Salmonid Trap Technician - Scientific Technician 2 - Non-Permanent - 2026-05411

State of Washington•Columbia County – Other, WA

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data relevant to multiple ESA-listed steelhead and fall Chinook populations. The candidate will assist the Touchet River Steelhead VSP project, Fall Chinook Program, and the Tucannon River Endemic Steelhead Evaluation Project. This role involves a combination of office and field duties, including in-stream adult traps and weirs, juvenile rotating screw traps, Lyons Ferry Hatchery, stream surveys, and the Lower Granite Adult fish trap. The position requires daily travel to various locations in Southeast Washington.

Requirements

Graduation from high school or GED, including one year of high school science.
Two (2) years of professional or volunteer experience as a Scientific Technician OR two (2) years of professional or volunteer laboratory or field experience as an assistant to a biologist, chemist, or zoologist.
College course work involving major study in biology, zoology, fisheries, chemistry, natural sciences, or closely allied field will substitute year-for-year for experience, provided the course work includes at least six (6) semester or nine (9) quarter hours of natural science classes.
Valid driver’s license.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated proficiency in the safe handling and anesthetization of adult and juvenile life forms of ESA listed salmonids.
Experience in the identification of juvenile and adult salmonids and other fish species of southeast Washington and the Lower Snake River basin.
Basic biological understanding of salmonid species in Pacific Northwest.
Clear communication skills.
Proficiency in computer skills, related to data entry/manipulations/word processing/Microsoft Office.
Experience with multiple types of fish weirs and rotary screw traps.
Experience with P4 and Microsoft Access for recording and managing data.
Experience PIT tagging adult and juvenile steelhead and other salmonids.
Basic construction abilities.
Experience with spawning ground surveys.
Ability to think critically when encountering problems in the field.
Able to maintain calm demeanor when interaction with WDFW staff, the public, personnel from other state, federal, and tribal agencies, and local landowners.
Swiftwater Safety training, CPR/AED/First Aid Training.

Responsibilities

Adult and juvenile salmonid weir/trap construction, installation, daily maintenance, and data collection.
Conduct daily adult and juvenile trap checks.
Assist with trap repair, construction, instream installation, and weir/trap removal.
Collect, record, and ensure accurate physical and biological data and field observations.
Make trap operation decisions based on environmental conditions.
Safe handling and anesthetization of adult and juvenile ESA listed salmonids and other fish species.
PIT tagging adult and juvenile salmonids.
Prep and maintain field gear for daily use.
Assist with the Fall Chinook Program at the Snake River Lab.
Participate in weekly spawning activities at Lyons Ferry Hatchery during fall chinook spawning.
Conduct Spawning Ground/carcass fall chinook surveys in Lower Tucannon River.
Perform Fish ID and biological data collection at Lower Granite Dam fish trap.
Perform QA/QC of data, reconciliation, and summarization of data.
Assist with picking eggs, CWT retrieval and reading, scale and otolith sampling.
Cooperate and maintain professional demeanor with other agencies at the adult trap.
Assist with spawning ground surveys for spring chinook or summer steelhead.
Perform Hook and line sampling of residual hatchery steelhead.
Data entry on multiple platforms.
Format and upload/download of PIT Tag data to regional databases.
Assist colleagues within Fish Science, Fish Management, and Hatcheries Division as assigned.
Assist with mass PIT tagging activities at Lyons Ferry Hatchery as needed.