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

Program Highlights

The colleges 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.

Examples of Hands-on Lab Activities

Fisheries

Capturing fish by electrofishing and using trap, gill, and trammel nets.
Quantifying and identifying aquatic invertabrates.
Sampling of physical/ chemical parameters of aquatic systems.
Developing fisheries management plans.
Conducting angler creel surveys.
Sampling both freshwater and marine systems.
Conducting fish age and growth studies.

Wildlife

Radio tracking of terrestrial wildlife.
Capturing and banding hawks and songbirds.
Identifying wildlife species by sight and sound.
Censusing mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Conducting wildlife habitat improvement projects.
Developing wildlife management plans.
Conducting terrestrial vegetation surveys.