For more information, please follow this link: https://www.conservationjobboard.com/job-listing-fisheries-technician-1—cowlitz-falls-fish-facility-randle-washington/2064795171?utm_source=ongage&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=regular

Salary– $17.00/hr

Position/Project Specifics:

Staffing of the Cowlitz Falls Fish Facility from July 1, 2022 through September, 2022. This is a dayshift position typically working a 12-hour/4-day schedule, followed by 4-days off. Since this is a rotatingschedule, this position will require working some weekends and holidays, and provide fill-in flexibility forother shifts at the facility, if needed.
Offers of employment with PSMFC are contingent upon candidates being fully vaccinated from COVID-19 (unless eligible for exemption under a reasonable accommodation).

Duties:

The Cowlitz Falls Fish Facility is a key component of the program to re-establish anadromouspopulations of spring Chinook, Coho and Steelhead in the upper Cowlitz river watershed. Smolts collected atthe facility are transported to the lower Cowlitz River and released to continue their oceanward migration.Most work will take place at the fish facility and is part of a cooperative project with Pacific States MarineFisheries Commission (PSMFC), who employs the incumbents and Tacoma Power, who supervises theemployees. Incumbents must be able to work days, nights and/or weekends, in inclement weather, exposedto noise, water and heights (in and outside of the facility) and must follow all safety rules. Incumbents willconduct repeated facility inspections to monitor and adjust facility operations to optimize fish collection andhealth, collect and remove debris, maintain and construct sampling equipment, help sample and mark fish,record and enter data, follow directions and established protocols.

The candidate should be skilled in accurate, legible, reliable data recording, and have the physical agility tonegotiate steps, ladders and walkways in confined spaces in and around facility. The candidate should alsohave the ability to communicate clearly, the ability to work alone and to work well with others as a teammember.
Also helpful are skills in identifying juvenile salmonids, the knowledge of juvenile salmonid life history, knowsalmonids response to anesthetics and stress and have computer skills (Windows, Microsoft Word/Excel).

Essential Functions:
(The functions listed below are characteristic of the type and level of work associatedwith this group and pay band. They are not all-inclusive. Individual positions may perform some or all, aswell as other similar work.)

  • Make regular facility inspections including, for example, dewatering equipment, pumps, flumes, gates,tanks, screens, filters, gatewells, and/or tag interrogation equipment. Monitor and maintain waterquality levels.
  • Record findings and adjustments made. Respond appropriately and immediately toemergencies.
  • Participate in fish sampling, marking, transportation, and collection efficiency studies.
  • Collect and organize biological data (such as lengths, weight, scales, etc.).
  • Summarize and input biological or facility data on field forms, electronic data loggers, and/or desktopcomputers. May assist with preliminary data summaries and protocol development.

Knowledge Required by the Position:

  • At the lower end of the range, employees use knowledge of basic arithmetic, reading, writing, and datacollection to perform routine or repetitive tasks.
  • At the upper end of the position range, employees use knowledge of the basic principles and protocols offish biology to make readings, measurements, and observations; execute tests; collect samples, etc.
  • If complex equipment systems are operated, the employee has the knowledge to perform calibrations oradjustments to achieve desired results.

Additional Mandatory Skills:

  • mark fish
  • valid driver’s license
  • lift 40-50 lbs.
  • repair & maintain facility and equipment

Additional Desirable Skills:

  • trap/weir
  • electronic detection technol.
  • fish species ID skills
  • compile and collect neat and accurate data
  • oral communication skills
  • written communication skills

Physical Demands:
Demands can range from moderate –where there is walking, climbing stairs and ladders, reaching, lifting,bending, and strenuous sweeping– to rigorous. In the latter case, the incumbent must be able to handlebuckets of water or gear weighing up to 50 pounds.

Work Environment:
A portion of the work is performed in an office setting with adequate lighting, heating and ventilation. Themajority is performed inside and outside of the fish passage facility. Incumbents may work on narrow,elevated walkways and platforms that are over or adjacent to water.

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

  • A range of experience and education may be presented. At the lower end of the range, candidates mustpresent six months of General Experience* OR one year of education above the high school level thatincluded at least six semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses. An equivalentcombination of experience and education is also qualifying.
  • At the upper end of the range, candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience** OR a 4-yearcourse of study above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree with a major or at least 24 semester hoursof coursework in any combination of scientific or technical courses. An equivalent combination ofexperience and education is also qualifying.

*General Experience is (1) any type of work that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to perform the work ofthe position or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with biological sciences or the processes of thebiological sciences.

**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 beingfilled.