Marietjie van den Berg is a netter, artificial breeder and a fingerlings processor. Marietjie grew up in this industry with her grandfather. “I love fish and to this day I am still learning about new species.” Although Marietjie has had some scary experiences such as realising there was a 2 metre crocodile in the water after getting out and finding animal skeletons in the bottom of dams, she loves her job and told SA Career Focus all about it.

In this career you can earn R10 000 to R40 000 commission- based per month. For every fish bred to adulthood you will get commission. You can work at any fishery, the water department and in nature conservation.

“I am like a consultant,” says Marietjie. “I take fish out of dams, check fish populations and release them into dams. I control everything from taking out foreign species to introducing new species. Breeding is also part of my job. I breed fish artificially and naturally by building nests in dams.”

“The pros of the career are finding or catching a record size fish, seeing how big the fish get, and the ‘fish fever’ or adrenalin when you catch hundreds of fish in your net. The cons are going into ice cold water when you have to net fish, fish dying when you transport them, netting and not catching anything, pollution and deformed fish,” shrugs Marietjie.

This career has no official training. As you gain experience you will learn what you need to. In high school it is recommended that you do Maths, Science and Biology.

To

follow this career you must love fish, be friendly, confident, honest, positive and able to communicate with people. You will also definitely need to know how to swim, have knowledge about the weather patterns and how they affect fish, an awareness of fish handling and transportation, knowledge of oxygen levels and water temperature and finally how to treat sick fish.

On an average day Marietjie will start off by checking all of her fish. “I will then check the water, boreholes and netting equipment. If I need to medicate the fish I will get their medication ready and administer it. When we need to go out and catch fish, I will make sure the nets are 100% and then brief the workers and go to the client. Once at the client we will catch the fish and either translocate them or relocate them. After we have done this we will have to dry the nets and dip them in case of diseases.

“The best thing about the job is that when it’s hot, you can’t wait to get into the cool water, the record amount of fish you can catch, seeing the fish you bred when they are big and the farmer’s wives making you delicious lunches,” laughs Marietjie.  “The worst thing about the job is the crocodiles and the hippos. If you get too close they will storm you. Also, the snakes are not fun either.”

For those of you looking for a career, Marietjie says, “First see what careers are out there. For example, if you love animals then go into a career in nature conservation.”

Gabrielle Venter