Sea Center Texas Hatchery Internship

Internship Requirements

Current enrollment as an undergraduate or graduate student in an accredited college or university; Minimum of 18 completed semester credit hours from an accredited college or university at time of application; Must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 grade point scale or "Pass" on a Pass/Fail system.

Look for internship positions on our job webpage.

Life Support

Sea Center Texas’ summer interns receive operations training on the life support systems (pumps, sand filters, UV sterilizers, and heat/chill units) that maintain the southern flounder, spotted seatrout, and red drum broodstock. Backwashing filters and safely moving water through a hatchery of this size is an experience that cannot be gained anywhere else.

Fish Husbandry 

Hatchery interns will have the opportunity to learn about broodstock husbandry and will assist with fish nutrition and feed behavior.

Egg Incubation

Interns will work with our spotted seatrout and red drum which are spawning during the internship. Eggs are collected from the tanks, and carefully enumerated and stocked into an incubator. Once fry have absorbed their yolk and are ready to feed, they are transferred into grow-out ponds.

Pond Biology and Maintenance

Before we stock a pond with fry, we must clean, fill, fertilize, and bloom phytoplankton and zooplankton. Accomplishing this takes teamwork and communication. Interns will have hands-on experience with all aspects of pond production, including microscopy, data entry, and a bit of shovel work.

Fingerling Harvest and Release

Draining ponds and catching all the fingerling fish kicks off a few additional activities. Measuring and weighing samples generates counts and other metrics for harvest reports. Meanwhile, the harvested fish are driven to the bay, acclimated, and released.

Outreach

Sea Center Texas’ summer interns may engage the public in fisheries science by taking mobile touch tanks to offsite events and/or schools. From onsite special events to guiding hatchery tours, our interns will have opportunities to interact with the community.

And so much more!

Interns will also have an opportunity to take part in various other projects, such as assisting with fishing events, cleaning the aquariums (certified divers only), assisting skilled staff on maintenance projects, and participating in weekly safety meetings.