Here is what you will be doing, 

Fish Culture: 

• Calculate and feed fish according to pond populations and weight samples. Adjust feed size and amount fed as needed.
• Monitor fish behavior and health.
• Monitor egg and fish production and disinfect and enumerate eggs. 
• Administer therapeutics, calculate and administer drugs as prescribed.
• Identify, sort, and sample species for spawning and adult distribution.
• Clean ponds and raceways, troughs, and incubator systems to maintain fish health.
• Identify marked adults and collect tags/marks for biological sampling.
• Collect fish tissue and fluid samples for Fish Health Specialists without contaminating samples.
• Perform fish inventories, splits, grading, marking trailer inventories, weight samples and plants. 
• Pick eggs loss by hand or using equipment and incubates for facility programs or shipments
• Collect adult fish by hook and line, seining, and volunteer or non-volunteer fish trap
• Collect adult mortality and fill out correct head tags for brood stock and enter data into hatchery documents and fish books.
• Identify all targeted and non-targeted species, gender, stock origin and condition of maturity when trapping and spawning adults.
• Conduct remote trapping and spawning operations, including transport of equipment and gametes.

Operation and Maintenance of the Facility and Equipment: 

• Maintain proper water flow and rearing environments
• Perform standby which requires responding to alarms and taking appropriate action to preserve facility programs, tests alarms and reports failures to agency personnel. 
• Monitor and maintain facility support systems such as diesel generators, domestic and ozone water treatment plants, alarm panels and other support systems.

Record Keeping and Reporting:

• Accurately fills out and submits agency forms such as fish transfer tickets, hatchery invoice forms and other relevant forms.
• Assist or develops forms or spreadsheets for more efficient record keeping

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work Setting, including hazards:
  • Outdoor work in all weather conditions including extreme heat, freezing cold, rain, wind, and snow. 
  • Walk on rivers, through trees/brush for gill netting, seining, gaffing. 
  • Walk, climb, lift, and carry or move 50 pounds is frequent (bags of fish feed, bags of salt, hoses, and buckets of nets of fish).  
  • Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations. 
  • Office when the work requires it. Office work may include working under fluorescent light, repetitively entering data into computer, looking at computer monitor for long periods of time. 
• Schedule:
  • Typically, Monday – Friday, 8:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. 
  • The work hours can vary at different times of the year depending on the work schedule and weather conditions.   

• Standby: 
  1. This position requires standby, the employee is responsible for overseeing the facility for the remaining 16 hours of the day. While on standby this position will work ten (10) days and be off four (4).
• Housing 
  1. Housing is not provided. 

• Travel Requirements:
  • Travel may be required to accomplish agency goals. For example, frequently traveling to nearby facilities within the complex.  
• Tools and Equipment:
  • Power and hand tools, lawn care equipment, tractors, egg picking machines, water sampling instruments, transport trucks, passenger vehicles, adult fish pumps, adult fish counters, coded wire tag (CWT) identification equipment, trash pumps, pressure washers, diesel generators, small gas engine, computers and software.
• Customer Interactions:
  • Communicate effectively with the public and volunteers as well as interact with small community groups and individual constituents on a regular basis.

This Fish Hatchery Specialist 2 (In-Training) series provides mentoring and career development opportunities for candidates with limited hatchery and fish culture experience. 

Candidates will be hired as a Fish Hatchery Specialist 1 or 2, dependent on skills and experience.

Upon satisfactory completion of the 12-month in-training plan, the selected candidate will automatically be promoted to a Fish Hatchery Specialist 2.

Required Qualifications for the Fish Hatchery Specialist 1

• Three (3) years of experience performing a variety of fish culture duties in a hatchery will substitute for the required education.

                OR

• An Associate’s degree in fisheries technology, biology, or a closely allied field.

                OR

• Three (3) years of education towards a Bachelor’s degree in fisheries, biology or a closely allied field.

                OR

• Successful completion of a fish culture program from a vocational school.

Required Qualifications for the Fish Hatchery Specialist 2 (Goal Class):

• One (1) year of experience as a Fish Hatchery Specialist 1 AND successful completion of agency supervised training program.

  OR

• Associate’s degree in fisheries technology, biology or closely allied field AND one (1) year of experience performing fish culture duties in a hatchery.

 OR

• Two (2) years of education towards a Bachelor’s degree in fisheries, biology or closely allied field AND one (1) year of experience performing fish culture duties in a hatchery.

OR

• Successful completion of a fish culture program from a vocational school AND one (1) year of experience performing fish culture duties in a hatchery.

Please Note: Three (3) years of experience performing a variety of fish culture duties in a hatchery will substitute for the required education

Certifications/Licenses: 

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following: 

Please note: Failure to follow the instructions below may lead to disqualification.

Experience and education selected, listed, and detailed in the Supplemental Questions must be verifiable in the application.

In order to successfully apply for this position, you MUST complete your profile at www.careers.wa.gov and attach the following to your profile before completing the online application:

• A cover letter describing how you meet the qualifications of this position (Generic cover letter will not be accepted).
• A current resume. 
• Three professional references. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

All new employees must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 Form) on their first day of work. If hired for this or any position at WDFW, you will be required to provide documentation proving you are eligible to work in the United States. For a list of acceptable documents, please use the following link:  https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents

JOIN THE WDFW TEAM:

Learn about our agency and the perks of working for WDFW!

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has some of the most talented people in the natural resource field.  We celebrate and value diversity, appreciating that a workforce composed of those from different backgrounds and experiences creates an inclusive environment, strengthens positive relationships with the local community, and brings new perspectives and approaches to fulfilling the agency’s mission. We value demonstrated skill in living WDFW values of Accountability, Service, Professionalism, Integrity, Respect, and Empathy (ASPIRE).

WDFW employees may be eligible for the following: Benefits

Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave types. 

Eleven (11) Paid Holidays per year and one (1) personal holiday if the employee is scheduled to be, or has been, continuously employed by the State of Washington for at least four (4) months. 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA),  and an Employee Assistance Program.

UNION – WAFHP:

These positions are in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Association of Fish & Wildlife Hatchery Professionals and is subject to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the State of Washington, Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Washington Association of Fish Hatchery Professionals (WAFHP).

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer

VETERAN PREFERENCE NOTICE:

To take advantage of veteran preference, please do the following:

• Email a copy of your DD214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22 or USDVA signed verification of service letter to Elizabeth.Bullard@dfw.wa.gov.
• Subject line must include recruitment number, position, and Vet (for example: #10155 Biologist 1 – Veteran)
• Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov.

MILITARY SPOUSE PREFERENCE NOTICE: 

To take advantage of military spouse preference, please do the following:

• Notify us of your military spouse status by email at Elizabeth.Bullard@dfw.wa.gov.  
• Subject line must include recruitment number, position, and MS (for example: #10155 Biologist 1 – MS)
• Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov.

Note: Please blackout any PII (personally identifiable information) data such as social security numbers. 

As part of WDFW’s efforts to advance respectful and inclusive work environments, the Agency expects inclusivity as part of our professional interactions and communications.   Therefore, we want to ensure that all individuals feel welcome, are treated fairly and respectfully.  All staff are empowered to fully contribute to serving their work unit, Agency, and the citizens of Washington.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is an equal opportunity employer.  We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity.   Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, disabled and Vietnam era veterans and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.  

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format please contact Jayme Chase by phone 360-902-2278 or email Jayme.Chase@dfw.wa.gov, or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at 800-833-6388.

If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or support@neogov.com.

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