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We have a really big aquaculture industry in Scotland, and we are also free of many diseases that affect farmed fish. To make sure Scotland stays disease free, I visit fish farms to check that they keep all the paperwork they are supposed to and look at the fish they are growing for any that are sick. If I see sick fish, then I dissect them to take samples for our labs to test for a range of diseases and infections. This can help the fish farmers decided whether to treat the fish with medicine or not.

A huge part of my job is doing paperwork. I will often be in the office for a few weeks before going out in the field for a whole week. This time in the office between trips gives me time to write reports, gather the results from any tests that have been done and carry out my other duties. While in the office I am responsible for looking after imports and exports, so any time someone wants to bring fish to Scotland from another country, I know about it. I also have to plan my field work in advance, so have to speak to fish farmers and arrange visits, order my media (stuff to put my tissue samples in) and let my team know where I will be for the week. When I am in the field, my day is very different. I will visit two or three sites a day, inspecting paperwork and fish and maybe taking samples.