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Aquatic Biologist



Know all there is to know about freshwater organisms.

What does an Aquatic Biologist do?

When it comes to sweet jobs that involve helping large bodies of water and the animals that live in them, Marine Biologists usually grab all the attention. However, there’s actually a lesser-known cousin of this job that works just as hard to save and protect watery spaces. As an Aquatic Biologist, you do much the same work as a Marine Biologist, but you focus on fresh water as opposed to salt water.

Just as Marine Biologists can hold a range of positions, so can Aquatic Biologists. You might spend your days working with Policymakers and the community to clean up a local lake, or you might keep track of the number of fishing permits sold and the number of fish caught. You might also do things like arranging for the stocking of a pond or collecting chemical data on a polluted lake.

Though you usually split your time between a lab and a lake, stream, or river, you could also find jobs in unexpected places. Aquariums, environmental agencies, and Policy Writers all hire Aquatic Biologists to give them expert information on everything from endangered freshwater animals to areas that need protection.

This job calls for a mixture of excellent lab skills and communication abilities. You primarily spend your days outside, observing and taking samples. But you have other tasks as well, like recording everything you see and doing educational outreach with everyone from anglers to local schools. The ability to speak and write clearly about difficult biological issues will serve you well in this role.

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