Fishery Biologist ; PCN

This position is open to Alaska Residents only. Please check our residency definition to determine if you qualify.

The Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries is recruiting for a seasonal Fishery Biologist 1 located in Homer (Region II). This is a 7‑month (minimum) permanent seasonal position that will serve as the field coordinator for Lower Cook Inlet research projects focused on providing timely information for in‑season management of commercial salmon fisheries. Major duties include, but are not limited to: using remote video technology to monitor salmon escapement, collecting and analyzing otoliths to estimate hatchery/wild composition in the catch and escapement, assisting with data analysis and reporting, maintaining ArcGIS, MS Access, and Oracle databases, and leading and training fish and wildlife technicians.

The mission of the Division of Commercial Fisheries is to “manage subsistence, commercial, and personal use fisheries in the interest of the economy and general well‑being of the citizens of the state, consistent with the sustained yield principle, and subject to allocations through public regulatory processes”. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game strives for a diverse and inclusive workforce where safety and well‑being are paramount and employees at all levels promote a culture where everyone is valued and treated equitably and respectfully.

This position plays a vital role in gathering and processing biological data used to manage commercial salmon fisheries. Data collected and processed by this position will directly contribute to management decisions that affect the sustainability of Alaska’s salmon resource and the well‑being of the people who rely on it for their food and livelihood. Specifically, the data collected and processed by the incumbent describes the run timing, abundance, and composition of salmon escapements and commercial harvests in Lower Cook Inlet.

The State of Alaska is an excellent employer that provides medical and retirement benefits to permanent employees. This position offers an outstanding opportunity to gain expertise in a variety of fisheries research, monitoring, and analysis methods, including designing, building, and maintaining custom remote video systems to monitor salmon escapement, and collecting and analyzing data to determine the hatchery/wild composition in the harvest and escapement.

This position will introduce the incumbent to analysis and interpretation of fisheries data, including regular use of spatial and relational databases and coding in R/R Studio. It also enables the incumbent to engage with multiple stakeholders and experience the beauty of Kachemak Bay and Southcentral Alaska.

This position is located in the Homer field office, with a typical season running from April or May through October or November. Daily work assignments may include, but are not limited to: operating a skiff in marine environments, sampling commercial harvests on fish docks and in processing plants, traveling to remote sites and/or surveying by floatplane, conducting ground surveys and biological sampling in remote environments and in close proximity to black and brown bears, and working in an office with computers entering, editing, and analyzing data and authoring/co‑authoring reports and operational plans.

We are looking for a candidate that possesses some or all of the following position‑specific competencies (if you have any experience with the following, please document these in your application and cover letter).

• Electrical/Mechanical/Video:
  Demonstrated ability to design, build, and troubleshoot/repair fairly complex remote video and 12
  
  VDC electrical systems powered by solar and wind.
• Data management/analysis:
  Demonstrated experience entering, editing, and summarizing data in spreadsheets (MS Excel) and databases (MS Access/Oracle). Specific…