Aquaculture Farmer
An aquaculture farmer manages the commercial production of fish, crustaceans, or molluscs in controlled water environments such as ponds, tanks, or sea cages. They oversee daily operations including water quality management, feed administration, health monitoring, and harvesting, while ensuring compliance with Australian environmental and biosecurity regulations.
What this job is
An aquaculture farmer manages the commercial production of fish, crustaceans, or molluscs in controlled water environments such as ponds, tanks, or sea cages. They oversee daily operations including water quality management, feed administration, health monitoring, and harvesting, while ensuring compliance with Australian environmental and biosecurity regulations. The role combines technical husbandry knowledge with business management, financial planning, and regulatory reporting responsibilities.
Are employers advertising this role?
Fewer than 50 vacancies were advertised nationally in the latest month. The numbers are too small to draw a reliable trend.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Monitor and maintain water quality parameters including pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and ammonia levels using aquaculture testing equipment. Administer feed programmes and ration sizes based on species requirements, growth stage, and water conditions. Inspect stock daily for signs of disease, parasites, or abnormal behaviour and implement quarantine or treatment protocols. Apply biosecurity measures to prevent disease entry and spread, including disinfection of equipment and personnel screening. Maintain production records including feed conversion ratios, mortality rates, growth metrics, and water quality data. Prepare and submit aquaculture licence renewal documentation and compliance reports to state fisheries departments and local councils. Manage water intake and discharge systems to meet environmental flow requirements and pollution control standards. Operate harvesting equipment or coordinate harvest schedules to meet market demand and product specifications.
Who does this now
About 1,400 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Bachelor degree or higher (ABS skill level 1)
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation were generally able to find suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
You're signing up for weather-dependent income swings, disease outbreak risks that can wipe out your entire stock in weeks, and heavy regulatory compliance work. Margins are tight in aquaculture. You'll also work weekends and early mornings doing physical labour in wet conditions. Biosecurity failures cost real money fast.
Where the jobs are
Most farms are in regional and remote coastal areas rather than cities. Remote work isn't an option: you're on site managing live stock daily.
Skills
- Attention to Detailcore
- Data Entry and Accuracycore
- Goal Setting and Planningcore
- Incident Reportingcore
- Inventory Trackingcore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Record Managementcore
- Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
- Risk Identificationcore
- Supplier Communicationcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Workload Self-Managementcore
- Written Communicationcore
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
- Carry out preparations for fish disease specialist
- Continuous Learning and Upskilling
- Digital Literacy
- Negotiation
- Process Improvement Identification
- Quality Assurance and Checking
- Research and Analysis
- Verbal Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
Want a hand with what comes next? The 12-week Sprint covers your resume, LinkedIn and interview practice, with up to three coach reviews of a targeted resume or an application from an Australian career coach, for A$299 paid once. Before you decide anything, you can read who we are or send us a question.