CAREERS IN ICHTHYOLOGY

Ichthyology is the scientific study of fishes. An ichthyologist is a person who devotes a career to studying some of the estimated 25,000 to 30,000 species of bony fishes, sharks, rays, and lobe-finned fishes. Areas of specialty are as varied as the people who call themselves ichthyologists, and may include study of classification, life history, anatomy, behavior, ecology or physiology, and aquarium maintenance, fish breeding, and conservation. What ichthyologists have in common is a fascination and enduring curiosity about fishes, the dominant vertebrate animals in marine and fresh waters. In addition to being the most species-rich group of vertebrates, fishes are often used as experimental models for demonstration of basic biological principles.

The purpose of this pamphlet is to introduce various careers ichthyologists pursue. Students of ichthyology, as well as other fields of biology and the sciences in general, may be bewildered in their search for a job that they feel best suits their interests and training. Today, there is increasing public and scientific interest in conserving natural aquatic habitats, such as coastal wetlands and coral reefs. This desire to conserve natural biological diversity should realistically result in more support for study of fishes, as well as all of biology and the sciences, and increase job opportunities.

Jobs in which fishes are used in basic research and teaching are emphasized in this pamphlet, rather than management of fishery resources, which may involve shellfish or aquatic mammals as well as fishes. We refer students interested principally in a career in fisheries to two excellent brochures, "Careers in Fisheries" and "Fisheries Programs and Related Courses at North American Colleges and Universities" available by writing to the American Fisheries Society, 5410 Grosvenor Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.

Choices are vast. A student focused on a realistic goal has a good chance of ultimately achieving that goal. Ichthyologists at various times during their training, as well as throughout their careers, should discuss their goals with others. Success and fulfillment in the field of ichthyology has been achieved in many ways.

Few careers in ichthyology are open to people who have only a high school diploma. A bachelor's degree is typically the minimum requirement for technical-support positions. Most research and teaching positions require a master's or doctoral degree, with many, particularly those at colleges, universities, and major research institutions, requiring a Ph.D.

College Training.

Most students with an interest in ichthyology will major in Zoology or Biology, but they should take courses in a broad range of subjects. Courses in anatomy, development, statistics, systematics, biochemistry, behavior, genetics, ecology, and physiology will increase chances of admission into a good graduate program. Ichthyologists use a diversity of research methods and techniques. A good background in use of computers is now almost mandatory. Many ichthyologists conduct research in foreign countries or use non-English literature in their research; consequently, familiarity with one or more foreign languages is helpful. Specialized training, such as certification as a SCUBA diver, can be also quite useful and rewarding.

Many universities have graduate programs in ichthyology, but programs and focus of research vary according to faculty interests. Some of the more active graduate programs are at universities listed in Table 1. Graduate training is also available through museums that are associated with universities (Table 2).

Students planning to pursue a career in ichthyology should, if possible, talk with several ichthyologists who work in different disciplines (e.g., systematics, behavior, or ecology). Such discussions can help students decide which specialties most interest them and choose an appropriate graduate program. If a college or university has an ichthyologist on staff, a student can gain valuable first-hand experience assisting with the professor's field and laboratory research. Often, encouragement by a professor early in a student's career has been the deciding factor in his or her decision to become an ichthyologist.

The range of ichthyological research is reflected in articles published in journals such as Copeia, Journal offish Biology, and Environmental Biology of fishes. Attending an annual meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is also an excellent way to find out about the latest directions in ichthyology. Such meetings present an opportunity to talk with potential graduate school advisors. Volunteering at a public aquarium or museum with a fish collection can provide insights into ichthyological research, may result in useful contacts, and lead to a paying job.

Applied Research

Numerous federal, state and local agencies, such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (including the National Marine Fisheries Service), and state fish and game administrations employ ichthyologists in research and administrative positions. Responsibilities of these agencies include management and development of commercial and sport fishing regulations, regulating use of coastal and wetland areas for recreation, identification of commercial adult and larval fish populations, and protection of endangered or threatened species. Research on particular fish groups is often dictated by current and anticipated economic need. Publications by these researchers may include species identification sheets, larval fish identification guides, world-wide species catalogues, and monographic systematic revisions. Job prospects are moderately good, and for some positions, just a bachelor's or master's degree is required.

College and University Teaching and Research

Many Ph.D. ichthyologists seek employment as college or university professors and instructors where their primary responsibilities are teaching, research and administration. Teaching can be immensely rewarding and is ideal for someone who likes to communicate the world of biology. Courses taught by ichthyologists usually include general biology and one or more specialized courses such as comparative anatomy, behavior, biometry, ecology, or systematics, in addition to ichthyology.

Job performance is evaluated on number and quality of published research papers, teaching performance, and ability to get grants to support research projects. Research funding is available from a variety of private or public agencies. The National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service are three major public sources of research funds. The National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy, and the World Wildlife Fund are but a few of the private sources of research funding. Colleges and universities also employ people with a bachelor's and master's degree as teaching or research assistants. There is little opportunity for individual research at such levels, but fieldwork is often possible. During the 1990s it is estimated that nearly one-half of all college and university-level teachers in the United States will reach retirement age. Even though not all of these positions will be refilled, and there may be a large number of applicants for some positions, prospects for employment at a college or university are reasonably good.

