Fisheries Gear Specialist

FedWriters, Inc.•,

3d•Remote

About The Position

Join our team as a Gear Liaison supporting NOAA Fisheries' Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO), Protected Resources Division, under the ProTech Fisheries Domain. You will work with the commercial fishing industry and partner organizations to create and test gear modifications, participate in field studies, data analysis, and project evaluations, and provide dockside demonstrations and outreach on proper gear installation. In this role you will help mitigate sea turtle, marine mammal, and other protected species bycatch in Northwest Atlantic fisheries, ensuring effective gear solutions and timely, expert support to GARFO's protected species recovery efforts. FWI is expanding rapidly and has been recognized as a 2024 and 2025 Top Workplace by the Washington Post, offering excellent growth opportunities in a collaborative environment. Position is contingent upon contract award

Requirements

Requires at least 3 years of relevant experience.
A degree (bachelor’s or master’s) in an environmental science or associated discipline (e.g., biology, ecology, fisheries biology, marine biology, natural resource management, conservation biology, landscape ecology, or restoration ecology). A relevant degree may be substituted by two additional years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

Participate in field studies, data analysis, and evaluation of potential solutions on how to mitigate sea turtle and marine mammal bycatch in fishing gear.
Participate with the regional and science center gear team in projects directed at reducing large whale, sea turtle (trawl, gillnet, traps/pots), and other protected species bycatch in fixed gear (trap/pots and gillnets) fisheries in Northwest Atlantic waters.
Participate in field studies, data analysis, and evaluations of projects directed at mitigating sea turtle and other protected species bycatch in bottom trawl gear, such as evaluating Turtle Excluder Device (TED) testing as determined by GARFO, with input from the NEFSC and Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC).
Support compilation and evaluation of project results.
Provide regular outreach, including dockside demonstrations of appropriate gear installation.
Support Law Enforcement inspection and compliance monitoring.
Support entanglement gear analysis in collaboration with the Region and Center gear team, and support gear warehouse curation and record keeping.
Support Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction (ALWTR) Team meetings.
Provide monthly communications to the COR and NMFS Project Manager covering accomplishments, issues encountered, travel (purpose, significant outcomes, action items), and recommendations as applicable.