Fisheries technician job description

THE OUTSIDE IS IN US ALL.

This position closes at 11:59 pm on November 13, 2022. Please submit the following required documents on the State of Montana Careers website:

* Cover Letter
* Resume - Please include dates of employment and your supervisor's name/phone number for each position.
* Supplemental Question - In one page or less, please describe how your education and work experience has prepared you for working as a senior fisheries technician in the Livingston area?

Identity of applicants who become finalists may be released to the public if the Department deems it necessary. Employees who exceed 1,040 hours in a calendar year are also provided health, dental, and life insurance. Other benefits include retirement, paid vacation, sick, and holidays. This position may be covered by a VEBA (Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association).

A successful applicant will be subject to a background investigation.

Women and minorities are under-represented in the job category and are encouraged to apply.

Special Information:

This position is based out of the FWP Livingston Field Office in Livingston, Montana. Livingston is located on the banks of the Yellowstone River and is a gateway community to Yellowstone National Park, just 50 miles to the south. The city of Bozeman is located 30 miles to the west. The Yellowstone River is a defining feature, flowing through both Livingston and the surrounding area. It offers a wealth of opportunity for camping, floating, fishing, waterfowl hunting and more. Livingston is surrounded by four prominent mountain ranges. There are a wide variety of recreational opportunities such as walking/biking trails in the city, nearby skiing, fishing, and hunting opportunities, bird and wildlife watching.

Work is performed in office and field settings. The incumbent serves as the lead fisheries technician. Work is completed on the Yellowstone River, the Shields River, and their tributaries. Work is also completed on Dailey Lake and surrounding mountain lakes. This position provides occasional help on other waters that are located outside of this management area in both Region 3 and Region 5.

Field work will involve field research activities that require planning, prioritization, and occasionally require a change and re-organization of work schedules. Overnight travel including remote camping is occasionally required. The position is responsible for overseeing field activities including jet boat boom and drift boat mobile-anode electrofishing on large rivers, backpack electrofishing on small waters, gill netting lakes, and piloting and working from various jet, propeller and manually powered watercraft on the various waterbodies. Experience operating jet boats in low and high flow conditions is preferred.

Requires lifting heavy objects and carrying up to 75 lbs. on uneven terrain or in water and must be able to carry heavy packs (50 lbs.) for several miles. The incumbent must have the ability and willingness to work in and around water in adverse and hazardous conditions, including inclement weather. Interactions with the public may include landowners, anglers, and hunters who have conflicting issues and concerns. The frequency of contacts varies depending on the activity under consideration, but some type of public contact is typically engaged in daily.

Office work includes database management and data analysis, reporting writing, and lab work that may include ageing fish, stomach analysis or other fisheries and limnology studies. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, are required as the incumbent will represent FWP in public meetings, management actions, permitting activities, and public outreach. The incumbent will frequently interact with difference agencies including the Custer Gallatin National Forest, United States Geological Survey, Montana State University, Montana DEQ, Montana DNRC, local watershed groups including the Upper Yellowstone Watershed Group and the Shields Watershed Group, angling organizations that include Trout Unlimited and Walleyes Unlimited, and a diverse public made up of private landowners, anglers, agricultural producers, recreational floaters and commercial business owners.

This position often completes work assignments independently with little supervision, but also works in a team environment. Must be able to effectively train, work with, and lead other staff to complete tasks. Good organizational and time management skills are needed as well as the ability to accurately collect, record, and summarize data and identify fish to species.

This position is full time, 40 hours per week with daily and seasonal variations in workload and schedule. The incumbent typically works Monday-Thursday, 10 hours/day from April through September to efficiently complete field work. Most field work will be completed during day trips, but occasional camping and backpacking trips in remote areas and hiking long distances (10 miles) will be required. The remainder of the year a Monday-Friday, 8 hour/day work schedule is typical. Incumbent must be flexible and willing to adapt to changing work demands. Compensatory time is earned after 40 hours in a week when activity is approved.

Job Duties (narrative summary):

This position serves as the senior-level fisheries technician for the Livingston area and in general, the duties of this job may include:

* Planning and coordination with fisheries manager and biologists for survey and inventory of diverse fisheries including Yellowstone cutthroat, brown, rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, walleye, smallmouth bass, native suckers, minnows, and other native and non-native species to assess abundance, recruitment, reproductive performance, age, growth, survival/mortality, movement and behavior, as well as angler use and preferences
* Overseeing the operation, purchasing, maintenance, repair, assembly, and testing of a variety of field equipment such as boats, outboard motors, vehicles, electrofishers, nets, and specialized fisheries survey and inventory equipment
* Entering, summarizing, analyzing, and ensuring quality control of ecological/biological data and assist with report writing to inform management decisions
* Completing private pond inspections
* Supervising and training permanent and seasonal fieldworkers, interns, and volunteers in fisheries management, sampling skills, equipment operation and maintenance, laboratory techniques, and policies.

