Job: Sport Fishery & Stream Survey Technician, Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (Pasco, WA) |

Salary– $2,957.00 – $3,821.00 Monthly

Field Data Collection – Sport Fishery Surveys:

Collect detailed information from anglers participating in salmon/steelhead sport fisheries during on-site interviews at area boat launches and shoreline fishing access areas.
Determine efforts through boat trailer index counts and interviews.
Identify harvest to species and collect biological information from the harvest including number, length, gender, fin clips, coded wire tags, and collect scales for aging.

Field Data Collection – Stream Surveys:

Collect post spawn salmon carcasses in-river by boat and along shorelines within the WDFW District 4 waters of the Columbia and Yakima Rivers.
Perform sampling protocols that follow sport fishery methods with the addition of otolith collection (aging and origin) and spawn success (egg retention).
Females will be dissected to determine spawn success – all carcasses will be cut in half post sampling to avoid duplicate sampling.
Responsible for ensuring all biological samples are collected following field sampling protocols defined by their supervisor(s).
Scan all Salmon for the presence of coded wire tags.
Fish with a code wire tag present will be sampled following standard protocols and the snout will be removed and transported to the WDFW District office for processing.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work Setting, including hazards:
1. Work is primarily conducted in the field, outdoors, during all-weather conditions, it includes hiking over rough/slippery terrain, potential encounters with dangerous wildlife including rattlesnakes, working in primitive locations, and working with chemicals for biological sampling (ethanol) and vehicle operations (gasoline & oil).
2. Field work requires traveling to multiple public access sites/remote locations and includes working on-river in the Hanford Reach area of the Columbia River and the lower 30 miles of the Yakima River.
Schedule:
1. Fulltime and may occasionally require work over 40 hours per week.
2. Scheduled days and hours of work will vary and will require work on all weekends.
Travel Requirements:
1. Routine travel to public and primitive access sites along the Columbia River and lower Yakima River.
2. State vehicle will be provided – stream surveys will require travel and routinely working from boats in the Columbia River.
Tools and Equipment:
1. Vehicle, boats, knives, sampling and data recording supplies, CWT (Coded Wire Tag) wand, life jacket, rain gear, gloves, waders, and a mask.
Customer Interactions:
1. Position will require strong communication skills with daily interactions with anglers and the public during creel surveys.
2. Technician will be collecting angler information on fishing times, locations, catch, and harvest in addition to biologically sampling all fish from each boat/angler.

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

AND

Two (2) years of laboratory or field experience as an assistant to a biologist, chemist, or zoologist.

AND

MES Weekly