On October 2, 2025, the final apprenticeship examination for the profession of Fisheries Management took place at the training center of the Federal Office for Water Management, Institute for Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries in Scharfling. Nine candidates faced this last challenge, demonstrating their skills in both a practical and an oral examination.
In the practical part, various fish species were prepared for consumption, while candidates also answered questions on stunning, slaughter, hygiene, and processing. In the oral examination, they presented their training companies and answered practice-oriented questions in areas such as carp pond management, salmonid farming, recirculating aquaculture systems, or the management of natural waters.
The examination board was composed of representatives from the fisheries sector (Eva Keferböck, Helga Bültermann-Igler, Daniel Hörner, Alexander Vogl), from the Agricultural and Forestry Apprenticeship and Training Office of Upper Austria (LFA OÖ, Johannes Brandstetter), as well as from Institute for Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries Management (Florian Keil, Franz Grubinger, Daniela Achleitner). With their successful completion, nine new skilled workers can now proudly hold their official certificate.
This marks an important step – both for the graduates themselves and for the fisheries sector as a whole. Fish from Austrian aquaculture is a valuable food product: regionally produced, fresh, and of high quality. At the same time, its production requires responsibility – towards the animals, the waters, and natural resources. The training ensures that young professionals are equipped to combine quality and regional value with sustainable management and careful use of our environment.
We warmly congratulate the new graduates and wish them every success in their professional future. Further information on training and education can be found on our homepage or in the recently published Aquaculture 2025/2026 training brochure.