Fishery Technician GLFC FisPass (Equivalent GS-7)

The Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) is leading the bi-directional selective fish passage (FishPass) project at the Boardman / Ottaway River’s Union Street Dam in downtown Traverse City, MI to provide up- and down-stream passage of desirable fishes while simultaneously blocking and/or removing undesirable fishes. To achieve FishPass objectives, the FishPass Advisory Board has initiated an Assessment Plan to coordinate monitoring and assessment techniques.  Data on fish community structure and dynamics, fish movement/passage, sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus populations, habitat availability and use, water quality, and stream morphology are annually collected at representative reaches of the Boardman / Ottaway River. As part of this work, the GLFC will be installing and maintaining a trap integrated with a horizontal submerged screen weir (HSSW), which allows the upper 50% of the water column to flow freely over. The trap will be installed at the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources’ Salmon Weir in spring (March-May) of 2025.  The HSSW trap will be used with the intention of capturing, marking, and recapturing sea lamprey during their annual spring migration in order to evaluate its efficacy. Trap efficacy and sea lamprey run size will be evaluated through a combinations of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag telemetry and mark-recapture methods. In addition, a dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) will be deployed to evaluate behavioral effects of the HSSW on sea lamprey and non-target fishes. The primary roles of this position are to (1) process trapped fishes and maintain trap infrastructure and records; (2) manually inspect DIDSON images and process associated data: (3) assist with FishPass assessment surveys and activities. The incumbent shall work under guidelines and policies set by the GLFC and direction from the Principal Engineer/Scientist (Dr. Daniel Zielinski) and Assessment Biologist (Reid Swanson).  This job may include (but will not be limited to) the following tasks:

1. Managing fish traps
   1. Assist in removing fish from traps, inspection for previous tags and/or marks, marking fish with a combination of fin clips, external tags, and PIT tags.
   2. Assist in morphometric data acquisition
   3. Assist with maintaining monitoring equipment including DIDSON and PIT data loggers
   4. Keep the weir and traps clear of debris
2. Data collection
   1. Assist in accurate recording of biological data during trap operations and surveys
   2. Manual inspection of DIDSON images
   3. Assist in FishPass assessment surveys
3. Managing data
   1. Data entry and clean-up
   2. Summarize data in tabular and graphic format

Start Date:3/03/2024      Application Deadline: 2/16/2025      Rate: $23.50 per hour (GS-7, dependent upon experience)

Commitment: 6-month limited term employment.   Daily availability during trap operation (March-May) including weekends and some nights.   Work hours typically Monday-Friday 800-1630 following trap operations (June-August).

Qualifications – Required

1. Minimum age: 18 years
2. Degree: High school diploma
3. Valid driver’s license
4. Must demonstrate ability to:
   1. Work as part of a team with professional staff
   2. Effective written and verbal communication
   3. Basic computer competency skills
   4. Work well with members of public
   5. Work in inclement conditions (rain, cold)

Qualifications – Preferred

1. Bachelor’s degree or higher in fisheries, biology, or related field
2. Lift heavy equipment (≤ 60 lbs.) as needed in the field
3. Knowledge and Experience
   1. Computer skills – Excel spreadsheets, word processing, R statistical software
   2. Science – biology, fisheries, and experience working on the water via boats or wading.

Miscellanies – Organizational note taking and general construction experience