Fisheries Technician III Shellfish

Swinomish Indian Tribal Community; La Conner (WA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Parental leave

Vision insurance

Job summary

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is seeking a Fisheries Technician III: Shellfish to support day-to-day shellfish program projects, surveys, and field research. The role combines office and field work, with duties ranging from data entry to SCUBA-driven surveys and gear maintenance.

Ideal candidates will hold a BS in biology or environmental science, have 1+ year of relevant experience, and be certified SCUBA divers with robust fieldwork capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science with biology/environmental science coursework.
• Minimum of one year in a relevant field.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel/Access/Word/PowerPoint).
• Certified SCUBA diver with 40+ dives logged.
• Interest in fisheries and natural resources with data analysis basics.

Responsibilities

• Assist shellfish surveys and field data collection tasks.
• Prepare and maintain field equipment and gear.
• Enter data into Access/Excel and conduct QA/QC.
• Coordinate schedules and recruit volunteers for surveys.
• Lead and participate in dive operations as required.

Skills

Field data collection

Data quality control

Safety compliance

Teamwork

Strong observations

Education

Bachelor of Science in biology/environmental science

Tools

Excel

Access

Word

PowerPoint

ArcGIS

Python

RStudio

SCUBA gear handling

Job description

JOB TITLE:

Fisheries Technician III Shellfish

DEPARTMENT:

Fisheries

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Fisheries Technician III: Shellfish is a full-time, 40 hours per week position reporting directly to the Fisheries Department Shellfish Ecologist: Bivalve Lead. The Fisheries Technician III: Shellfish will primarily assist with day-to-day functions of Shellfish Program projects including all shellfish surveys, monitoring fisheries, SCUBA surveys, water property monitoring, and other grant-specific research projects. Work is performed both in an office and outdoor field environment.

JOB DUTIES:

• Perform tasks related to studies of clams, clam gardens, Olympia oysters, shrimp, Dungeness and European green crab, sea cucumber, and sea urchin
• Prepare and maintain team field equipment
• Adhere to scientific protocols and survey specific methods
• Coordinate planning of schedules and staff for intertidal clam surveys, recruit volunteers
• Participate in field surveys
• Accurately identify, weigh, and measure shellfish samples
• Coordinate collection of clam samples for PSP testing
• Enter data into Access database, Excel spreadsheets, or similar
• Prepare survey data for co-manager collaboration
• Oversee the day-to-day operation of commercial geoduck and bait clam fisheries, and ceremonial and subsistence clam fisheries
• Lead planning of fisheries schedules and sellouts, including Fisheries Technician I monitor scheduling
• Assist with catch accounting
• Ensure compliance with tribal, state, and federal regulations
• Fulfill Department of Health requirements including the coordination of PSP and As testing
• Assist with water property monitoring program
• Clean, calibrate, maintain, and deploy water property monitoring equipment
• QA/QC data
• Complete basic coding of raw water property dat
• Serve as scientific diver for Shellfish Program
• Conduct scientific dives for various purposes including but not limited to, geoduck, sea cucumber, and sea urchin biomass surveys, geoduck reconnaissance, marine ecology, etc.
• Expected annual number of dives range from 12-40
• Assist with running commercial dive safety program
• Responsible for enforcing Swinomish Commercial Dive Fishery Drug Policy
• Coauthor basic protocols for field sampling methods and annual technical reports on various shellfish species
• Work may include very basic statistical analyses
• The Fisheries Technician III job duties may include new or urgent shellfish research or restoration projects for the Tribe. While unforeseen, if Fisheries Technician III is assigned work on these emerging projects, they would be responsible for field and office work related to these tasks
• Assist in Fisheries education and outreach
• Author articles for Swinomish newsletter, qyuuqs
• Participate in outreach events to educate tribal community, especially youth, about Fisheries work
• Maintain, organize, and clean gear sheds, vehicles, and boat
• Responsible for purchasing supplies, tracking and submitting receipts for most shellfish program spending
• Provide support to administrative assistant
• Serve as temporary office back-up when assistant unavailable
• Because of the Tribe’s commitment to community service and the well-being of its members, each employee may be expected to perform a wide range of office and field duties from time to time. Such duties may or may not be related to their regular responsibilities.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science degree with course work in biology, environmental science, or other related science
• Minimum of one-year work experience in a relevant field
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including: Excel, Access, Word, and PowerPoint
• Classwork or professional experience with basic coding of data and statistics
• Certified in SCUBA diving
• Minimum rescue diver certification from accredited institution
• 40+ dives logged
• Interest in fisheries and/or natural resources including basic writing and simple data analyses

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Practical field and/or laboratory experience in estuarine or marine biology, coastal oceanography, environmental and/or natural resources data collection
• SCUBA:
  • Enriched Air Nitrox certification
  • AAUS scientific diver
  • Dry suit certified with >20 dry suit dives
• Familiarity with marine organisms of Puget Sound
• Experience with microscopy and utilizing dichotomous keys
• Experience operating oceanographic instrumentation, namely water property and level sensors, navigation and Geographic Positioning Systems
• Experience in handling, launching, and retrieval of boats in area water.
• Familiarity with ArcGIS or statistical computing software (e.g., RStudio or python)

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Ability to follow detailed data collection, data quality assurance/quality control procedures, and maintain comprehensive notes on field and office tasks
• Must be physically fit and able to walk long distances over uneven surfaces carrying heavy (≤ 40 lbs) equipment
• Commit to working on scheduled field days, including weekends, during evenings, or at odd hours, sometimes in inclement weather
• Ability to follow directions and safety regulations
• Strong work ethic and ability to maintain a positive, professional, and team-oriented attitude in challenging situations
• Able to work independently in both field and office settings
• Ability to travel for various tasks, training, and conferences
• Sensitive to American Indian culture, customs, and traditions

LICENSE AND CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS

• Certified in SCUBA diving
• Minimum rescue diver certification from accredited institution
• 40+ dives logged
• Possess an active WA driver’s license (or ability to immediately switch to WA driver’s license if moving from out-of-state)
• Must have valid Washington state boater education card or be able to obtain one
• Current first aid, CPR, DAN O2 certifications or willingness to obtain certification

BENEFITS

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

POLICIES AND INSTRUCTIONS

The Tribe complies with the Tribal Preference policy outlined in the Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO), STC Title 14, Chapter 1, Subsection 14.01.120(A)(2) of the Swinomish Tribal Code.

1. The Tribe strives for a drug-free workplace environment. Drug and alcohol screening at time of hire is mandatory in sensitive and hazardous positions and where required by the job announcement/description or positions working with Tribal youth.
2. Read the job announcement and position description carefully.