Fisheries Technician 1- Restoration Monitoring and Passage Assessment

Description: Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is seeking a Fisheries Technician to assist with two projects: California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW)Monitoring and Evaluation of Salmonid Habitat Restoration (MESHR) program and California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) fish passage barrier assessment project. The Fisheries Technician will assist the PSMFC Biologist for an approximate period of 7 months, from May through November. Staff work out of an office located in Santa Barbara, CA and commute to field sites. Work involves travel to project sites (often remote) located in watersheds throughout coastal areas of southern California, and occasional car camping or other lodging for up to four days per week. Work hours may vary based on task needs, but will be between 32-40 hours per week.

As part of the MESHR project, the fisheries technician will assist with qualitative and quantitative effectiveness monitoring of grant-funded habitat restoration projects. Monitoring of restoration projects employs three approaches: 1) detailed measurement of physical habitat characteristics, including stream longitudinal profiles; 2) a rapid field assessment using treatment-specific, qualitative checklists; and 3) assessment of fish response to instream and passage projects via snorkel and spawner surveys. Primary responsibilities will include establishing photo-point monuments, taking photos of restoration sites, organizing data files, data quality control, map making using ArcGIS, writing case study reports, maintaining equipment, and driving 4×4 vehicles. 

As part of the Fish Passage Assessment project, the fisheries technician will assist with conducting detailed fish passage barrier and habitat assessments on Caltrans stream crossing facilities throughout coastal California. Assessments involve recording data on stream habitat conditions, facility descriptions and dimensions, and longitudinal and channel cross section profiles. This position will be responsible for assisting with data collection, data management, and the writing of assessment summaries.

Applicants should have a working knowledge of aquatic ecology/environmental sciences; prior instream and/or upland field experience; willingness to learn and follow CDFW, Caltrans, and PSMFC policies, protocols, and procedures; good data management and field gear organization; good communication and interpersonal skills; and scientific writing skills. Candidates must be comfortable in the field under strenuous conditions (hot weather, small poorly lit spaces, biting insects, presence of poison oak, and hiking in densely vegetated riparian habitats with heavy gear).

Responsibilities: 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.).

Make regular facility inspections including, for example, dewatering equipment, pumps, flumes, gates, tanks, screens, filters, gatewells, and/or tag interrogation equipment. Monitor and maintain water quality levels. Record findings and adjustments made. Respond appropriately and immediately to emergencies.

Support watershed and stream assessments by working as part of a field team that performs habitat surveys. Includes road inventories, stream habitat inventories, channel typing, habitat typing, woody debris and riparian inventories.

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.

Research the land ownership of survey sites and assist in processes for gaining access approval, which may include direct landowner contact. 

Qualifications: 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.

Learn more and apply here.