Entry Level Fisheries Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is seeking a self-motivated and high performing Fisheries Technician to assist with a fishery-independent White Sturgeon population dynamics monitoring project. The position will be stationed in West Sacramento, CA at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The individual will work with a PSMFC Fishery Biologist, CDFW Environmental Scientist, and other PSMFC fisheries technicians to assist with the following three primary project components:
1. Fishery-independent mark-recapture study using setline fishing.
2. Sonar surveys in the spawning reaches of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers.
3. Acoustic tagging of sturgeon handled during setline surveys.
The setline study's mark-recapture data are needed to estimate abundance metrics (age-class abundance and relative abundance index) of White Sturgeon in the San Francisco Estuary. These data will be used to inform management for White Sturgeon, which became a candidate species for listing under the California Endangered Species Act in June 2024.
Sonar surveys in the upper reaches of the Sacramento and San Joaquin River will provide the data needed for estimating the number of spawning White Sturgeon adults, which can be used as an additional abundance metric for informing management controls in the recreational fishery. Additionally, information on the reproductive portion of the population can be paired with juvenile abundance indices from other data sources to establish spawner-recruitment relationships over time.
Lastly, acoustic tagging will provide insight on behavior and movement patterns in White Sturgeon as they migrate within the estuary and upriver for spawning activities. In addition to acoustic tagging, we will identify sex, and gonadal tissue samples will be taken for additional analysis.
The primary responsibilities of the position will be to assist with the daily operations of each project component, including data collection and analysis, deploying and retrieving fishing gear, maintenance and repair of gear, preparing bait, data summaries (sturgeon tagged, sturgeon recaptured), and field notes of importance to project supervisors (eg. repair/maintenance/purchasing needs, difficulties in the field). In collaboration with the Lead Biologist, the incumbent will contribute to drafting a yearly report summarizing project activities.
This position will be expected to perform setline surveys, sonar surveys, and tagging duties on various vessels at specific locations in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento River, and these duties may occur during the weekends and holidays. Fieldwork will be weather dependent and under a 4/10 schedule (four 10-hour days per week).
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Competency
Initiative: identifies what needs to be done and take appropriate actions
Communication: have the ability to make clear and concise oral and written communication to fishery scientists and to the general public
Ethics and integrity: performs duties with professionalism, honesty, and earned respect of staff and other agency personnel

Science
Knowledge of fishery management practices that includes fish population dynamics, fish biology, and stream ecology
Experience in various fish sampling methods
Ability to compile and collect neat and accurate data
Competency in computer applications and software used to store and/or analyze data
Scientific writing skills
Additional Mandatory Skills:
Valid driver's license
Lift 40-50 lbs.
Repair and maintain equipment
Additional Desired Qualifications:
Fish identification skills, specifically knowledge of species residing in the San Francisco 1. Bay/Delta
Previous experience handling and taking morphometric measurements of fish
Experience collecting environmental data using water quality multiparameter sondes
Experience deploying, maintaining, and repairing fisheries sampling gear
Experience conducting simple analyses in R and GIS programs.

Essential Functions: Included in this band are skilled technician positions. Some functions performed by employees can be identical to those performed by fishery biologists at the entry-level or advanced entry-level. The distinction in titling is intent. Positions in this group and pay band are not intended to lead to higher level, professional Fishery Biologist 2 positions.

(The functions listed below are characteristic of the type and level of work associated with this group and pay band. They are not all-inclusive. Individual positions may perform some or all, as well as other similar work.)

• Lead and participate in survey crews that conduct fishery presence/absence research, recreational/commercial fishing surveys, anadromous fish escapement surveys (carcass, redd, trap/weir, snorkel, etc.), or tag detection and mark recovery surveys. Make standardized observations such as species identification, length, weight, behavior, growth, survival, reproductive condition, fin clips or tags, and/or signs of parasites, diseases or pathogens.
• Lead and participate in crews engaged in captive fish rearing activities including spawning, incubating, feeding, sampling, sorting, handling, medicating, anesthetizing, and transporting fish. Crew may also monitor the status of facility systems and equipment, fabricate, construct, and maintain systems. Gather research data and organize information from fish samples or experimental projects.
• Lead crew in regular facility inspections including, for example, dewatering equipment, pumps, flumes, gates, tanks, screens, filters, gatewells, and/or tag interrogation equipment. Crew may also monitor and maintain water quality levels. Record findings and adjustments made. Provide input for facility improvements. Respond appropriately and immediately to emergencies.
• Lead crew in watershed and stream assessments and habitat surveys. May include stream habitat inventories (channel typing, habitat typing, woody debris, etc.), road inventories, and riparian inventories.
• Develop and install components of naturalistic environments. Assist with analysis of the behavior of different species in simulated environments. Videotape, photograph, and record data for characteristics such as growth, health, fitness, social activity, reproductive success, foraging success, and anti-predator behavior.
• Update database by entering, checking, and/or editing biological or habitat data that has been inputted on field forms, electronic data loggers, and/or desktop computers. Maintain, organize and provide access to databases. Write memoranda and short reports for transfer of data. Produce summaries including corrections. Produce presentation quality tables and graphs of data.
• Assist pathologists with routine diagnoses of fish mortalities including necropsy and sampling for pathogens.
• Perform precision ageing of two to four different species of fish in a laboratory setting. Record age and growth data in the appropriate format; summarize and input data. Collect and organize biological samples and collections. Document ageing problems, techniques and results in annual production ageing reports. May assist with preliminary data summaries and analyses, or technical report writing.

Knowledge Required by the Position:

• Knowledge of fishery biology (including knowledge of particular species of fish).
• Knowledge of fish husbandry.
• Knowledge of aquatic habitats.
• Knowledge of the scientific method.
• Knowledge of sampling protocols.
• Knowledge of personal computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, publishing software, presentation software, database software, topographic software, bibliographic software, and statistical analysis packages.
• Knowledge of technical writing protocols.
• Knowledge of basic math.

Employees have the knowledge to resolve common technical or procedural problems for themselves or their work crew. They are able to assess or interpret the significance of their results and relate that to the overall objective of the project. They have the knowledge to outline, organize and execute the details of projects where unusual or irregular procedural or technical problems arise.

Physical Demands:

Demands can range from moderate-including walking, climbing stairs and ladders, reaching, lifting, bending, and strenuous sweeping-to rigorous. In the latter case, the employee must be able to handle buckets of water or gear weighing up to 50 pounds. Long daily periods of hiking, carrying equipment, swimming, and/or standing may be required. Camping out or living at sea in vessels with minimal amenities for extended periods may be required. Some work requires the ability to maintain footing in fast-moving water.

Work Environment:

A portion of the work is performed in an office setting with adequate lighting, heating and ventilation. The majority is performed in fish processing labs, fish holding areas, fish processing plants, and/or in the field. Incumbents may work on narrow, elevated walkways and platforms that are over or adjacent to water. Field work involves exposure to all types of weather, slippery rocks, trails, irregular terrain, insects, poison oak, rough or fast-moving water, or cold water temperatures. Work at high elevations or aboard boats, research vessels, or commercial fishing vessels may be required.