Fisheries Technician 2- White Sturgeon Monitoring

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission • West Sacramento, CA

3d

About The Position

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is seeking a self-motivated and high
performing Fisheries Technician 2 to assist with a fishery-independent White
Sturgeon population dynamics monitoring project. The position will be stationed
in West Sacramento, CA at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).

The individual will work with a PSMFC Fishery Biologist, CDFW Environmental
Scientist, and other PSMFC fisheries technicians to assist with the following
three primary project components:

1. Fishery-independent mark-recapture study using setline fishing.
2. Sonar surveys in the spawning reaches of the Sacramento and San Joaquin
Rivers.
3. Acoustic tagging of sturgeon handled during setline surveys.

The setline study's mark-recapture data are needed to estimate abundance metrics
(age-class abundance and relative abundance index) of White Sturgeon in the San
Francisco Estuary. These data will be used to inform management for White
Sturgeon, which became a candidate species for listing under the California
Endangered Species Act in June 2024.

Sonar surveys in the upper reaches of the Sacramento and San Joaquin River will
provide the data needed for estimating the number of spawning White Sturgeon
adults, which can be used as an additional abundance metric for informing
management controls in the recreational fishery. Additionally, information on
the reproductive portion of the population can be paired with juvenile abundance
indices from other data sources to establish spawner-recruitment relationships
over time.
Lastly, acoustic tagging will provide insight on behavior and movement patterns
in White Sturgeon as they migrate within the estuary and upriver for spawning
activities. In addition to acoustic tagging, we will identify sex, and gonadal
tissue samples will be taken for additional analysis.

The primary responsibilities of the position will be to assist with the daily
operations of each project component, including data collection and analysis,
deploying and retrieving fishing gear, maintenance and repair of gear, preparing
bait, data summaries (sturgeon tagged, sturgeon recaptured), and field notes of
importance to project supervisors (eg. repair/maintenance/purchasing needs,
difficulties in the field). In collaboration with the Lead Biologist, the
incumbent will contribute to drafting a yearly report summarizing project
activities.

This position will be expected to perform setline surveys, sonar surveys, and
tagging duties on various vessels at specific locations in the San Francisco
Estuary and Sacramento River, and these duties may occur during the weekends and
holidays. Fieldwork will be weather dependent and under a 4/10 schedule (four
10-hour days per week).

Requirements

• Initiative: identifies what needs to be done and take appropriate actions
• Communication: have the ability to make clear and concise oral and written communication to fishery scientists and to the general public
• Ethics and integrity: performs duties with professionalism, honesty, and earned respect of staff and other agency personnel
• Knowledge of fishery management practices that includes fish population dynamics, fish biology, and stream ecology
• Experience in various fish sampling methods
• Ability to compile and collect neat and accurate data
• Competency in computer applications and software used to store and/or analyze data
• Scientific writing skills
• Valid driver's license
• Lift 40-50 lbs.
• Repair and maintain equipment
• A range of experience and education may be presented.  At the lower end of the range, candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience OR one semester of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position.  An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.
• At the upper end of the range, candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience OR a year of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position. An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.
• Specialized Experience is experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position being filled.  To be creditable, Specialized Experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled.

Nice To Haves

• Fish identification skills, specifically knowledge of species residing in the San Francisco 1. Bay/Delta
• Previous experience handling and taking morphometric measurements of fish
• Experience collecting environmental data using water quality multiparameter sondes
• Experience deploying, maintaining, and repairing fisheries sampling gear
• Experience conducting simple analyses in R and GIS programs.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the daily operations of each project component, including data collection and analysis
• Deploying and retrieving fishing gear
• Maintenance and repair of gear
• Preparing bait
• Data summaries (sturgeon tagged, sturgeon recaptured)
• Field notes of importance to project supervisors (eg. repair/maintenance/purchasing needs, difficulties in the field)
• Contribute to drafting a yearly report summarizing project activities
• Perform setline surveys, sonar surveys, and tagging duties on various vessels at specific locations in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento River

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed