BSc (Hons) Aquaculture and Fishery Management graduate and Fisheries and Conservation Officer
As a mature student coming from the Infantry, Sparsholt provided me with the practical and theoretical knowledge I needed to change direction into the position I hold now. I chose Sparsholt as it was recognised as a good place to study fisheries.
I really enjoyed the practical side of the course as I was able to put the skills that I’d learn about in the classroom into action. You can’t teach Fisheries in the lecture theatre – you need to be outside to understand the practical side of things. The lecturers were excellent – very knowledgeable and with extensive experience of working in the industry. Sparsholt’s facilities are first rate; everything was there you could wish for and it couldn’t be better.
I’m now a Fisheries and Conservation Officer; one of four officers looking after the coast between Rye, in East Sussex, and Chichester. We work under the Marine and Coastal Access Act, managing the UK’s inshore fisheries within six nautical miles of the coast. So my days are varied – either spent at sea boarding fishing vessels to inspect the fish and landing gear to make sure they’re meeting the minimum landing size, or working on land visiting fishmongers and fish processers to check the fish they’re selling are legal.
All our work is intelligence based so we do a lot of research – such as working in partnership with Chichester Harbour on an oyster project – and we collect data and undertake surveys to help maintain the biodiversity of the area and safeguard the marine conservation zones.
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