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Fisheries Biology
Our program is all about learning by doing. The nearby ocean, bay, rivers, and lagoons play an important role in your education, and resources like our on-campus fish hatchery and ocean-going vessel, along with passionate professors, give you cutting-edge knowledge and hands-on learning to help you excel in your career.
Programs
Fisheries Biology, B.S.
Our Bachelor of Science degree program explores the relationships between fishes and the habitats they depend on.
You’ll choose between marine, freshwater, and aquaculture concentrations that will allow you to become knowledgeable and practiced in conservation, fishery management, water pollution biology, fish health management, and habitat restoration. We’re also home to the only Fisheries Biology program in California.
Natural Resources, M.S. with a concentration in Fisheries
Humboldt's Masters degree in Natural Resources offers a Fisheries concentration.
You will enroll for at least four semesters of coursework, and must complete a research thesis and public thesis defense.
Fisheries Biology Minor
Spectacular Setting
Cal Poly Humboldt is a neighbor to the Pacific Ocean, Humboldt Bay, and major coastal rivers and lagoons. We share these resources with a strong commercial fishing fleet and aquaculture industry, as well as countless recreational anglers.
Hands-on learning in these freshwater and marine environments gives you real-world experience and prepares you for a successful career.
Unmatched Facilities
Our program’s resources will give you the experiences of a lifetime.
Our on-campus fish hatchery is a unique classroom setting that gives undergraduate students research opportunities and familiarity with aquaculture technology and systems.
The Fish Collection, housed in the Wildlife & Fisheries Building, contains more than 50,000 specimens, with more than 1,200 catalogued species. The collection emphasizes northwestern California but there are holdings from throughout the world, including marine and freshwater specimens that are all searchable on a computerized database.
And just north of campus is the Telonicher Marine Lab. The lab has specialized facilities including a wet lab with high-quality seawater, an aquarium, a culture room, research-grade equipment, and mor
Get your Hands Wet
Our facilities and local resources set the scene for a crucial part of our Fisheries Biology program: fieldwork. You’ll get out on the water, putting your classroom knowledge into practice in a way that few programs do.
We stress development of a field-based understanding of the relationships between freshwater and marine fishes and the habitats upon which they depend, and the hands-on work you’ll do provides specialized training as well.
Freshmen Learning Community
As a Fisheries Biology major, you will participate in a free science program called the Klamath Connection. For one year, freshmen in specific science majors will explore the relationships between science, traditional ecological knowledge, the environment, and Native American communities all through the lens of California’s second largest river, the Klamath River. You’ll gain confidence and be more prepared for your future studies at Humboldt. You’ll also find the support to navigate college life, all while making new friends.
Career Options
Our graduates are known throughout the country for being highly prepared for the job market and have gone on to pursue a variety of careers. Here are a few examples of career fields.
- Aquatic Biologist
- Environmental Specialist
- Fish Culturist
- Fish Hatchery Manager
- Fish & Game Warden
- Fisheries Biologist
- Habitat Restoration Specialist
- Marine Biologist
- Marine Extension Agent
- Research Biologist
- Water Quality Advisor
- Watershed Restoration Specialist
Featured Alumni
Achievements
Find out what our students, faculty, and staff are being recognized for.
Cynthia Le Doux-Bloom
Fisheries Biology
Dr. Cynthia LeDoux-Bloom received a $145,000 grant from the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to develop a monitoring strategy for improving the effectiveness of water quality, sediment, and flow monitoring efforts throughout the Elk River (Humboldt Co.) watershed. The monitoring strategy will be developed in conjunction with the Science and Coordinated Monitoring Workgroup composed of government agencies, non-profit agencies, and landowners. Findings shall serve as the basis for a monitoring plan.
Andrew P Kinziger
Fisheries Biology
Coauthored and edited a special issue in Molecular Ecology Resources titled: skúkum tílixam: Uniting to Support Indigenous Contributions to Molecular Ecology
José R. Marin Jarrin
Fisheries Biology
Research from Cal Poly Humboldt graduate Gabriel Irribarren and Fisheries Biology Professor José R. Marin Jarrin was recently published in the California Fish and Wildlife Scientific Journal. Their research focuses on using empty shells to study Pacific razor clam populations at Clam Beach in Humboldt County, and is key to advancing this important research on coastal ecosystems.