What are the responsibilities and job description for the Fish Biology Technician position at Colorado State University?
Position Location
Fort Collins, CO
Work Location
Position is fully in-office/in-person
Research Professional Position
Yes
Posting Number
202500462AP
Position Type
Admin Professional/ Research Professional
Classification Title
Research Associate I
Number of Vacancies
1
Work Hours/Week
40
Proposed Annual Salary Range
$38,000 - $45,000
Employee Benefits
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Desired Start Date
Position End Date (if temporary)
To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on
04/14/2025
Description of Work Unit
Larval Fish Laboratory is a contract and grant-funded unit within the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. We conduct field and laboratory-based research related to understanding the distribution, abundance, and ecology of Colorado and other western fishes. Work involves the following activities. Travel to remote locations for extended periods (10 or more days) to sample fishes with a variety of passive and active sampling gear types. Navigate large western rivers with canoes, whitewater rafts, and outboard prop and jet-powered boats and collect fish for research with boat and shoreline-based electrofishing equipment, seines, trammel nets, drift nets, and fyke nets. Identify Colorado fishes, especially those from the Colorado River Basin, and Front Range streams. Capture and handling of endangered fish including implantation of tags, including RFID (PIT) tags. Maintain and repair equipment. Support field and laboratory studies. Operate 4-wheel drive trucks and tow trailers. Identify early life stages of Colorado and Utah fishes, larval and juvenile fish otolith extraction, preparation, and aging. Assemble and maintain data using Excel spreadsheets and Access databases. Communicate with sponsors and other stakeholders, including the public.
Position Summary
A Fish Biology Technician position is available with the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. This position will assist supervisory scientists with field and laboratory investigations regarding conservation of native fishes in Colorado and management of invasive fishes.
Required Job Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science degree and 2 or more years of experience in fish biology, zoology, or related discipline.
- Two field seasons experience driving outboard-powered flat-bottomed boats, use of paddle rafts and canoes in the Green and Yampa rivers, and experience in sampling and identification of early life stage fishes of the upper Colorado River Basin and Front Range streams in the field and the laboratory.
- Candidates must possess a valid driver’s license by position start date.
- Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
Preferred Job Qualifications
Preferred knowledge and experience in the following areas:
1. Boat, electric seine, and backpack electrofishing;
2. Seine, trammel, fyke, drift, or gill netting in aquatic systems;
3. Experience or willingness to navigate water craft and work in large western rivers;
4. Willingness to participate in whitewater rafting and electrofishing;
5. Ability/willingness to operate 4-wheel drive trucks in off-road situations with trailers;
6. Willingness to travel extensively to camp and work for extended periods in remote desert locations;
7. Willingness to work at night and in inclement weather;
8. Ability to maintain/repair sampling gear;
9. Ability to record and maintain high-quality field and laboratory data;
10. Communicate sensitive conservation issues with the public during field work;
11. Identify Colorado fishes in the field and the laboratory (East and West Slope taxa, with special focus on Colorado River Basin), including adults, juveniles, and larvae, often using dissecting microscopes in the laboratory;
12. Remove, prepare, and age fishes using otoliths, often using dissecting and compound microscopes;
13. Data management using Excel and Access software;
14. Knowledge of river ecology, conservation, and fish management, including invasive species;
15. Ability to communicate research with sponsors, other stakeholders, and the public.
16. Able to lift/carry heavy (35 lb.) loads repeatedly throughout the workday.
17. Ability to maintain shared laboratory facilities, including cleaning, repair, and organization of supplies and equipment, proper use and disposal of hazardous chemicals, and general knowledge of laboratory safety.
18. Ability to work in teams to conduct work and solve problems.
1. Boat, electric seine, and backpack electrofishing;
2. Seine, trammel, fyke, drift, or gill netting in aquatic systems;
3. Experience or willingness to navigate water craft and work in large western rivers;
4. Willingness to participate in whitewater rafting and electrofishing;
5. Ability/willingness to operate 4-wheel drive trucks in off-road situations with trailers;
6. Willingness to travel extensively to camp and work for extended periods in remote desert locations;
7. Willingness to work at night and in inclement weather;
8. Ability to maintain/repair sampling gear;
9. Ability to record and maintain high-quality field and laboratory data;
10. Communicate sensitive conservation issues with the public during field work;
11. Identify Colorado fishes in the field and the laboratory (East and West Slope taxa, with special focus on Colorado River Basin), including adults, juveniles, and larvae, often using dissecting microscopes in the laboratory;
12. Remove, prepare, and age fishes using otoliths, often using dissecting and compound microscopes;
13. Data management using Excel and Access software;
14. Knowledge of river ecology, conservation, and fish management, including invasive species;
15. Ability to communicate research with sponsors, other stakeholders, and the public.
16. Able to lift/carry heavy (35 lb.) loads repeatedly throughout the workday.
17. Ability to maintain shared laboratory facilities, including cleaning, repair, and organization of supplies and equipment, proper use and disposal of hazardous chemicals, and general knowledge of laboratory safety.
18. Ability to work in teams to conduct work and solve problems.
Essential Duties
Job Duty Category
Field research
Duty/Responsibility
Effective use of sampling gear including watercraft and electrofishing, netting, and seining. Maintenance of PIT tag antennas, including battery changes and data downloads to portable computers. Fish identification, handling, tagging, necropsy, and measurement. Accurate data recording. Sample preservation in appropriate preservatives. Maintenance of equipment including nets, rafts, boats, tag detectors, and data collection devices. Collaboration with federal and state agency personnel. Communication with general public and private landowners as necessary. Experience with data collection in the field using various sampling gears and jet boats, rafts, and canoes. Information collected is provided to agencies for management of native and invasive fishes and to provide data for summary and publication in reports and peer-reviewed journal articles. Unsupervised operation of various field project tasks in remote areas, including independent and small team decision making. Frequent and extensive travel to field locations required.
Percentage Of Time
60
Job Duty Category
Laboratory research and data entry
Duty/Responsibility
Laboratory analysis of field-collected samples to identify various fish species. Sample processing, removing otoliths from small fish of
various species, mounting, and preparing otoliths for processing, and measuring otoliths to collect information about fish age. Field and lab data entry into spreadsheets and basic summary statistics of data. Written data summaries. Information is used to assess fish community changes over time, to evaluate effectiveness of flow and water temperature regimes in western rivers. Information is provided to agencies for management of native and invasive fishes.
Percentage Of Time
40
Application Details
Special Instructions to Applicants
CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.
References will not be contacted without prior notification to candidates. Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
References will not be contacted without prior notification to candidates. Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
Conditions of Employment
Pre-employment Criminal Background Check (required for new hires), Valid Driver’s License
Search Contact
Kevin Bestgen, kevin.bestgen@colostate.edu
EEO
Colorado State University (CSU) provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Background Check Policy Statement
Colorado State University strives to provide a safe study, work, and living environment for its faculty, staff, volunteers and students. To support this environment and comply with applicable laws and regulations, CSU conducts background checks for the finalist before a final offer. The type of background check conducted varies by position and can include, but is not limited to, criminal history, sex offender registry, motor vehicle history, financial history, and/or education verification. Background checks will also be conducted when required by law or contract and when, in the discretion of the University, it is reasonable and prudent to do so.
Salary : $38,000 - $45,000
