sciences is following:

• Students must have a bachelor’s degree in the B.F.Sc from a recognized university with a minimum of 50 per cent for the corresponding subjects.

• Students are required to qualify the required entrance test conducted by the government or the university itself.

Candidates should note that there are universities that prescribe their own set of rules and regulations and eligibility criteria in order to take admission for the M.F.Sc programme. Students are required to check the eligibility criteria for the particular university on their official website itself.

M.F.Sc Admissions

Various universities across India offer admission to the Master of fisheries sciences programme. Students are required to follow the admission process for the university they are interested to apply in. Application process consists of a few important steps that are to be followed by the students in order to register themself for the admission. The universities follow various selection criteria and the final list of selected students is released after the completion of the admission process. The fee structure for the programme varies according to the university and the geographical location of the college. The fees for the programme ranges from 6,000 per semester to 2 lakh per semester.

Following is the general admission process for Master of fisheries sciences in any university:

• The candidates are required to fulfill the eligibility criteria as prescribed by the particular university.

• The candidates should pass the required entrance examination as conducted by either the government or the individual university or college.

• The candidates are required to fill the admission form and send it to the administration of the college or university.

• Students can get admission in the Master of fisheries sciences through both entrance examination and merit they obtained in their bachelor’s programme.

• After filling the application form, candidates are required to verify their documents by the college/university authorities. They need to make sure that the details mentioned on the documents match to the details mentioned in the application form.

Top M.F.Sc Exams

Following are the top entrance examinations in India for admission in Master of fisheries Sciences:

ICAR AIEEA: All India Entrance Examination for Admission to Undergraduate, Graduate, and PhD Programs is being administered by ICAR. The student must be at least 16 years old and hold a 10+2 diploma with three credits in mathematics, physics, chemistry, or biology. The test is at the national level. Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are the subjects covered on this test. The exam lasts for 2.5 hours and is given online in June.

JNUEE: Jawaharlal Nehru University conducts JNUEE for admission in various undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil, PhD, and other integrated programmes.

Advantages of M.F.Sc

When it comes to a degree like M.F.Sc there is really less competition in terms of opportunities as the field is not very cluttered. Not many people choose a degree like fishery as their post graduate programme.

Better Opportunity- Although not a wide number of people are a part of this field but it does not mean the field does not have much to offer. The field of fishery has so many job opportunities for individuals. But, unfortunately there is a lack of educated individuals in this field with specialised knowledge. Therefore, an individual who pursue M.F.Sc will get several opportunities to choose from.

Types of M.F.Sc

Master of fisheries sciences is a two-year postgraduate programme offered across various universities and colleges in India. It is determined as the academic discipline of the management and understanding of fisheries. The course covers many important topics such as aquatic environment and biodiversity, environmental biotechnology, biotechnology for a cleaner environment, and management and utilisation of wastewater.

Usually, it takes two-years to complete the course, however, there are universities that offer the degree on correspondence basis as well. The course holds a huge importance for farming communities in addition to others as well. Students are required to fulfil the prerequisites for the programme in order to get enrolled for M.F.Sc in any university across the country.

Master of Fisheries Sciences Specialization

The Sciences of Fishery consists of various disciplines like oceanography, biology, ecology, management and economics joint together in an effort to supervise and understand the operation of fisheries. There are various environmental aspects regarding fishing also conducted under the area of influence of this discipline. Features such as the comprehensibility of fishes, the effect of fishing on the environment and on the balance of the ecology are subjects of study under this discipline. Though there are various challenges in this discipline, it is a very interesting area of work. There are several colleges and universities in India that offer courses in fishery sciences.

• M.Sc in Industrial Fisheries

• Master of Fisheries Sciences

• Aquaculture Fishery Biology and Resource Management

• Fisheries Environment

• Fish Processing Technology

• Fishery Engineering

• Fishery Economics & Statistics

M.F.Sc Courses

The Master of fisheries sciences is a two-year postgraduate course. It is determined as the academic discipline of the management and understanding fisheries. The course covers many important topics such as aquatic environment and biodiversity, environmental biotechnology, biotechnology for a cleaner environment, and management and utilization of wastewater. Usually, it takes two-years to complete the course, however, there are universities that offer the degree on correspondence basis as well.

M.F.Sc course holds a huge importance for farming communities in addition to others as well. The course not only enlightens about the scientific aspects of fisheries but also the management sector with the help of which an individual can start his/her own business. The major key points of the programme include management and utilization of wastewater, application of remote sensing and GIS in fisheries, Environmental impact assessment, Management and utilization of wastewater, organic production and plant pigments.

