Fisheries Technician (Full Time Seasonal)

Team: DENR Salary range: $20.00-$26.00 per hour

Reports to: Natural Resources Coordinator Schedule: Seasonal, Full-Time,

Salary Status: Non-Exempt from Overtime

Responsibilities/Duties

• Work safely and effectively in a group, and independently.

• Collect reliable and accurate scientific data following established protocols.

• Safely navigate vessels on the Copper River from camp to sampling sites daily.

• Live and work at a remote Alaskan field camp continuously for up to three months.

• Identify repairs and help maintain an operational remote field site including building

• Operate research fishwheels or a fish trap for capturing and tagging adult salmon.

• Successfully identify adult pacific salmonids to species level at any point in their

• Daily sampling activities will include the following: apply PIT tags and collect biometrics on

content, and genetic samples on Sockeye salmon and/or; enumerate salmon passage and

collect biometrics at a weir.

• Assist with Tribal Youth education and Tribal Elder field site visits.

• Logistical support, including helicopter sling loading, purchasing supplies, assessing, and

participating in safety briefings, assisting in camp mobilization/demobilization, camp

operation, and maintenance. Adhere to remote communication protocols.

• Other duties as developed and assigned.
  

Competencies/Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

The incumbent must have the following knowledge, skills and abilities; the ability to take

direction from supervisors and work in a team environment; the ability to live and work

harmoniously with a small group of peers in a tobacco/drug/alcohol-free environment for the

duration of the field assignment; ability to work well in a remote environment with minimal

privacy and limited communication resources; ability to work for long hours, outdoors, on

difficult terrain and inclement weather; proficiency in carrying firearms as a wildlife deterrent;

knowledge and skills to operate a variety of power boats with a high level of competence, swift

water boating experience is preferred; ability to safely operate boats single-handed or fully laden

with personnel, gear, and/or equipment; ability to maintain boats, tools and equipment; ability to

troubleshoot, diagnose and repair mechanical and electrical equipment including outboard

motors, generators, computers, alternative energy systems, appliances, etc. You must have a

working knowledge of power tools and hand tools’ operation. Experience in carpentry,

construction, forestry, or farm labor is preferred. Must have a working knowledge of The

Scientific Method, emphasizing techniques for biological research and analysis; strong data

collection skills; and verbal communication skills, including experience with data quality control

procedures. Strong computer literacy, including working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel,

PowerPoint, GIS, internet browsing, and email applications. Must be physically able to work

long hours outdoors, with strength, endurance, and patience to continually lift and carry heavy

objects over uneven terrain routinely.

Experience Requirement

Three months’ experience with remote field research, sampling, and data collection. Must have

boat operation experience. Minimum of two years (seasonal or full-time) working in the

biological sciences.

Preferred

Three months or more working at remote Alaskan field sites, building, maintaining, and

operating fish wheels, working a fish weir, using sonar to enumerate fish, safely capturing and

handling large adult fish, fish tagging, collecting biometric data and collecting specimens,

aquatic invertebrate sampling; Experience with fisheries/wildlife research, including trapping

and handling of large fish, mammals and birds, collecting specimens, telemetry, and identifying

Alaskan mammals and birds; Professional experience working in remote locations in the Alaskan

outdoors; Experience working with Alaskan Tribes, and knowledge of subsistence resources.

Education Requirement

BS or BA in a scientific field, OR college student with a declared major in a science-related field

and a minimum of 2 years completed coursework. Relevant experience may be taken in lieu of

education.

Performance Standard

The work is performed outdoors but some office work may be required. The position may

require a considerable amount of physical activity while conducting fieldwork, including;

continually lifting, handling and releasing Chinook salmon up to 70 lbs., hiking and climbing

over difficult terrain, sparing and adjusting fishwheel locations, wading over rocky substrate

while carrying gear. The employee will be required to stay for extended periods of time in

remote camps (up to 3 months). The position requires that applicants are in sufficient condition

to perform physically demanding tasks. Using hand, eye and muscle coordination to safely

operate boats, power and hand tools is required.

Environmental Factors

The majority of work will be completed out of doors. Possibility of remote/cold water survival

situations. Work will include exposure to severe weather (heat, cold and wet), hazards associated

with power tools, hazards associated with traps to collect fish, and working in areas containing

large predators. Work will be conducted in remote settings, on technical rivers, marine habitats,

rainforests, snowpack, near frozen rivers and lakes, wetlands, and in office settings. This position

entails risks of injury from using power tools and operating small boats on swift water as well as

normal risks of physical labor done in the outdoors.

Disclaimer

Nothing in this job description restricts NVE’s right to assign or reassign duties and

responsibilities to this job at any time. By signing below, I acknowledge receipt of this job

description and that my supervisor has discussed it with me.