Fishery Biologist 3

Description: The USGS Klamath Falls Field Station (KFFS) conducts research on rare and imperiled fish in the Klamath Basin, helping managers make informed decisions about resource use in a sensitive arid ecosystem. 

For more than two decades, USGS KFFS researchers have been tracking individual Lost River and Shortnose suckers—two long-lived, endangered fish species—using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags as part of a long-term capture-recapture effort. This exceptional dataset creates a rare opportunity to investigate patterns in wild fish populations over time. 

The KFFS team has also been growing an acoustic telemetry program to go even further, tracking fish movement and survival in real time. The expanding program investigates seasonal movement, survival, and habitat use. 

 These data directly inform sucker recovery actions and water-management decisions in the Basin, connecting adult survival, recruitment, and lake conditions to management options. 

 The successful candidate will have opportunities to pursue research questions using these data, including determining methods for reducing parasite burdens, avoiding predation, relocating fish populations, and evaluating hatchery-driven supplementation efforts. Working with USGS Klamath Falls Field Station researchers, field leads, partner agencies, and tribes, the successful candidate will help shape research that addresses important biological questions and supports the recovery of these endangered species.

Responsibilities: 

PSMFC is seeking a Fishery Biologist 3 who is comfortable performing most of the below tasks. The ideal candidate will have experience leading or co-leading research projects from design through completion and publication and have 2+ years of work experience in addition to a PhD or Post-Doc.  

• Perform complex tests and/or procedures that require using highly specialized methods or techniques 
• Recognize and identify unusual and diverse entities, occurrences, or investigative outcomes relevant to the program area 
• Modify or adapt established protocols and procedures in response to test or study findings Plan studies that require making significant departures from previous approaches 
• Revise standard methods to improve or extend test and study systems
• Recommend and approve studies. 
• Participate in preparing briefing documents and communicating and coordinating with other staff 
• Prepare and present technical studies and reports 
• Contribute telemetry and capture-recapture expertise to fish passage and screening evaluations 
• Assist in writing contract proposals and progress reports. Assist in developing detailed contract specifications, task statements, quality of work criteria, and other specifications. 
• Monitor budget expenses for projects, control purchasing, and manage equipment inventories. 
• Analyze and interpret complex biological and movement data, including Bayesian and state-space modeling 

Qualifications: Candidates must present successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree that included a major in biological science with at least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects and at least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences. In addition, candidates must also present 1 year of Specialized Experience** AND a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate degree in fields directly related to the position being filled. An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying, such as a master’s degree in fisheries biology, ecology, or a closely related field, with additional years of  Specialized Experience,*  

**Specialized Experience is experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities toperform 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.

 Learn more about the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and apply here.