Which branches of Marine Biology are easiest/hardest to get into?

[Eric]

My guess is that the hardest one to get into is Marine Mammalogy, since just the idea of making a living off of researching Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, and Sirenians sounds like an awesome idea to anyone (myself included - it is my dream job that I hope to get one day).

My guess is that the easiest one is probably the study of Plankton, Algae, and small fish (probably less than 18 inches at most), since most websites I've seen say the majority of marine biologists study those three animal groups.

Are these correct, or are there any branches that are harder or easier to get into?

[crookedbrother533]

a lab tech

[Spinelli]

It depends. There's a hell of a lot of research into cetacean behaviour, particularly with regards to acoustics, as this is so important to making guidelines for offshore industries (like oil and gas companies) to stick to. After your degree, I would highly encourage you to either stay and do a masters, or go do an internship or two, then return and do a masters. You may find if you volunteer at the right place you'll be in a good position to apply for a job when there is an opening, but either way it's all about networking.

You will be much more desirable if you can specialise in other areas as well as just marine mammal behaviour/physiology. If you are are trained in GIS, or can take classes in acoustic technology and/or quantitive skills you will have something that many people don't. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's definitely not impossible!

I work offshore as a consultant for the oil and gas industry, and my job consists of searching for marine mammals during the day, listening out for them using hydrophones at night, recording behavioural data and making sure guidelines for the protection of these animals are kept to. From this line of work (which is well paid) there are a lot of opportunities for research, either as a side to my main job or a complete separate job.

Have a look at job postings on marine mammal jobs or marine mammal magazine (both are on Facebook), and sign up to the MARMAM mailing list, to see what voluntary and paid opportunities are out there, and what they require you to have.

Good luck, whatever you choose