IFM Certificate Course

Units covered

Please note the start date is only for registration purposes. 

The IFM Certificate Course 

The IFM Certificate Course is intended to give specialised training in Fisheries Management for people who want to start or further their career within the industry. Prospective employers may include fisheries, fisheries consultancies, the Environment Agency, water companies or similar bodies. Many of our students are looking at setting up their won fisheries or simply trying to improve their skills as voluntary fishery managers. The course is also suitable for those who just wish to gain an overview of the field of Fisheries Management.

The Certificate course will also give you essential background information and skills to provide an entry point to the more demanding IFM Diploma in Fisheries Management.

• The Certificate course is a Level 3 qualification (the same level as ‘A’ level or National Diploma / Certificate course).
• There is no pre-requisite to start the course, except an interest in the subject area.
• The main emphasis of the IFM Certificate Course is on the management of freshwater fish populations.
• The Certificate course can be completed in one year, although we allow you to take up to two years. Should the course take you more than two years then an additional charge for marking your exam papers will be applied.

The Certificate Course is designed as a Roll on Roll off course, where you can join at any time and then decide which set of exams – the June or January ones – to start the assessment process.

The course is a correspondence or distance learning course. Once you have registered, we will send you a welcome pack that will contain all the information you need about the course, a student handbook as well as copies of the manuals for each module. There will also be a link to further resources you can research about each subject area. The pack will also provide details on your course tutor and module tutors as well as information about the Zoom learning seminars planned for the year and the optional practical weekend.

The course is made up of eight modules which are:

1. Water Quality
2. Freshwater and Fish Biology
3. Fisheries Law
4. Fish Culture and Husbandry
5. Fisheries Maintenance, Monitoring and Improvements
6. Angling and Recreation
7. Fisheries Enforcement
8. Fish Health and Welfare

Modules 1-3 are the core modules, these are fisheries basics and vital to understanding all the other aspects of fisheries management.

In total you will sit exams on six out of the eight modules – The three core modules are compulsory to the completion of the Certificate course, and these will be assessed in January. The remaining five modules will be assessed in June, when you will be expected to complete exams in 3 out of the 5 available modules.

Assessments for each unit now take the form of time limited open book essays. The questions are sent to you via email in the morning,  for you to complete at home, and return at a specified time.  Please note that they are no less challenging than formal exams!

We recommend you study all five of the additional modules as these give you the basics for each module and will help you to better understand all the modules.

New for 2025: Exclusive Evening Webinars To further enrich your learning experience, we’re introducing 6 evening webinars per year exclusively for our certificate students. These Zoom sessions will dive into specific topics, followed by interactive Q&A segments.

Module descriptions

Water Quality

By the end of this module you will be enabled, as demonstrated through completion of exams, to:

1. Outline the basic properties and natural characteristics of water of particular importance fish and other aquatic organisms (Chapter 1)
2. Describe how water quality is affected naturally by interacting hydrogeomorphological and biological factors that produce different types of ecosystems, zones and characteristic fish communities in rivers, estuaries and lakes (Chapter 2).
3. Define what is meant by pollution and outline the principal types, causes and effects on fish, direct and indirect (Chapter 3).
4. Outline some key EU and UK legislation and management principles and options available to protect aquatic environments and fisheries (Chapter 4)

Freshwater and Fish Biology

By the end of this module you will be enabled, as demonstrated through completion of exams, to:

1. Describe the basic common features of living things and the differences between plants and animals
2. Understand and describe the basic anatomy of fish and the key differences between the most common groups of fish in the British Isles
3. Understand and describe why nutrients and chemicals are important to freshwater biology and how they are recycled
4. Describe the different types of aquatic plants and how and why they are important to freshwater ecosystems and fisheries management
5. Describe the different types of aquatic invertebrates and how and why they are important to freshwater ecosystems and fisheries management
6. Describe basic food webs and the interaction between different types of organisms in the aquatic environment
7. Understand why a knowledge of Freshwater Biology is essential to fisheries management

Fishery Law

By the end of this module you will be enabled, as demonstrated through completion of exams, to:

1. Understand and describe the main provisions of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act, 1975.
2. Be able to interpret sections of this Act, especially in relation to their effects on fishery owners, occupiers and managers, and fishermen.
3. Have an understanding of other significant fisheries legislation such as The Keeping and Introduction of Fish (England and River Esk Catchment Area) Regulations 2015 and The Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009. If you are not based in England and Wales you will be expected to gain understanding of similar legislation on your own region or country.
4. Have an understanding of other legislation that relates to fisheries management.