Primary work areas for this position encompasses all or portions of the following river basins: Yellowstone and Shields including smaller streams and various reservoirs and ponds with occasional work in other waterbodies in both Region 3 and 5 ( e.g., Madison River, Boulder River, Stillwater River) and the high mountain lakes in the Absaroka Range, the Bridger Range, the Gallatin Range, and the Crazy Mountains.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Required for the first day of work:

Ability to develop, plan, and prioritize projects in coordination with the biologist and fish manager. Knowledge and understanding of sampling, laboratory, field operations will be required. Supervise, manage, and train staff to conduct surveys and using electronic tracking equipment is required. Knowledge of and experience with computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and data storage and analysis with statistical applications are required. Map reading skills and familiarity with map coordinate systems are required. Good organizational and time management skills are needed as well as the ability to accurately collect, record, and summarize data. Knowledge of the safe collection of blood, tissue, or other samples from fish and aquatic organisms is required. Applicants must demonstrate an ability to work with professional biologists, other research assistants and the public. Communication skills, both written and verbal, are required. Applicants must be knowledgeable and be familiar with motorboat operation, safety and be able to operate a four-wheel drive vehicle with training. The ability to work with little or no direct supervision in potentially hazardous conditions is expected.

The knowledge, skills, and abilities of this position are normally attained through combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree in fish biology, fish and wildlife management, ecology, biology, and three years of progressive job-related experience or work closely related to fish and wildlife biology. Combinations of education and experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Group Definition: Fisheries Technicians perform duties related to the protection, preservation, propagation, and sampling of fish species and the preservation or enhancement of their habitat. They use knowledge of procedural requirements and processes to support the technical work of their unit. They provide practical technical support to research, operations, or program administration efforts.

The mission of PSMFC is to promote the conservation, development and management of Pacific Coast fishery resources through coordinated regional research, monitoring and utilization. This job and our project relates to the monitoring aspect of the mission statement.

The project's primary goals are to determine species composition of rockfish, flatfish and skate market categories; to collect biological information such as length and age composition for all groundfish species for use in stock assessments; and to assist with inseason management of the fishery by reviewing landings data and trawl logbooks.
This position samples the ports of Oceanside, Mission Bay, and San Diego.

This is a full-year position (40 hours per week). Hours vary by day and field time may require working late at night or very early in the morning. Work is in a cold and wet environment when working in the field. The position is split 50/50 between office and field work; however, seasonal variance occurs, with less field work in the winter and more field work in the summer.

Essential Functions: (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.)

* Participate in survey crews that conduct regional 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, and/or signs of parasites, diseases or pathogens, fin clips or tags.
* Collect and organize biological and habitat samples and collections (such as scales, otoliths, ageing structures, other tissues, water quality, etc.).
* Summarize and input biological or habitat data on field forms, electronic data loggers, and/or desktop computers. May assist with preliminary data summaries and analyses, technical report writing, or database management.

Knowledge Required by the Position:

At the lower end of the range, employees use knowledge of basic arithmetic, reading, writing, and data collection to perform routine or repetitive tasks.

At the upper end of the position range, employees use knowledge of the basic principles and protocols of fish biology to make readings, measurements, and observations; execute tests; collect samples, etc. If complex equipment systems are operated, the employee has the knowledge to perform calibrations or adjustments to achieve desired results.

Additional Mandatory Skills

* lift 40 - 50 lbs.
* valid driver's license
* oral communication skills
* written communication skills
* fish species ID skills
* using fish keys
* specific software skills (spreadsheet, word processing, database)

Additional Desirable Skills

* CPR/First Aid
* able to swim
* carcass and redd surveys
* compile and collect neat and accurate data
* repair and maintain equipment

Physical Demands:

Demands can range from moderate --where there is walking, climbing stairs and ladders, reaching, lifting, bending, and strenuous sweeping-- to rigorous. In the latter case, the incumbent 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 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, 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 may be required.

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

A range of experience and education may be presented. At the lower end of the range, candidates must present six months of General Experience* OR one year of education above the high school level that included at least six semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses. An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.

At the upper end of the range, candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience OR a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with a major or at least 24 semester hours of coursework in any combination of scientific or technical courses. An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.

* General Experience is (1) any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with biological sciences or the processes of the biological sciences.

Specialized Experience is experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position being filled.

CDFW San Diego12 months or more Full-Year25% - 50%NoPersonal Vehicle - Valid driver's license required. Offers of employment contingent upon passing driving records check.18.00/hour Oct 31, 2022