Fisheries Technician 1- Central Valley Steelhead Monitoring

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission•West Sacramento, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is recruiting candidates to fill six (6) Fisheries Technician positions for the Central Valley Steelhead Monitoring Program (CVSMP) based in West Sacramento, CA. This is a temporary position with an anticipated start date of July 6, 2026, and end date of December 4, 2026. Under direct supervision of Lead Biologists/Crew Leaders, the Fisheries Technician will assist with daily field data collection and office/lab activities. Fisheries Technicians will collect scientific information to examine the distribution, abundance, and population trends of Central Valley (CV) steelhead trout in the Sacramento River watershed using large-wire fyke traps on the main-stem Sacramento River. The position requires working on 25ft long motorized watercraft. The candidate must be willing to work in inclement weather and on weekends.

Requirements

Six months of General Experience OR one year of education above the high school level that included at least six semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses.
Mark fish
Electronic detection technology
Able to swim
Lift 40 - 50 lbs.
Load boats on trailers
Tow & maneuver trailers
Valid driver's license
Operate motorized boats
Operate non-motorized boats
Operate GPS
Fish species ID skills
Operate handheld data recorder
Compile and collect neat and accurate data
Specific software skills (spreadsheet, word processing, database, GIS, statistical)
Oral communication skills
Written communication skills
Repair & maintain equipment
One year of Specialized Experience OR a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with a major or at least 24 semester hours of coursework in any combination of scientific or technical courses.

Nice To Haves

Motorboat operation and trailering experience.
Adult salmonid trapping and handling experience.
Technical skills such as equipment repair and electrical work.
PIT, Floy, and acoustic tagging experience.
Ability to identify native and non-native fish species in the Sacramento watershed.
Experience mounting, digitizing, and aging scale samples.

Responsibilities

Operate and maintain large wire fyke traps.
Operate and maintain motorized watercraft and 4wd vehicles.
Handle, anesthetize, tag, and collect biological samples from adult steelhead trout.
Assist with installation, operation, and maintenance of PIT tag antenna arrays and acoustic receivers.
Assist with data entry and QA/QC of all data.
Candidate must be willing and able to work long hours on motorized watercraft, on rough/uneven terrain, and in adverse weather conditions.
Participate in survey crews that conduct regional 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, and/or signs of parasites, diseases or pathogens, fin clips or tags.
Collect and organize biological and habitat samples and collections (such as scales, otoliths, ageing structures, other tissues, water quality, etc.).
Summarize and input biological or habitat data on field forms, electronic data loggers, and/or desktop computers.
May assist with preliminary data summaries and analyses, technical report writing, or database management.