Fisheries and Wildlife Technology, A.A.S.
Overview

In order to meet the environmental challenges of today, it is necessary to have fisheries and wildlife technicians educated in natural resource management. Our curriculum is designed to train technicians to work with professional fish and wildlife biologists in the field and in laboratories of both public and private fish and wildlife agencies, and to provide a strong academic program for students planning to pursue higher degrees.

The college's natural setting provides students with an "outdoor laboratory". Numerous lakes, ponds, streams, and forested areas are close at hand and are regularly used for field work. The largest and most diverse academic aquaculture facilities in the northeast, including a 40,000 gallon coldwater fish hatchery, quarantine hatchery, tropical fish hatchery, tank farm, and earthen growout ponds. The college offers field experiences at a fully-equipped biological field station on Otsego Lake, Cooperstown, in cooperation with SUNY Oneonta. Additional marine field experiences take place at SUNY Stony Brook's Marine Sciences Research Center.

Equipment in fisheries and wildlife technology includes advanced water quality testing apparatus; biotelemetry, mapping and fish and wildlife survey equipment; and an extensive museum collection of fish and wildlife species. Students have opportunities to conduct independent research on fish or wildlife populations and habitats.