Museum Curatorship

Collection-based, systematic ichthyological research and curation of a preserved fish collection are the two major responsibilities of a museum curator. Many museum curators conduct research on a particular group of fishes, examining preserved fish specimens as a primary source of data. Systematic ichthyology is the comparative study and classification of fish groups and includes naming new species and description of differences among fish groups. Most major natural history museums have molecular systematic laboratories, where genetic data, such as DNA sequences, can be analyzed. Opportunities for fieldwork, especially to collect fish specimens in areas that people are altering rapidly, such as the tropical rainforest, are abundant. Duties in addition to research are broad. Exhibit development, public lectures, service on committees, advising postdoctoral students, and fund-raising, as well as overseeing collection maintenance by a collection management staff, round out the day of a museum curator. Opportunities for teaching are limited unless the museum is part of a university. In that case, curators may also serve as professors and divide their duties accordingly. Promotion and evaluation of job performance are based principally on published research papers, which often include monographic systematic revisions. A postdoctoral fellowship - one or perhaps two years of independent research following award of the Ph.D. in a major museum is helpful to develop skills and contacts. Job openings for museum curators are quite limited, and although there is stiff competition, vacancies occur almost every year.

Collection Management

Collection management is a rapidly developing field, especially as automated databases and information retrieval networks become commonplace. Collection managers work in museums where fish collections are maintained. They are responsible for the proper preservation and handling of fish specimens, maintaining records, and assuring that the collection is accessible to other scientists for study. The modem collection manager is at home with computer cataloging systems, and also may participate in identification of specimens and development of specimen conservation policy. Opportunity for individual research and fieldwork is limited. Most major museums and universities with collections have as a high priority the hiring of collection management personnel and new positions have been created recently. Graduate students often support themselves as part-time collection managers.

Public Aquaria and the Aquarium Hobby

Public aquaria are very popular. Nearly every major American city now has or is planning to have an aquarium. Jobs include aquarium maintenance and animal keeping, exhibit development, education, public outreach, and research on captive breeding and other aspects of maintaining live aquatic animal populations. Collecting trips can be an exciting part of the life of an aquarium employee. The aquarium hobby is a financially robust, multi-million-dollar-a-year-industry. Employment may be found in an aquarium store or on the editorial staff of aquarium publications. Commercial importing and breeding of fishes can be lucrative, although it requires as much knowledge of how to run a business as how to breed fishes.

Conservation Biology

The number of conservation agencies, such as Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the Center for Marine Conservation just to name a few, has increased considerably along with great concern for the impact humans have upon the environment. Ichthyologists at these agencies work with other biologists to develop conservation plans for species and species communities. Much time may be spent preparing reports, such as environmental impact statements or proposals for nature reserves. There is limited opportunity for individual research projects. Often, just a bachelor's or master's degree is required.

TABLE 1. Selected Colleges and Universities Offering Graduate Programs in Ichthyology

UNITED STATES

University of Alabama	Auburn University
University of Alaska	Califronia State University, various campuses
University of Arizona	Colorado State University
University of California, various campuses	Cornell University
University of Central Florida	Duke University
University of Connecticut	Florida Atlantic University
University of Florida	Florida International University
University of Georgia	Florida State University
University of Hawaii	Grice Marine Biological Laboratory and College of Charleston
University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana	Harvard University
University of Kansas	Louisiana State University, Museum of Zoology
University of Maine	Mississippi State University
University of Massachusettes	Northeast Louisiana University
University of Maryland	Ohio State University
University of Miami	Oklahoma State University
University of Michigan	Old Dominion University
University of New Orleans	Oregon State University
University of North Carolina	Rutgers University
University of Oklahoma	Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of Puerto Rico	Smith College
University of South Carolina	Southeastern Louisiana University
University of Southern Mississippi	Southern Illinois University
University of Tennessee	Stste University of New York, various campuses
University of Texas	Texas A & M
University of Washington	Tulane University
University of West Florida	Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary
University of Wisconsin	Yale University
Arizona State University

 

CANADA

University of Alberta	Dalhousie University, Halifax
University of British Columbia	St. John's Unviversity, New Foundland
University of Guelph

TABLE 2. Museums and Associated Universities That May Offer Graduate Programs in Ichthyology

UNITED STATES

Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia - University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland

American Museum of Natural History, New York - City University of New York, Columbia University<

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco - San Francisco State University

Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago - University of Chicago, University of Illinois

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, Mississippi - University of Southern Mississippi

Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign - University of Illinois

Oklahoma Museum of Natural History - University of Oklahoma

Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History - University of Southern California

National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. - George Washington University

 

CANADA

British Columbia Provincial Museum, Victoria - Victoria University

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto - University of Toronto

Bond, C.E. 1996. Biology of fishes, second edition. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia

Bone, Q., N.B. Marshall, and J. H. S. Blaxter. 1996. Biology of fishes. Blackie, Glasgow and London (Distributed in the U. S. by Chapman and Hall, New York).

Eschmeyer, W.E., E.S. Herald, and H. Hammann. 1983. A field guide to fishes of the Pacific coast of North America. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Helfman, G., B.B. Collette, and D.E. Face. 1997. The diversity of fishes. Blackwell Science, Malden Mass.

Lagler, K.F., J.E. Bardach, R.R. Miller, and D.R.M. Passino. 1977. Ichthyology, second edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Moyle, P.B., and J.J. Cech, Jr. 1988. Fishes, an introduction to ichthyology, second edition. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Nelson J.S. 1994. Fishes of the world, third edition. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Page, L.M., and B.M. Buff. 199 1. Afield guide to freshwater fishes, North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston.

Robins, C.R. and C.C. Ray 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Smith, M.M., and P.H. Heemstra (eds.). 1986. Smith's seaftshes. MacMillan (South Africa).

Springer, V.G., and J. Gold. 1989. Sharks in question. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington. D.C. (especially Part Four).

Prepared for the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists by: Lynne R. Parenti and Richard P. Vari, Division of Fishes, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560. Upadted by the 1998 Committee to Revise the Ichthyological Career Pamphlet, Richard Rosenblatt, Chair.

Date of preparation: 1991
Date of update: 1998

Copies may be obtained upon request from the ASIH Business Office.