M.F.Sc Syllabus

1. Aquaculture

• Aquaculture as a specialization is taught by all the Institutes offering postgraduate programmes in Fisheries, in view of its importance in terms of contribution to fish production and employment generation.
• After studying the courses offered under Aquaculture by various Colleges and CIFE, a synthesis was made taking into consideration the level of exposure required for the students at Master and Doctoral levels and in keeping with current knowledge and future needs.
• Courses on culture of finfish and shellfish in fresh, brackish and marine waters are included, besides ornamental fish culture.
• Courses on nutrition, seed production, health management, biotechnology and genetics have also been included.

2. Aquatic Environment Management

• The name of this Subject Matter Area is new and has been adopted keeping in view the environmental constraints faced by the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
• Both Master and Doctoral programmes lay emphasis on management of the aquatic environment.
• New and innovative Courses such as Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Environmental Biotechnology, Environmental Toxicology at Master level and Environment Impact Assessment, Ecotoxicology, Restoration Ecology at Doctoral level have been included.

3. Aquatic Animal Health

• The name of this Subject Matter Area is also new and has been adopted in preference to Fish Pathology and Microbiology.
• The Subject Area aims to develop expertise necessary to understand the health problems encountered in aquatic animals and to cater to the needs of the aquaculture industry.
• In addition to the traditional courses pertaining to Microbiology, Parasitology and Pathology, modern subjects such as Fish Immunology, Fish Virology and Cell Culture and Clinical Pathology have been included at Master level, while Fish and Shellfish Virology, Fish Pharmacology have been incorporated at the Doctoral level.

4. Business Management

• This is a recently introduced Master Degree programme and an innovation in the discipline of Fishery Sciences.
• The aim is to train professional fisheries postgraduates to manage the fisheries enterprises.
• The new courses include Managerial Economics, Marketing Management, HR Management, Forecasting Methods and Operations Research, Introduction to WTO and IPR, Export and Import Management.

5. Fish Biotechnology

• The existing subject area of Fish Genetics and Biotechnology at Master and Doctoral levels has been bifurcated and an independent programme of Fish Biotechnology has been proposed in view of the great strides made in the field of biotechnology and the availability of biotechnological tools for development of fisheries and aquaculture.
• New Courses introduced include Genetic Engineering and its Application in Fisheries, Bioinformatics, Marine Biotechnology, Aquaculture Biotechnology in M.F.Sc. and Functional Genomics and Proteomics, RNAi Technology in Ph.D.

6. Fish Genetics and Breeding

• At present Master and Doctoral Courses are being offered in the discipline of Fish Genetics and Biotechnology and Ph.D in Fish Genetics at CIFE, Mumbai. The combination of Fish Genetics and Breeding is, therefore, a new one.
• New Courses under M.F.Sc. programme include Population Genetics, Quantitative Genetics, Molecular Genetic Markers, Cytogenetics and under the Doctoral programme Application of Genetics in Commercial Aquaculture, Transgenic Production and GMOs.

7. Fish Nutrition and Feed Technology

• At present the specialization of Nutrition and Biochemistry is being offered at CIFE, Mumbai. However, it was felt necessary to bring it under the new nomenclature.
• Feed Technology component has attained great importance in recent years as feed employed in the culture of fish and shellfish is becoming a limiting factor in terms of economics as well as availability of quality ingredients.
• Nutrition and feed not only play a crucial role in enhancing the growth of fish, but also in breeding and health management.
• It is aimed at training professionals to manage the numerous feed plants established in the country, as well as develop newer and cheaper feeds for the farmed species.

8. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry

• Fish Physiology is an emerging area and it felt logical to include this as a separate specialisation in combination with Biochemistry at the Master level to start with.
• Various aspects of physiology, including Ecophysiology of Fishes, Reproductive Physiology and Endocrinology, Physiology of Fish Behaviour, Diagnostic Biochemistry have been incorporated to disseminate the available current knowledge.

9. Fish Processing Technology

• This is an ongoing programme both at Master as well as Doctoral levels in quite a few Fisheries Colleges, although under the nomenclature of Post Harvest Technology at some places. Certain new courses have been included keeping in view the recent trends in the sector.
• New Courses at the Master level include Quality Assurance, Management and Certification; Handling, Storage and Transport of Fresh Fish; Additives in Fish Processing; Fish By-products and Waste Utilization.

10. Fisheries Economics

• This is an important discipline which is presently being offered only at the Master level in a few Fisheries Colleges in the country. Development of the Curriculum and Syllabus for the introduction of Ph.D. Programme in Fisheries Economics is a progressive step.
• Some of the important subjects covered include Fisheries Resource Economics, Environmental Economics, Econometrics, Indian Economy, Aquaculture Production Economics, Fisheries Governance and Socio-Economics.

