AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTIST | ANZSCO 234116

WHAT DOES AN AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTIST DO?

An Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist under ANZSCO 234116 studies commercial marine and aquatic plants, animals, and ecosystems, and aquaculture techniques, to assess stock and enhance the productivity of aquatic wild harvest and aquaculture, and to develop better ways of harvesting fish and plants. The occupation sits at ANZSCO Skill Level 1, which generally means a bachelor's degree or higher qualification in a highly relevant field, sometimes combined with additional experience.

Typical day to day duties include:

• Studying commercial marine and aquatic plants, animals, and ecosystems to assess stock levels and health
• Researching and developing aquaculture techniques to improve the productivity of farmed fish and aquatic species
• Assessing wild fish stocks and advising on sustainable harvesting practices
• Analysing water quality, feed, and environmental factors affecting aquaculture and fisheries production
• Developing improved methods for breeding, feeding, and harvesting fish and aquatic plants
• Preparing research reports and recommendations for aquaculture operators, fisheries managers, or government agencies
• Working with industry and regulators on fisheries management and aquaculture sustainability programs

SUBCLASS 482 FOR AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTISTS – CSOL LIST

The Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa replaced the older Temporary Skill Shortage visa in December 2024, bringing a new occupation list with it. The Core Skills Occupation List, known as the CSOL, consolidated the previous strategic skills lists into one list covering several hundred occupations across professional, trade, and technical fields.

Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist sits on the CSOL under the code ANZSCO 234116, and this is the code an employer nominates against for a Core Skills stream 482 visa. The occupation also appears on the Medium and Long Term Strategic Skills List, which means it can support points tested skilled migration in addition to employer sponsored pathways. Confirming the correct list and stream for your circumstances is something worth checking with a migration agent before a nomination is lodged.

SUBCLASS 482 ANZSCO REQUIREMENT FOR AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTISTS

Your nominated occupation has to genuinely match the work you will actually be doing for your sponsoring employer. The Department looks past job titles and checks the duties described in your nomination against the ANZSCO definition for 234116.

Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist sits at ANZSCO Skill Level 1, which lines up with a bachelor's degree or higher qualification in a highly relevant marine or aquatic science field. If the role on paper looks more like a farm hand or general aquaculture operations position rather than a scientific or technical role, or if your day to day duties do not reasonably fit the ANZSCO description, the nomination can run into trouble. Getting the occupation description right at this stage saves a lot of back and forth later.

ANZSCO requirement for Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists include “a bachelor's degree or higher qualification in a highly relevant field, sometimes combined with relevant experience or on the job training (ANZSCO Skill Level 1)”

SC 482 VISA REQUIREMENT FOR AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTISTS

To be granted a Subclass 482 visa under the Core Skills stream as an Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist, applicants generally need to meet the following:

• A genuine, approved sponsor. Your employer must be an approved Standard Business Sponsor, or in the process of becoming one
• An approved nomination for ANZSCO 234116, with a salary at or above the Core Skills Income Threshold and the market rate for the role
• At least one year of full time equivalent work experience in aquaculture or fisheries science, or a closely related field, within the past five years
• English requirements as outlined below, unless an exemption applies
• A clear health examination through an approved panel physician
• Police clearance certificates from every country lived in for twelve months or more

The Core Skills Income Threshold currently sits at AUD 79,423 per year, applying to nominations lodged from 1 July 2026 onward, and it is indexed each year, so it is always worth checking the current figure on the Home Affairs website before an employer lodges a nomination. The visa itself can be granted for a period of up to four years, depending on individual circumstances, and a partner and dependent children can be included as secondary applicants.

Skills Assessment Requirement for Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist – Subclass 482 Skills in Demand (SID) Visa

VETASSESS is the relevant skills assessing authority for Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist, ANZSCO 234116.

A skills assessment is not required for every Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa applicant. It is only mandatory where required under the Department of Home Affairs' mandatory skills assessment requirements, which apply to specified occupations and passport countries. Applicants should confirm with VETASSESS or a registered migration agent whether their specific passport and occupation combination triggers a mandatory assessment.

For a positive assessment, VETASSESS generally requires a qualification assessed as comparable to an Australian Qualifications Framework Bachelor degree or higher, in a field highly relevant to the nominated occupation, such as aquaculture, fisheries science, marine science, or a related discipline. Applicants must also show at least one year of highly relevant, post qualification employment at an appropriate skill level, working twenty hours or more per week, completed within the last five years.

Applicants should provide comprehensive documentary evidence, including:

• Academic transcripts and qualification certificates showing the relevant field of study
• Employment reference letters outlining job title, duties, employment dates, and hours worked
• Evidence connecting daily responsibilities to the ANZSCO 234116 description
• Payslips, contracts, or other evidence supporting the claimed employment

Providing a clear, consistent relationship between qualifications, employment history, and duties helps VETASSESS assess an application efficiently and may reduce processing delays.

SUBCLASS 186 FOR AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTISTS – EMPLOYER NOMINATION SCHEME

The Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme is Australia's main permanent employer sponsored visa, and for many Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists already working in Australia on a 482 visa, it is the natural next step. The Direct Entry stream is the relevant pathway for applicants who have not yet worked long enough with their employer to qualify for the Temporary Residence Transition stream, or who are applying from outside Australia altogether.

Unlike the 482, a grant under the 186 gives the applicant and their family permanent residency from the day it is approved, with no further visa renewals needed.

