Have you ever wondered how your favorite stream gets stocked with salmon? Or how your local farm-to-table restaurant can serve sustainably raised trout? Or perhaps you are interested in the emerging sector of aquaponics, where fish and plants are farmed together? If this sounds like you, then the Aquaculture- Fish Specialization AAS Degree is the right path to start your new career. Fish can be cultured in a variety of ways for several purposes. Here in Washington State, which supports the world’s largest hatchery system, fish culturists are in high demand to support local fisheries and aquatic ecosystems. Students in this degree learn how to raise salmon and trout for stocking purposes, with a focus on releasing Chinook to help feed the starving and endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. Students also gain experience with rearing tilapia in our program’s 1,000-gallon aquaponics system while also learning the fundamentals of aquaculture engineering and design, systems maintenance and operations, and water quality monitoring. Students in this degree will have a combination of in-person and online courses to increase scheduling flexibility to allow for continuous live animal care and travel to field sites. Animal care training includes broodstock management, egg fertilization and incubation, feeding and nutrition, growth and health assessments, and best strategies for release and harvest operations. To further enhance the learning experience, students are provided off-site training in a variety of state and tribal hatcheries, in addition to the award winning BTC-operated Whatcom Creek Hatchery. Ready to start your career in fish culturing? Your training experience awaits at the state’s only college fish hatchery and one of the most unique training facilities on the West Coast. Upon completion of this AAS degree, students will also receive the Aquaculture Theory, Fundamentals of Aquatic Science, and Salmon and Trout Culturing Techniques Certificates.