The Fisheries Biology program is designed to produce graduates who can assess, develop and manage fish populations and fish habitats, as well as recreational and commercial fisheries. However, the program is broad enough to allow students to prepare for work in other areas such as fish population dynamics, systematic, marine and freshwater aquaculture, fish disease management, aquatic ecology, marine ecology, and water pollution.
Our undergraduate program is one of the largest and best in the United States. We have graduates working with most state Fish and Game agencies, most federal agencies dealing with fish, and with numerous private companies and consulting firms. Our program is the only fisheries management type program in California, and one of only a few wests of the Rocky Mountains.
Specialized facilities are available for instruction and research. The HSU Fish Hatchery is located on campus. The hatchery has a recalculating freshwater system with incubators, troughs, fiberglass circular tanks, concrete circular tanks, and raceways. The HSU Marine Laboratory is located in Trinidad, 15 miles north of campus. The laboratory has classrooms and a recalculating seawater system suitable for rearing marine animals. A variety of intertidal and sub tidal habitats are found nearby. Our Fish Museum houses a large collection (about 70,000 specimens) of preserved fish which are available for study and research. The collection is the fifth largest in California and the second largest at an educational institution.
We are fortunate to have strong supporting programs in the closely allied fields of environmental engineering, oceanography, biology, watershed management, wildlife management, and mathematics. This allows students to easily develop specialized programs to meet individual needs. Fisheries Biology is an excellent program for those seeking an intellectually challenging, broad educational background.
Major Concentrations
Expected January, August 2025
College of Natural Resources and Sciences
1 Harpst St.,
ARCATA,
California,
95521, United States
Applicants must have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale on high school coursework.
English Language Proficiency
ACT - 22 or above on English test section; Cambridge English Exams - CAE: C1 (180 or above); CPE: C2 (200 or above); IELTS - 6.0; ILSC - Completion of Intermediate 4 (A2); iTEP - 3.7; TOEFL - 71 IBT, 525 PBT, 197 CBT.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.