Graduate Certificate in Aquaculture

Aquaculture is farming in water, in facilities that can be based either on land; in shallow, well-sheltered waters; or in open waters.Today, aquaculture employs 25,000 people across Canada. There are aquaculture farms located in every province and in the Yukon, which cultivate a variety of products such as fish, shellfish, seaweed and aquatic plants, typically for food. Aquaculture started in Canada as a way to supplement natural fish stocks, and it has since grown into a large, commercial industry.

British Columbia is the country’s largest producer of farmed seafood, producing half of Canada’s output in 2016 (Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance). More than 700 seafood farms are located in the province producing finfish (mainly salmon), and a wide variety of shellfish, including clams, oysters and mussels.Many people are also employed in supplying feed and nutrients to fish, and in value-added food processing.

UBC’s Graduate Certificate in Aquaculture provides an excellent entryway into this exciting and evolving area. In only four months, students will gain the theoretical and practical skills to become contributors to the aquaculture industry from a sustainability, biological, social, and economic lens.

Hakai Magazine released an editorial feature on aquaculture – read insights from Big Fish: The Aquacultural Revolution. From 1990 to 2018, global aquaculture production rose 527 percent, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is betting that aquaculture will be a critical source of nutrition for the world’s population. Hakai Magazine looks at both the past and future of aquaculture.

British Columbia – and UBC – are perfectly situated for the aquaculture industry. Access to large tracts of coastline and moderate temperatures have helped aquaculture grow into a $700 million industry in the province.UBC is among the top research intensive universities in the world, ranking among the top 40 universities in the world and among the top 20 public universities. For those curious about leading-edge research on fisheries and oceans, members of the public are welcome to attend the weekly seminar series hosted by UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. See upcoming speakers.