Accounting and Finance Jobs

As stated on previous pages, in addition to providing seafood for human consumption, aquaculture is big business.

Therefore, the need for a wide range of financial and accounting roles is significant. Jobs in this category have titles such as accountant, controller and logistics manager

In an overall sense, it is the responsibility of aquaculture accounting and finance personnel to manage the financial standings of their company. Many roles are involved in the daily accounting and cost reporting of daily production. Other short term tasks include wrapping up monthly financial balances, including managing payroll and benefits systems. Mid-term activities include managing their company’s cash flow and tax reports, supply procurement and dealing with shipping contracts and other logistics. Common tasks for managing future operations include budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning.

Most of these positions require a bachelor’s degree in accounting or other financial discipline. For accounting roles, many companies prefer a Certified Public Accountant.

Many of these positions do not require much experience in aquaculture for entry level positions. The chances of landing higher level opportunities increase significantly if an applicant has some sort of background or experience in aquaculture, agriculture or other science-related fields.

Median salaries in this category are around the US$60,000 level.

Starting offers are generally around US$50,000, with the possibility of earning over US$100,000 possible based on initiative, experience, location and responsibility.

Most accounting and financial positions within the aquaculture industry are office-related positions. Their cost management and other activities do not typically require much field work. However, situations do arise where the accountant or controller must confer with field personnel, so they must have the ability to work well with other people in diverse conditions. Depending on the specific job or company, accountants and other financial personnel may have to travel a significant amount of time, both domestic and international. The activities in this category often bring personnel in contact with governmental regulation agencies. Therefore, the ability to understand local and federal regulations, along with working together with individuals from these agencies is critical to the financial standing of their aquaculture company.