Spawning Ground Surveyor & Trap Technician - Scientific Technician 2-Non-Perm-7 Openings -2026-05207

State of Washington•Lewis County – Other, WA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

This recruitment is for Scientific Technician 2 positions within the Fish Program, specifically in Region 5 with multiple locations in Lewis County, Washington. There are seven (7) full-time, non-permanent openings. The anticipated appointment length varies from 4 to 7 months. These positions involve a variety of duties related to fish monitoring and data collection. Typical duties include installing, operating, maintaining, and removing fish monitoring equipment such as weirs and traps, conducting electrofishing, capturing, identifying, counting, handling, tagging/marking, and transporting salmonids. Data collection involves working in rivers by snorkeling, deploying and maintaining sampling equipment, and entering data into spreadsheets and databases. Some positions may involve creel surveys by interviewing anglers and conducting spawning ground and carcass surveys on rivers and tributaries. Broodstock collection and biological sampling at hatchery facilities are also potential duties. The work environment is approximately 90% fieldwork, often in inclement weather with wet, slippery footing. Fieldwork may involve walking up to six miles per day along streams, climbing steep banks, lifting and carrying heavy fish carcasses (up to 30 lbs), and working in or near water. The schedule can be 24/7 non-scheduled or Monday-Friday, 40 hours per week, depending on the specific position. Daily travel to field locations is required, with little to no overnight travel. Tools and equipment used include hand tools, carpentry tools, gaffs, machetes, winches, pulleys, 4x4 vehicles, boats, motors, GPS units, and data loggers. Interaction with the public, other agency personnel, and landowners is expected.

Requirements

Graduation from high school or GED including one (1) year of high school science and two (2) years of experience as a Scientific Technician 1.
Graduation from high school or GED including one (1) year of high school science and two (2) years of laboratory or field experience as an assistant to a biologist, chemist, or zoologist.
Professional and volunteer experience involving biology, zoology, fisheries, chemistry, natural resources, engineering, or closely allied fields may substitute, year for year, for experience.
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

Experience, knowledge or ability in identifying salmonids, both adult and juvenile forms.
Experience, knowledge or ability in identifying salmonid redds.
Experience, knowledge or ability in fish marking/tagging techniques and protocols.
Experience, knowledge or ability in fishery monitoring and sampling.
Basic functions in Microsoft Excel and Access.
Coded wire tag (CWT) and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag detector operation.
Operating handheld GPS and data logger devices.

Responsibilities

Install, operate, maintain, and remove adult fish monitoring weirs, traps, and associated equipment, including conducting electrofishing operations.
Capture, identify, count, handle, tag/mark, and transport live and deceased adult and juvenile salmonids.
Collect biological data from live adult fish and fish carcasses.
Collect data in rivers by snorkeling to identify, count and collect fish, as well as deploy, inspect, and maintain field sampling equipment.
Enter and manage biological data using established spreadsheets and databases at field stations and remote field locations.
Conduct creel surveys by interviewing boat and shore anglers on the lower Cowlitz River.
Perform adult salmonid spawning ground and carcass surveys on the lower Cowlitz River and its tributaries and the Toutle and Green Rivers and their tributaries.
Use GPS equipment to mark redd locations.
Collect broodstock for established enhancement and hatchery programs.
Conduct biological sampling and data collection of broodstock at hatchery facilities.