Individual Placement - Fish Biotechnician at Lower Granite Dam

Student Conservation Association

5h•Onsite

About The Position

Lower Granite Dam is the furthest upstream hydropower and navigation dam with fish passage capabilities and is located on the Snake River, in eastern Washington. The project is responsible for safe downstream and upstream migration of juvenile and adult salmonids, transportation of juvenile salmonids downstream from the project by barges and trucks past 7 dams to near estuary release sites on the Columbia River downstream of Bonneville dam. Our facility operates a Juvenile Bypass System (JBS) to safely bypass fish around the dam and either transport or release them back to the river. Participants would be trained on operational aspects of the JBS, the juvenile fish separator, loading fish into raceways and barges, operating fish crowders, collecting and utilizing fish loading density data, routine maintenance, completion of standard forms, performing piscivorous bird surveys, etc. as part of a team that operates and maintains the facility. The Juvenile Fish Facility (JFF) operates 24 hours/day, 7 days/week from mid March through November 1 seasonally. All work is directly related to ensuring compliance with the Biological Opinion and Fish Passage Plan, ensuring the safe passage and survival of many threatened and endangered species protected under the Endangered Species Act. A variety of tasks will be performed and participants will gain understanding and experience of this complex system, data collection, fish identification, JFF operation, transport barge operations, separator operations, facility maintenance, and daily reporting and logbook entries.

Requirements

Ability to operate government vehicles
Lift 40 lbs.
Ability to walk, climb stairs and ladders, perform physical work
Provide for housing
Provision to get to and from work (personal vehicle)
Ability to receive and retain Common Access Card
Experience using computers/computer programs

Nice To Haves

Fish identification
Interest in fisheries programs
BS degree in biological field or related college coursework
Good communication skills

Responsibilities

Operation of juvenile fish separator, counters and sample system
Collecting and recording data related to fish passage and loading density calculations
Monitoring and removal of debris and adult fish from separator
Daily, weekly, and recurring facility inspections
Operation of fish crowder: Operation of fish counting and sampling system
Assisting with loading raceways, transport barges, and trucks