How To Become An Aquatic Biologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an aquatic biologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Professor Marvin Pritts

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an aquatic biologist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.52 an hour? That's $63,478 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an aquatic biologist?

Professor Marvin Pritts

Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University

Everyone has to eat, and as the population grows and resources diminish, there is ever increasing demand for more and better-quality food. Even the animals we eat rely on plant-based food. There will never be a time when plant science becomes obsolete. New pests and climate change require that the genetics of our crops and the ways crops are managed change as well. Preservation of our remaining natural areas is critical for ecosystem functioning and quality of life. When COVID hit, attendance at parks skyrocketed and has not diminished. Participation at pick-your-own farms went way up as people rediscovered a connection with nature and their food. So it's a great time to pursue a profession in plant science.

ScoreAquatic BiologistUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $63,478

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.2

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.64%

Asian 10.28%

Black or African American 3.27%

Hispanic or Latino 9.25%

Unknown 5.04%

White 71.52%

Gender

female 28.36%

male 71.64%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

5.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an aquatic biologist

Explore aquatic biologist education requirements

Most common aquatic biologist degrees

Bachelor's

80.9 %

Master's

9.9 %

Associate

7.6 %

Start to develop specific aquatic biologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Analysis	24.94%
Water Quality	24.38%
Boats	11.41%
Water Samples	8.38%
GIS	7.60%

Research aquatic biologist duties and responsibilities

Manage detailed GLP laboratory manual daily.
Maintain database of over 5800 stream surveys including a GIS map base point layer for internal use.
Project require review of existing environmental data, identification of permitting requirements, wetland identification/delineation and sensitive and endanger species issues.
Implement multiple assays to assess plasma biomarkers to support decision-making studies of hypertension benchmark compounds and RAAS pathway new targets.

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