| THE DEPARTMENT
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is dedicated to protecting native fish and wildlife, and providing sustainable fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities for millions of residents and visitors. Working throughout the state, WDFW’s employees–field biologists, enforcement officers, land stewards, lab technicians, customer service representatives and others—manage hundreds of fish and wildlife species, maintain nearly a million acres of public wildlife lands, provide opportunities for recreational and commercial fishing, wildlife viewing and hunting, protect and restore habitat and enforce laws that protect fish and wildlife resources. There are two (2) permanent full-time Biologist 2 positions in the Fish Program, Hatchery Division located in the Natural Resource Building, Olympia, WA. The anticipated start date for these positions is October 16, 2012. These positions are responsible for operating and maintaining over $2 million worth of inventoriable equipment annually. Responsible for keeping Bergham-Jefferts Mark IV coded wire tag injectors operating properly and maintaining $1 million Automated Marking and Tagging Mobile Wet Labs annually. The position is responsible for supervising up to 11 technical staff performing tagging and marking of millions of juvenile salmon, marine fish and warm-water species. The position is also responsible for training WDFW employees on the use of electronic detection equipment for coded wire tag recovery statewide. This position supports the Agency goals of mass marking/coded wire tagging to allow for the possibility of selective fisheries, and conservation of wild salmon. |
| Duties: |
| Under general supervision: Plans, organizes, directs and conducts Coded Wire Tag experiments to evaluate and analyze returning adult salmon for fishery contribution rates, brood stock identification, allocation, and effect of mark selective fisheries and conservation. Provides annual written report of work product to support the Hatchery Evaluation and Assessment Team to implement Hatchery Genetic Management Plans. This is accomplished using appropriate statistical methods for analyzing reported coded wire tag recoveries for Washington origin adult salmon using the Regional Mark Information System at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. Coordinates with Tribal, Federal and County governments to accomplish work product.
Operates a WDFW automated/manual coded wire tag/mass marking mobile wet lab statewide. The automated marking/tagging labs are extremely complex state-of-the-art trailers using robotics, video imaging systems, and complex software to mark/tag juvenile salmon without human handling. This requires knowledge of diagnostic procedures to resolve problems with robotics, video imaging systems, and complex custom software. This requires a working knowledge of experimental design, hatchery operations and fish health. This position is responsible for handling millions of juvenile salmon annually. This position supports WDFW’s goals of conservation, providing fish for fisheries, coded wire tagging to meet Pacific Salmon Treaty requirements, Tribal Agreements, and Federal law requiring salmon identification to meet Federal Endangered Species Act requirements. Working Conditions Up to 75 percent works primarily in the field at various hatcheries and rearing stations statewide planning, organizing, and conducting coded wire tag experiments. Up to 25 percent of this position works in the office retrieving coded wire tag recovery data, analyzing data and preparing reports for publication. Extensive overtime is required during certain periods of the year especially in spring and fall. Able to walk around hatchery raceways and over hatchery pond catwalks. Organizes field equipment. In good general physical health. A valid Washington State Driver’s License. Union This position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the State of Washington, Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Washington Association of Fish and Wildlife Professionals (WAFWP). As a condition of employment you must either join the union and pay union dues, or pay the union a representational or other fee within 30 days of the date you are put into pay status. |
| Qualifications: |
| Required: A Bachelor’s degree in fisheries, wildlife management, natural resource science, or environmental science AND one year of professional experience in fish management or fish research, wildlife management or wildlife research, or habitat management or habitat research. Twelve semester or eighteen-quarter hours of specific course work is required for certain positions. OR a Master’s degree in the applicable science will substitute for the required experience. OR one year as a Fish & Wildlife Biologist 1.
Preferred experience: Experience operating a manual or automated tagging/mass marking mobile wet lab. Experience operating and maintaining a Mark IV coded wire tag injector. Experience working with the coded wire tag system. Experience working in a salmon hatchery environment. Experience supervising employees. Experience with general mechanical devices requiring operating and repair. Experience with hand tools, electric tools, general electrical wiring, PVC plumbing and repair. Experience compiling and analyzing data for publication. Experience with statistical methods appropriate for analyzing scientific data. Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite. |
| Supplemental Information: |
| To apply for this position you MUST complete your profile at www.careers.wa.gov and attach the following to your profile before completing the online application:
A cover letter describing how you meet the qualifications of this position (generic cover letter will not be accepted) A current resume (please make it succinct) Three professional references (personal references do not count as professional) Please note: Failure to follow the above application instructions will lead to disqualification. E-mailed documents will not be accepted in lieu of attaching your documents to the online profile. Upon submission of your online application, you will immediately receive a confirming e-mail. You will then be notified via e-mail of your status during the process. In addition to the e-mail notifications, you can check the status of your application at any time by visiting your online profile at www.careers.wa.gov. Due to the high volume of applications that we receive, we ask your understanding and encourage you to use the online process and avoid calling for information. |