Fisheries Technician 2- Upper Sacramento Monitoring Programs

at  Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

POSITION/PROJECT SPECIFICS:

The Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) (B13) habitat restoration project consists of a multi agency effort to enhance juvenile salmonid rearing habitat and adult spawning habitat in the upper Sacramento river basin. The project seeks to engineer, maintain, and monitor off-channel habitat enhancement sites as well as some in-river sites. Three strategies for restoration have been implemented to increase juvenile and adult habitat to date. Adult spawning restoration sites primarily consist of gravel placement to promote spawning by Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Steelhead/Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Juvenile rearing restoration sites are primarily side channel construction or rehabilitation, designed to provide increased juvenile rearing habitat during fluctuating flow releases from Keswick Dam. The tasks/duties of the position support the project by providing baseline data informing management decisions
The candidate will collect juvenile fish habitat use and abundance data using snorkel, and habitat attributes, flow, and GIS mapping using a Mesa tablet. Data tasks will consist of recording field data, QA/QC of the data, and performing basic statistical analyses of data is likely. Experience and/or proficiency with scientific data management tools such as the GIS framework, MS suite of programs, or Pathfinder software is desirable but not required. Daily activities include driving and towing small jet-powered watercraft. Spending 6-8 hours in the field is normal, hiking and wading in small streams is a daily activity. Snorkeling and wading in swift, cold water during adverse weather conditions is a routine activity for this position. This is primarily a field-based position and the successful candidate may be subjected to hot summer conditions over 100 degress, and cold winter conditions near freezing. Upkeep of field equipment and occasional construction/removal of fisheries monitoring devices is anticipated. Candidates will also assist with other ongoing adult fisheries monitoring activities such as video monitoring, carcass counts, biological sampling, tagging, and redd monitoring. The schedule will be 10 hours a day, four days a week. Weekend work is not anticipated but weather events occasionally dictate a change of schedule in response to environmental conditions. Approximately 80/20 field/office work ratio is a general estimate. Driving trucks and towing boats is a requirement

Essential Functions:

• 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, and/or signs of parasites, diseases or pathogens, fin clips or tags.
• Lead and perform data entry for data from recovered tags, representative biological samples, telemetry devices, oceanographic data, fish tickets, commercial landing estimates, logbooks, scale cards, port sampling, onboard observers, etc. Error check the data, maintain and update the database, and analyze and organize data in the appropriate format (table, spreadsheet, memorandum, or report) necessary for transfer to individuals, agencies, and organizations. Modify software programs and perform data queries. Prepare summary reports to transfer data.
• Lead crew in watershed and stream assessments and habitat surveys. This 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 (plants and animals) 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 the 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 the transfer of data. Produce summaries including corrections. Produce presentation quality tables and graphs of data.

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.

Additional Mandatory Skills:

• Tow/ maneuver boats
• carcass and redd surveys
• Habitat monitoring/ typing
• Restoration project monitoring
• Underwater video camera/ Snorkeling
• Electronic detection technology
• Fish tagging
• Lift 40-50 lbs.
• Valid driver’s license
• Operate GPS
• Fish species ID skills
• Using fish keys
• Compile and collect neat and accurate data
• Operate handheld data recorder
• Specific software skills (spreadsheet, word processing, database, GIS, statistical)
• Literature search/ review
• Construction, fabrication and installation skills
• Repair & maintain equipment

Physical Demands:
Demands can range from sedentary, to moderate -where there is walking, climbing stairs and ladders, reaching, lifting, and bending, 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. Some work requires the ability to maintain footing in fast-moving water.
Work Environment:
Some work is performed in an office setting with adequate lighting, heating and ventilation. Some work may be performed in fish processing labs, fish holding areas, and/or in the field. Employees 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 or docks, 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.
Requirements:
Minimum Qualification Requirements:
A range of experience and education may be presented. At the lower end of the range, candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience* OR one semester of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position. 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 year of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position. An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.
**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. To be creditable, Specialized Experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled

• 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, and/or signs of parasites, diseases or pathogens, fin clips or tags.
• Lead and perform data entry for data from recovered tags, representative biological samples, telemetry devices, oceanographic data, fish tickets, commercial landing estimates, logbooks, scale cards, port sampling, onboard observers, etc. Error check the data, maintain and update the database, and analyze and organize data in the appropriate format (table, spreadsheet, memorandum, or report) necessary for transfer to individuals, agencies, and organizations. Modify software programs and perform data queries. Prepare summary reports to transfer data.
• Lead crew in watershed and stream assessments and habitat surveys. This 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 (plants and animals) 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 the 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 the transfer of data. Produce summaries including corrections. Produce presentation quality tables and graphs of data