Fish Biologist

U.S.-Fish-; Town of Iron River (WI); On-site; USD 75,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Iron River National Fish Hatchery in Iron River, WI invites applications for a Fish Biologist (Assistant Project Leader). The role spans hatchery operations, fish propagation, and program coordination within a federal framework.

The candidate will engage in planning, monitoring and reporting activities, ensuring fish health and stock management across seasonal cycles and labor demands.

Qualifications

• Degree in biological science with aquatic subjects and animal sciences; transcripts required.
• Combination of education and experience accepted with required coursework and transcripts.
• GS-11 requires at least one year of specialized experience at the GS-09 level.
• GS-12 requires specialized experience at the GS-11 level.

Responsibilities

• Carry out daily hatchery production operations.
• Propagate cold, cool and warm water aquatic species.
• Assist in program planning and budget preparation.
• Observe fish for signs of stress or disease and initiate steps to alleviate stress or treat disease.
• Maintain records of fish production and distribution.

Education

Biological science with aquatic subjects and animal sciences

Job description

You will serve as a Fish Biologist (Assistant Project Leader) within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3, Iron River National Fish Hatchery, location in Iron River, WI.

Salary Range Information:

GS-11: $74,678 - $97,087

GS-12: $89,508 - $116,362

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Additional Requirements

• You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.
• Shift work is required. You will be required to work other than normal duty hours, which may include evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/15/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

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

To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: Basic Educational Requirement AND Specialized Experience for the series to which you are applying.

Basic Educational Requirements

In addition to the specialized experience requirements for this position, you must meet at least one of the following:

• A. Degree: major in biological science that included at least 6 semester hours in aquatic subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fishery biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography, fish culture, or related courses in the field of fishery biology; AND at least 12 semester hours in the animal sciences in such subjects as general zoology, vertebrate zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology, ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in these fields. (Excess course work in aquatic subjects may be used to meet this requirement when appropriate.) You must submit transcripts. -OR-
• B. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in biological science (i.e., at least 30 semester hours), of which a minimum of 6 semester hours were in aquatic subjects and 12 semester hours were in the animal sciences, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

-AND-

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: (1) carrying out daily activities of hatchery production operations; (2) propagating cold, cool and warm water aquatic species; (3) assisting in program planning and budget preparation; (4) observing fish for signs of stress or disease and initiating the appropriate steps to alleviate stress or treat disease; and (5) maintaining records of fish production and distribution. You must include hours per week worked. -OR-
• Education: Successful completion of at least 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in the biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or closely related field which provided the knowledge skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. You must include transcripts. -OR-
• Combination of education and experience: To combine education and experience, first take the total qualifying education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level. 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. You must include hours per week and transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level:

• Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: (1) planning and carrying out daily activities of hatchery production operations; (2) propagating cold, cool and warm water aquatic species; (3) program planning and budget preparation; (4) developing and carrying out hatchery work plans; and (5) planning and conducting fisheries studies, including design, collection, and analysis of biological data related to fish culture, fishery resources, and fish health.

Volunteer Experience:

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.