SC 186 VISA REQUIREMENT FOR AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTISTS

For the Direct Entry stream, applicants generally need to meet the following:

• A nomination from an approved Australian employer for a genuine, full time, ongoing aquaculture or fisheries science position
• A salary that meets or exceeds the Core Skills Income Threshold and the market rate for the role
• A positive skills assessment in the nominated occupation, unless an exemption applies
• At least three years of relevant work experience, unless exempt from the skills assessment and experience requirements
• Being under 45 years of age at the time of application, with limited exemptions
• Competent English, at an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with no band below 6.0, or an accepted equivalent
• Health and character clearances

This is a noticeably higher bar than the 482, both on English and on work experience, which is one reason a lot of Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists use the 482 as a stepping stone before applying for the 186.

SKILLS ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT FOR AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTISTS – SC 186 VISA

Unlike the 482, a positive skills assessment from VETASSESS is mandatory for almost every Direct Entry 186 applicant in this occupation, unless a specific exemption applies, and it needs to be current at the time the visa application is lodged.

The same assessment criteria apply here as for the 482: a qualification comparable to an Australian Bachelor degree or higher in a highly relevant field, together with at least one year of highly relevant, post qualification employment. Because the Direct Entry stream also requires three years of relevant experience on top of the assessment itself, it helps to start gathering employment evidence, reference letters, and qualification documents well before applying, since both the VETASSESS assessment and document preparation take time.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Every skilled or employer sponsored visa in Australia comes with an English language test, and the score needed depends on which visa is being applied for. For Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists looking at the 482 and 186 pathways, the bar is different at each stage, which catches a lot of applicants off guard.

For the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa, Core Skills stream, applicants generally need Competent English, which works out to an overall IELTS score of 5.0 with no band below 5.0, or an accepted equivalent test result.

For the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, Direct Entry stream, the standard is higher. Competent English here means an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with no band below 6.0.

EXEMPTIONS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Citizens of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland are generally exempt from formal English testing, along with applicants who have completed a set period of study conducted in English. Test results typically need to be current within three years of lodgement, so if an existing score is getting old, it is worth sitting the test again before applying rather than finding out partway through processing.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION IN AUSTRALIA

A positive skills assessment gets an applicant through the visa process, and unlike many other skilled occupations, there is currently no legal requirement to hold a separate licence or registration to work as an Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist anywhere in Australia. Scientists in this field typically work within aquaculture operations, fisheries management bodies, research institutions, or government agencies.

Even without a mandatory licence, many Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists build professional credibility through membership of relevant scientific or industry bodies connected to their specialisation, which can support career progression once established in Australia.

SALARY EXPECTATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, median full time earnings for the Agricultural and Forestry Scientists group, the ANZSCO category that includes Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist, work out to around $2,074 a week, which is roughly $107,850 a year. Actual pay for individual scientists varies with specialisation, seniority, and whether the role sits with a private aquaculture operator, a research institution, or a government agency.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, as reported by Jobs and Skills Australia for the Agricultural and Forestry Scientists occupation group. Actual pay varies by employer, region, and experience, and it still needs to clear the Core Skills Income Threshold and the market rate for the specific role and location.

WHY AQUACULTURE OR FISHERIES SCIENTISTS ARE IN DEMAND IN AUSTRALIA

• Continued growth in Australia's commercial aquaculture sector, including finfish, prawns, and shellfish
• Ongoing need to manage wild fish stocks sustainably as demand for seafood grows
• A limited domestic pipeline of qualified marine and aquatic scientists relative to industry needs
• Increasing investment in aquaculture research to improve productivity and environmental performance
• Regional and coastal demand that often outpaces the supply of scientists willing to work outside major cities

Employer Sponsorship for Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists in Australia

Australian aquaculture operators, fisheries management bodies, research institutions, and government agencies can sponsor overseas Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists through the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa, the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) visa, and other eligible employer sponsored visa pathways when suitably qualified Australian workers are unavailable. With ongoing demand for marine and aquatic science skills, employer sponsorship has become an effective way for these organisations to recruit experienced overseas scientists and address workforce gaps.

At Migration Republic, we assist employers with every stage of the employer sponsorship process, including Standard Business Sponsorship applications, labour market testing where required, nomination applications, visa lodgements, and ongoing sponsorship compliance. Our Registered Migration Agents ensure your business meets all Department of Home Affairs requirements while making the sponsorship process as straightforward and efficient as possible.

Whether you need to sponsor an Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist for a commercial aquaculture operation, a fisheries management body, a research institution, or a government agency, we can help you identify the most suitable employer sponsored visa pathway. We work with organisations of all sizes across Australia, helping employers sponsor skilled scientists under the Subclass 482 Skills in Demand visa and secure permanent residence pathways through the Subclass 186 Employer Nomination Scheme, where eligible.

We help aquaculture and fisheries employers with:

• Standard Business Sponsorship applications
• Sponsoring overseas Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists under the Skills in Demand (Subclass 482) visa
• Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186) applications
• Labour Market Testing
• Employer nomination applications
• Employer sponsorship compliance obligations
• Permanent residency pathways for sponsored scientists

If your organisation is looking to sponsor an Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist in Australia or recruit skilled overseas scientists, Migration Republic can provide expert advice and manage the entire employer sponsorship process from start to finish, allowing you to focus on your business while we take care of your migration requirements.

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HOW MIGRATION REPUBLIC CAN HELP YOU

Migrating to Australia as an Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientist means navigating a VETASSESS skills assessment, a choice between two visa pathways with different English and experience thresholds, and salary requirements that are indexed every year. Our registered migration agents at Migration Republic handle this every day, and we can help you get it right the first time.

Here's what we take care of for you:

• Confirming that ANZSCO 234116 correctly matches your qualifications and intended role
• Preparing a complete, decision ready VETASSESS skills assessment application
• Structuring your employment references so they meet VETASSESS's requirements
• Comparing the 482 and 186 pathways to find the right fit for your circumstances
• Managing your full visa application from lodgement through to grant

Frequently Asked Questions – Employer Sponsorship for Aquaculture or Fisheries Scientists