Fisheries Technician 2 - White Sturgeon Monitoring

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission•West Sacramento, CA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is seeking a self-motivated and high performing Fisheries Technician 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 three primary project components: Fishery-independent mark-recapture study using setline fishing, Sonar surveys in the spawning reaches of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, and 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.

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
Knowledge of fishery biology (including knowledge of particular species of fish).
Knowledge of fish husbandry.
Knowledge of aquatic habitats.
Knowledge of the scientific method.
Knowledge of sampling protocols.
Knowledge of personal computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, publishing software, presentation software, database software, topographic software, bibliographic software, and statistical analysis packages.
Knowledge of technical writing protocols.
Knowledge of basic math.
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.
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.

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), and field notes of importance to project supervisors (e.g., repair/maintenance/purchasing needs, difficulties in the field).
Contribute to drafting a yearly report summarizing project activities in collaboration with the Lead Biologist.
Perform setline surveys, sonar surveys, and tagging duties on various vessels at specific locations in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento River.
Lead and participate in survey crews that conduct fishery presence/absence research, recreational/commercial fishing surveys, anadromous fish escapement surveys (carcass, redd, trap/weir, snorkel, etc.), or tag detection and mark recovery surveys.
Make standardized observations such as species identification, length, weight, behavior, growth, survival, reproductive condition, fin clips or tags, and/or signs of parasites, diseases or pathogens.
Lead and participate in crews engaged in captive fish rearing activities including spawning, incubating, feeding, sampling, sorting, handling, medicating, anesthetizing, and transporting fish.
Monitor the status of facility systems and equipment, fabricate, construct, and maintain systems.
Gather research data and organize information from fish samples or experimental projects.
Lead crew in regular facility inspections including, for example, dewatering equipment, pumps, flumes, gates, tanks, screens, filters, gatewells, and/or tag interrogation equipment.
Monitor and maintain water quality levels.
Record findings and adjustments made.
Provide input for facility improvements.
Respond appropriately and immediately to emergencies.
Lead crew in watershed and stream assessments and habitat surveys.
Develop and install components of naturalistic environments.
Assist with analysis of the behavior of different species in simulated environments.
Videotape, photograph, and record data for characteristics such as growth, health, fitness, social activity, reproductive success, foraging success, and anti-predator behavior.
Update database by entering, checking, and/or editing biological or habitat data that has been inputted on field forms, electronic data loggers, and/or desktop computers.
Maintain, organize and provide access to databases.
Write memoranda and short reports for transfer of data.
Produce summaries including corrections.
Produce presentation quality tables and graphs of data.
Assist pathologists with routine diagnoses of fish mortalities including necropsy and sampling for pathogens.
Perform precision ageing of two to four different species of fish in a laboratory setting.
Record age and growth data in the appropriate format; summarize and input data.
Collect and organize biological samples and collections.
Document ageing problems, techniques and results in annual production ageing reports.
Assist with preliminary data summaries and analyses, or technical report writing.