WELLINGTON, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Fisheries New Zealand on Wednesday announced several fisheries science scholarships open to application in order to "invest in the next generation of fisheries scientists."

"We are excited to invite applications for the joint Fisheries New Zealand and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) master's scholarships, and Fisheries New Zealand undergraduate scholarships," Dan Bolger, head of Fisheries New Zealand, said in a statement.

"While we have the challenges of climate change and increasing use of the marine environment ahead of us, we will also have access to far greater volumes of data, and we will be getting it faster," Bolger said, adding that students will be equipped to deal with the changing world and will have the tools to process the increasing volume of information.

The scholarships are also an opportunity to encourage students to research and study in areas such as marine biology and statistics which currently have a shortage of trained graduates, he said.

"As part of the master's scholarship, winners will carry out research with NIWA and/or Fisheries New Zealand scientists as mentors, which will be fantastic, real-world experience for students," Bolger said.

The total value for each master's scholarship is 20,000 NZ dollars (13,419 U.S. dollars) per annum for up to two years, and 5,000 NZ dollars (3,355 U.S. dollars) for the undergraduate scholarship which is available for the final year of the degree, he added.