BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE TECHNICIAN (FISH).

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Vernal (UT); On-site; USD 45,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) seeks a entry-level hatchery technician to support propagation programs at the full performance level. You will assist in hatchery operations, collect data, and help maintain facilities and equipment.

Responsibilities include feeding, observing fish behavior, recording data, and assisting with health assessments across hatchery systems under supervision.

Qualifications

• 4-year course of study above high school or a bachelor's degree with related science coursework.
• Experience with recording biological data and water quality measurements.
• Ability to assist with fish care, gamete collection and egg incubation.

Responsibilities

• Assist hatchery operations: feeding, tank cleaning and water quality checks.
• Record biological data to support hatchery decisions and health monitoring.
• Operate and maintain hatchery equipment and facilities.
• Support disease detection and treatment under supervision.
• Prepare preliminary data summaries for biological review.

Skills

Recording instrument readings

Daily feeding & tank cleaning

Water quality measurements

Fish handling and egg incubation

Education

Bachelor's degree or 24 semester hours in biology/chemistry/statistics/aquaculture

Tools

Hatchery equipment

Job description

Duties

At the full performance level (GS-07) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Assists in hatchery fish culture operations, including breeding, rearing, feeding, cleaning, caring for fertilized eggs, and observing fish behavior to support propagation programs.
• Collects and records biological and environmental data (hard copy and digital) related to hatchery populations, fish health, husbandry efficiency, and water quality.
• Operates and maintains aquaculture equipment, such as gates, pumps, valves, filters, alarms, and other support systems essential for maintaining optimal fish health.
• Assists with fish disease detection and treatment, including administering treatments as directed and supporting fish health assessments across hatchery systems.
• Participates in data collection and project activities to support fish propagation studies, including coordinating timelines, calibrating equipment, and providing preliminary data summaries for biological review.
• Conducts routine facility, equipment, and grounds maintenance, including minor repairs using hand tools or power equipment and performing general upkeep of hatchery structures and systems.
• Prepares and organizes data for reports, using automated databases and basic statistical methods to support biologists in analyzing fish health, propagation methods, and environmental conditions.

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

You must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• 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
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with the uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This Probationary 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;
• 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 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-08/12/2026 or the date that the "applicant cut-off" is reached (which may be sooner than -09/02/2026 ).

To receive credit for experience, 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. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

GS-05

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-05, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-04 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• 1. Recording instrument readings
• 2. Assisting with daily feeding, tank cleaning and basic water quality measurements (such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and similar parameters.)
• 3. Assisting with fish handling, gamete collection and egg incubation of multiple strains of fish to support station and Service priorities.
• 4. Accurately recording biological fish data to support hatchery operations, fish health monitoring, and management decisions.

-OR-

Education

4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture, or mathematics. At least 6-semester hours of coursework must be directly related to the position being filled.

-OR-

Combination of Education and Experience

A combination of education and experience as described above which together equals 100% of the requirement; including at least 6-semester hours of coursework directly related to the position being filled, such as fishery biology, ichthyology, limnology, aquaculture, etc. (Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours may be used in this calculation).

GS-06

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-06, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typicall related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• 1. Assisting with daily feeding, tank cleaning and basic water quality measurements (such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and similar parameters.)
• 2. Assisting with fish handling, gamete collection and egg incubation of multiple strains of fish to support station and Service priorities.
• 3. Accurately recording biological fish data to support hatchery operations, fish health monitoring, and management decisions.
• 4. Performing routine hatchery operations and facility maintenance required for safe and efficient operation, including operation of hatchery water systems, pumps, valves, feeders, alarms and other equipment as well as hand tools and power equipment to maintain buildings and grounds.

-OR-

Education

One-half year of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position (e.g., major study in fish biology, aquaculture or fish culture, limnology, ichthyology, etc.) One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 9 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the one-half year of full-time study requirement.

-OR-

Combination of Education and Experience

A combination of education and experience as described above which together equals 100% of the requirement. To combine education and experience, first take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a directly related graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours (or equivalent). Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

GS-07

Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-07, you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service, or comparable experience not gained through Federal service. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience:

• 1. Independently feeding, tank cleaning and basic water quality measurements (such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and similar parameters.)
• 2. Independently conducting fish handling, gamete collection, and egg incubation of multiple strains of fish to support station and Service priorities.
• 3. Accurately recording biological fish data to support hatchery operations, fish health monitoring, and management decisions.
• 4. Performing routine hatchery operations and facility maintenance required for safe and efficient operation, including operation of hatchery water systems, pumps, valves, feeders, alarms and other equipment as well as hand tools and power equipment to maintain buildings and grounds.
• 5. Experience with the use and troubleshooting of fish culture equipment including water quality meters, nets, seines, tagging equipment and ultrasound.

If qualifying on experience for the GS-07 grade level, you MUST meet all of the Specialized Experience statements listed above.

-OR-

Education

One full year of graduate-level education that is directly related to the work of the position (e.g., major study in fish biology, aquaculture or fish culture, limnology, ichthyology, etc.) One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the one year of full-time study requirement.

-OR-

Combination of Education and Experience

A combination of education and experience as described above which together equals 100% of the requirement. To combine education and experience, take the number of semester hours (or equivalent) earned towards a directly related graduate degree and divide by 18 semester hours (or equivalent). Then take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.

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. Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | U.S. Department of Education.

Additional information

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

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