Biological Science Technician (Fish).

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Klamath Falls (OR); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) seeks a fisheries support position to assist hatchery staff in daily fish care and to help with field collections and net-pen monitoring. You will also stock fish for repatriation and contribute to data records for QA/QC.

The role involves some evening/weekend work and adherence to uniform guidelines. Qualified applicants will have experience in hatchery environments, water quality checks, and fish handling; education in fish biology or related fields is

Qualifications

• Experience at a fish hatchery performing routine husbandry tasks such as feeding, cleaning tanks, water quality checks.
• Experience with tagging, transporting juvenile and adult fish, and maintaining hatchery data records.
• Progressive higher-level education related to fish biology, aquaculture, limnology, ichthyology, etc., is acceptable in lieu of experience.

Responsibilities

• Assist hatchery crew with daily care of Lost River and Shortnose Sucker in aquaculture facilities.
• Support field work including collecting wild larvae and monitoring lake net-pen growth.
• Stock fish for repatriation efforts.

Skills

Water quality

Fish handling

Data QA/QC

Field collection

Education

Graduate education in related field

Tools

Lab equipment

Job description

Duties

• Assist the hatchery crew in providing daily care to endangered Lost River and Shortnose Sucker in an aquaculture facility.
• Assist with field work that includes collection of wild larvae and monitoring of fish grow out in lake net-pen operations.
• Stock fish for repatriation.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• May be required to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary or two-year trial period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement - 08/18/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Competitive candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements as defined in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

To qualify for this position at the GS-06 grade level

Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

(1) performing work at a fish hatchery checking water quality, feeding fish, cleaning tanks, and treating fish diseases; (2) handling, tagging, and transporting juvenile and adult fish; (3) performing maintenance to equipment, facility infrastructure, and mowing and trimming facility grounds; and (4) entering, organizing, and performing QA/QC on hatchery data. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

Education: Successful completion of at least one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position (e.g., major study of fish biology, aquaculture or fish culture, limnology, ichthyology, etc.). You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Combination of education (directly related to the position) and experience as listed above that totals 100% of the requirement. You must include hours per week on your resume and transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level

Experience: To qualify, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

(1) performing work at a fish hatchery checking water quality, feeding fish, cleaning tanks, and identifying fish pathogens, calculating dosages, and treating fish diseases; (2) leading pond harvest efforts, running fish tagging stations, and independently transporting juvenile and adult fish; (3) leading maintenance efforts to care for hatchery fleet, gear, grounds, and specialized water quality and laboratory equipment, including record keeping and maintaining adequate inventories of needed supplies on hand for staff use; (4) using specialized computer applications to enter, organize, and perform preliminary analysis of data from studies; and (5) assisting biologists and managers draft sections of progress reports, technical reports, briefing papers, and presentations to communicate scientific information. You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

Education: Successful completion of at least one full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position (e.g., major study of fish biology, aquaculture or fish culture, limnology, ichthyology, etc.). You must include transcripts.

-OR-

Combination of education (directly related to the position) and experience as listed above that totals 100% of the requirement. You must include hours per week on your resume and transcripts.

Volunteer Experience

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

You must submit a copy of your transcript(s) to support claimed education if substituting education for experience. Transcripts must include your name, school name, grades, credit hours earned, major(s), grade point average or class ranking, and date the degree was conferred, if applicable. A typed list of courses, grades, semester/quarter hours, GPA, etc. will not be accepted. Non-submission may result in being rated not qualified for the position. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

Foreign Education

To receive credit for education completed outside the United States, you must show proof that the education has been submitted to a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education has been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education programs. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Promotion to the full performance level

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests

If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here,

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.