11. Fisheries Engineering and Technology

• This is a course being offered at the Master level to start with.
• The Course is meant to train postgraduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to design, manage and maintain the fishing craft and gear which are vital components in the fisheries industry.
• The new subjects introduced include Responsible Fishing, Engineering Graphics, Fishing Harbour and Fleet Management, Environmental Engineering and Pollution Control.

12. Fisheries Extension

• This major area of study is presently being offered only in a couple of Fisheries Colleges that too at the Master level only.
• In view of the importance of Extension in the overall development of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, the course is proposed to be offered at the Ph.D. level also.
• Some of the new Courses include Participatory Approaches in Fisheries Extension; Community Mobilization and Organizational Development; Gender, Livelihood and Development; Indigenous Traditional Knowledge in Fisheries at the Master level and Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Programmes, Measurement and Scaling Techniques, Ergonomics at Doctoral level.

13. Fisheries Resource Management

• By and large the core subject matter of this discipline at the undergraduate level is traditionally dealt under the title of Fishery Biology with emphasis on Taxonomy, Biology, Physiology, Fish Stock Assessment. At the postgraduate level the discipline has been renamed as Fisheries Resource Management.
• For the Master programme the new subjects introduced include Marine Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Conservation; Fisheries Regulations; Remote Sensing and GIS for Fisheries Management; Aquatic Floral Resources.
• For the Doctoral programme the new subjects introduced include Assessment of Aquatic Biodiversity, Conservation and Management of Exploited Fisheries Resources, Coral Reef Management, Fisheries Environment Assessment.

14. Supporting Courses

• Introduction of Compulsory Supporting Courses common to all disciplines both at Master and Doctoral levels is a new feature.
• In order to make the students proficient in Experimental Design for undertaking meaningful and reliable research one Course on Statistical Methods and another Course on Research Methodology have been introduced at the Master level.

M.F.Sc Salary

The salary of a candidate is purely a subjective matter and depends on various aspects such as qualification, skills- both soft skills as well as technical skills, and experience of the candidate. In India, the starting salary of a M.F.Sc graduate ranges from Rs. 15,000 to 25,000 a month. The average salary for a M.F.Sc graduate in India is Rs. 2.4 lakhs per year. The candidates having their own business will be able to make more. Salary allotted to M.F.Sc candidates varies according to their skills and the organization they are working for.

The salary of the candidates also depends on the post they have been appointed for. There are various posts available in the fish industry and the payscale varies accordingly. For instance, the high school teachers earn annual salary of 2.5 lakhs to 5 lakhs, research scientists warm somewhere between Rs. 5.5 lakhs to Rs. 13 lakhs per annum, school principals earn annual salary of Rs. 6 lakhs to Rs. 15 lakhs per annum, marketing executive errands an average salary of Rs. 3.5 lakhs to Rs. 6.5 lakhs, project management officer earns annual salary of Rs. 4 lakhs to Rs. 14 lakhs.

Scope for M.F.Sc

Scope in fish processing sector

• The fish-processing organisations and industries are well advanced in India. There are about 236 EU-approved processing plants and 33 unique cold storage solutions (storing fish & fishery products only) are available. Along with this, 215 ice plants, 481 shrimp peeling plants, 371 freezing plants, 495 cold storage units, 7 canning plants, 16 fisjgvbu gyu h meal plants, 11 surimi plants, and one agar-agar production are also present. There are huge job vacancies in all of the above units mentioned.

Scope in fish farming and allied sectors

• Most of the fish farms hire specialist fisheries graduates as Farm incharge. Also, the fish feed demand is growing gradually. There are 33 feed mills with an installed capacity of 150 000 tpa. This sector is providing direct job vacancies to about 0.3 million people and ancillary activities are providing employment to 0.6-0.7 million people.

Self-employment

• The technical proficiency of the professional fisheries graduates make them as affluent as Aqua Consultants. Most of them are working in this area. As an entrepreneur, after completing the professional course in M.F.Sc, candidates can begin with their own enterprise. The financial support can be obtained through NABARD or through other nationalized banks. The main disciplines 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 the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, China and in European countries, there is a requirement for fisheries specialists in the aquaculture and processing sectors in Gulf and African countries. Several fisheries graduates are doing business in foreign countries in the field of aquaculture, fish processing export and import.

Careers Opportunities after M.F.Sc

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 the Fish Farmers Development Agency (FFDA) and Brackish water Farmers Development Agency (BFDA),they can apply for the post of Executive Officers in respective states.

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 (MPEDA), Export Inspection Agency (EIA), Coastal Aquaculture Authority of India (CAA), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(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 (INCOIS), Hyderabad.

Academic institutes

• Candidates with bachelor's degrees can apply for the post of Instructor, Research Assistant, Biochemist, Biologist, Technicians. 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(NABARD), Rural Development Officer, Field Officer, Managers in agriculture loan section in nationalized as well as private banks.