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

What is an aquatic ecologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Paul Caradonna PhD

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an aquatic ecologist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.86 an hour? That's $51,707 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 ecologist?

Dr. Paul Caradonna PhD

Conservation Scientist (Associate Professor), Northwestern University

Experience goes a long way. I am speaking from the perspective of ecology, evolution, and conservation. Having demonstrated experience in the field actually doing hands-on ecology and conservation is important. It is also good to demonstrate that you have a range of skills, such as: working in the field, data analysis, science writing, creative and clever problem solving. Work in this area is dynamic and challenging—those that can demonstrate that this is what gets them excited and that they have the skills to succeed in such an environment is essential.

ScoreAquatic EcologistUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,707

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.58%

Asian 11.13%

Black or African American 2.31%

Hispanic or Latino 6.35%

Unknown 4.95%

White 74.69%

Gender

female 41.46%

male 58.54%

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

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an aquatic ecologist

Explore aquatic ecologist education requirements

Most common aquatic ecologist degrees

Bachelor's

85.1 %

Master's

10.6 %

Diploma

2.1 %

Start to develop specific aquatic ecologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Technical Reports	27.39%
Aquatic Ecology	19.44%
Species ACT	14.71%
Climate	12.06%
Data Management	9.37%

Complete relevant aquatic ecologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New aquatic ecologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an aquatic ecologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real aquatic ecologist resumes.

Research aquatic ecologist duties and responsibilities

Create and manage multidisciplinary, interagency research teams.
Provide consultation to the public regarding fisheries and aquatic resource management.
Sample Comal river macro-invertebrates in the laboratory.

Apply for aquatic ecologist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an aquatic ecologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams