The Fisheries and Aquatic Biology (FAB) Track

Three quarters of the global ecosystem is water and most is a global commons. Many biologists and economists argue that freshwater is one of the most critical global resources and that the functional integrity and biodiversity within fresh water and marine ecosystems are highly threatened. The Fisheries and Aquatic Biology Track is available for MS, PhD, and joint degree students wishing to emphasize this concentration within a Conservation Biology major. The track name can be indicated on the student's transcript (this is optional) and may be useful to the graduate for obtaining jobs with many federal and state agencies where such expertise is specified in job announcements or hiring criteria. The track designation clearly indicates that the student has specialized coursework and research or project experience leading to expertise in fisheries or aquatic biology. Combined with a typical undergraduate degree in biology or natural resource science, careful selection of courses in the graduate program will satisfy the educational requirements for professional certification by the American Fisheries Society.

Main areas of specialization in the Fisheries and Aquatic Biology

  • sustainable aquaculture
  • exotic/introduced species management and control
  • fish behavior
  • fish genetics and conservation genetics
  • fish physiology
  • fisheries ecology and management
  • human dimensions of aquatic resource management
  • ichthyology and systematics
  • population modeling and management
  • stream ecology
  • aquatic toxicology

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Funded Fisheries and Aquatic Biology Master’s Program

This specially funded program is a cooperative arrangement between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Fish and Wildlife and the University of Minnesota’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. The goal of this program is to graduate students with fisheries expertise who will pursue a career with the state agency. (Click here for details).

For questions regarding Fisheries and Aquatic Bilology please contact Track Coordinator Loren MIller (612) 624-3019.