It is hardly a surprise that Irish people are finally beginning to farm the sea - in terms of Irish boundaries, we have far more space offshore than we do on our small rock of a nation. But aquaculture does require some very specific training if practitioners are to be successful, which is why Bord Iascaigh Mhara is involved in the provision of aquaculture training and education at a number of centres across the country.

The comprehensive aquaculture courses offered by BIM include the FETAC Introduction to Aquaculture (a general introduction into such areas as the lifecycle of an aqua species and the ability to grow aqua species from seed or ova), and the FETAC Certificate in Aquaculture.

Under the Certificate in Aquaculture, candidates will learn such mandatory modules as Safety at Sea, Juvenile Fish Production, Ongoing Operations of Finfish and Ongoing Operations of Shellfish, alongside the general studies modules of IT and Communications. Elective modules include Care of the Catch, Work Boat Handling, Engineering Workshop Processes, Marine Engineering Process and Marine Engine Operations.

While entry requirements are not rigorous, and are open to people even without a Leaving Certificate, the courses have been pursued by people with graduate and postgraduate qualifications who are looking for something a little different out of life. For example, accountant and IT consultant Hugh O'Malley (BSc Econ JHons, MSc) decided to see if he could make a living out of the sea, and his experience was almost wholly positive.

"If you are to learn about an industry you must see the good and the bad, " he said.

"The outdoor experiences were all tied in with class work. The three main modules finfish, hatchery production and Shellfish ongrowing gave us a broad understanding of what it takes to produce farmed fish.

Yet the course did allow us to fully research our own areas of interest."