Fish Culture and Husbandry

Fish farming is an important part of fisheries management, particularly with the restocking of fish following pollution incidents and trying to improve or develop angling facilities. The understanding of fish farming is therefore important for any fisheries manager and this module is designed to inform student about the main types of farming in the UK, and there relevance to fisheries management.

By the end of this module you will be enabled, as demonstrated through completion of exams, to:

1. Describe the production cycles and biological requirements of the major farmed species in the UK.
2. Understand the artificial propagation of Salmon and carp.
3. Describe the tagging and marking of fish and the production of triploid salmonids.
4. Outline the various stocking methods for Salmon

Fisheries Maintenance, Monitoring and Improvements

This section deals with the practical measures available to a fishery manager to maintain or improve the physical condition of a fishery and the fish in it. We’ll look at methods to improve conditions for fish and techniques to improve facilities and catches for anglers. This is a key module of the Certificate course as it describes practical measures that can be taken to improve a fishery, using knowledge from each of the other sections of the course.

This section should enable you to describe

1. Different types of fisheries found in the British Isles
2. Main environmental requirements of fish in those fisheries
3. Methods available to improve the fish holding, or production capacity of a water
4. Techniques that can be used to improve facilities for anglers
5. Methods available to monitor and assess the degree of success of any improvements
6. Legal requirements and political considerations around fisheries management

Angling and Recreation

This unit is often a favourite of those taking the Certificate course if they have come to fishery management through angling as a hobby. The successful fishery manager must appreciate the different types of anglers and their interests along with the needs of other users such as walkers and boaters.

This module gives you the skills and knowledge to operate confidently in this sector of the industry.

Fisheries Enforcement

By the end of this module you will be enabled, as demonstrated through completion of exams, to:

1. Outline the role and limits of the various persons that may be called a Water Bailiff (Chapter 1) and define the behaviours of an effective bailiff (Chapter 2).
2. Describe the responsibilities of the employer and employee to minimise the risk associated with fisheries enforcement. Discuss the tools a Bailiff has at their disposal to work safely (Chapter 3).
3. Understand how a bailiff’s routine and relationship with the local fishing community enable them to work effectively (Chapter 4).
4. Carry out a risk assessment for a fishery, considering potential access, theft and sale of fish (Chapter 5) and outline how to counteract these risks (Chapter 6).

Fish Health and Welfare

As fisheries managers our primary objective keeping our stock healthy. This not only requires that we maintain their welfare through providing habitat, food and space for them to thrive but also requires an understanding of the health issues that they may encounter.

By the end of this module you will be enabled, as demonstrated through completion of exams, to:

1. Describe the main environmental and nutritional requirements of specified fish species.
2. Describe the main welfare considerations in running a fish.
3. Describe the main pathogen groups
4. Describe the process of investigating a health issue in a fishery stock.

General course objectives

A student who has completed the Certificate Course should be able to:

1. Identify and give examples to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the modules studied in the course
2. Use and apply recognized terms and quantities for example pH, Trophic levels
3. identify and evaluate problems which fishery managers may face and propose/apply solutions
4. Integrate different aspects of the topics studied to illustrate how the complexity of whole systems depends on the relationships between the parts

Certificate Trial

Not Sure About a Year-Long Commitment and the expense?

We understand that committing to a full year can be daunting. So we also offer a 2-Module Trial. Experience two modules of your choice, like Water Quality and Freshwater Biology, with full access to materials, a course handbook, and a trial exam. If you decide to continue, your initial course fees and exam results will count towards the full course, reducing your remaining commitment to just 4 modules. Remember you must still complete the 3 core modules, so it may be best to choice at least one core module.

The fee for the trial is £150

If you would like an further information on the course please contact Ian Wellby on [email protected]