Senior Aquaculture Biologist

Aquatic Network; California; On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Senior Aquaculture Biologist to join their team. This full-time role involves hands-on work with fish propagation and culture, requiring extensive experience in aquaculture, particularly with freshwater species like largemouth bass and tilapia. The successful candidate will monitor environmental conditions, maintain brood populations, and ensure the health of fish at various stages. With a focus on teamwork and excellent communication skills, this position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth of a leading aquaculture company while enjoying the beautiful Coachella Valley. If you're passionate about aquaculture and ready for a rewarding challenge, this role is for you.

Benefits

No-cost accommodation

Housing options available

Modern shopping facilities nearby

Qualifications

• 5+ years of commercial experience in rearing fish species to market size.
• Hands-on knowledge of fish propagation techniques required.

Responsibilities

• Maintain brood populations and conduct spawning operations.
• Monitor culture environment and health of fish at various stages.
• Assist in grading juvenile populations to reduce cannibalism.

Skills

Commercial fish farming experience

Knowledge of fish propagation techniques

Excellent communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Ability to work outdoors

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aquaculture

PhD in Aquaculture

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

A full-time, permanent position is available with Kent SeaTech for a dedicated individual with extensive commercial experience in fish aquaculture. Experience with freshwater species that Kent SeaTech LLC is culturing (largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, hybrid carp, tilapia, and catfish) would be most appropriate, but those with hands-on, commercial experience in farming saltwater fish species also will be considered.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Preference will be given to individuals who have at least five years of commercial experience in rearing one or more of the above species to market size at large scale, and has the long-term drive to help KST build a bigger and better company. A Bachelors degree in aquaculture could be considered in lieu of one year of commercial fish farming experience, and a PhD in aquaculture that involved a pertinent research focus could be considered in lieu of three years of commercial experience. The successful candidate must possess hands-on knowledge of current fish propagation techniques. Recent graduates or other forms of biology, biotech, or lab work will not be considered.

DUTIES:

The Senior Aquaculture Biologist will report to the Production Manager and the Facility Manager. The individual will be expected to maintain brood populations, conduct spawning operations, culture fry and the live feeds they require, operate the nursery systems for fingerling production, conduct monthly surveys of the developing crops in large intensive tanks, and maintain the hatchery and grow-out systems including water supplies, recirculation systems, temperature and light control, filtration systems, and other associated fish culture equipment. Examples of the daily duties involved in this position include:

• Monitor culture environment – temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, water quality
• Feed brood, fry, fingerling and market-size fish and adjust feeding amounts as required
• Monitor health and water quality for brood fish, fry, fingerlings, and adults
• Manually express eggs from gravid females and fertilize and hatch them
• Maintain fish hatchery tanks, production tanks, and raceways
• Assist team in grading juvenile populations to reduce cannibalism
• Work closely with the Production Manager to set and meet production goals
• Conduct literature searches and prepare reports on fish biology and culture practices

REQUIREMENTS: The individual will need to have excellent communication skills and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work easily with a variety of co-workers of varying levels of education. The individual will need to work closely with several KST departments in caring for grow-out tanks, weekly fish harvesting, system construction, and other functions. The ability to use computers, including Microsoft Word and Excel, to write periodic reports, provide estimates of production success, and use the internet to research various culture techniques for the species under culture will be critical to the success of the candidate for this position. The individual will eventually oversee other technicians in the hatchery and will need to have the ability to get along and interact easily with all employees at the farm. The work will require considerable time spent outdoors in Coachella Valley and will require significant physical exertion and stamina, as well as the ability to work in wet and slippery conditions.

HOUSING: The Kent SeaTech fish farm is located about 20 minutes away from the town of Indio, where extensive housing options and modern shopping facilities are available. A few minutes further to the north are the exclusive, upscale communities of Palm Springs and Palm Desert. We also have a series of large mobile homes on the production site, where no-cost accommodation may be provided if the employee agrees to be available to assist with nighttime emergencies or feed deliveries.

Job Type: Full-time
Pay: Up to $80,000.00 per year