Fisheries Technician 2 – Lab Manager

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is recruiting candidates to the fill the role of Fisheries Technician 2 – Lab Manager at the Dworshak Reservoir and Lake Pend Oreille in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. 

Position/Project Specifics:

The Fisheries Research team in the Panhandle and Clearwater regions is seeking a full-time Senior Fisheries Research Technician that will serve as a Lab Manager to assist with fisheries research projects on Dworshak Reservoir and Lake Pend Oreille. The position will be in charge of coordinating logistics for various field and lab efforts. The position will also help lead field sampling and lab processing for annual limnology, mysid shrimp, and kokanee monitoring.

Duty station is in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and temporary housing is available in Farragut State Park. Start date of March 1, 2026 but is flexible depending on applicant availability. Applicants with or without reasonable accommodations may be required to work long hours in varying and often inclement weather conditions, hiking steep and/or slippery terrain, and lifting and carrying items weighing up to 60 lbs. The work schedule can be irregular at times and includes occasional weekend work, night work, and overnight stays in the field. Valid driver’s license required.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate field and lab work logistics and scheduling to help ensure projects are completed within a timely manner
• Lead kokanee field sampling and planning, including completing trawling and hydroacoustic surveys at night and ensuring equipment is functional
• Lead kokanee lab processing, including processing scales and otoliths, identifying thermal marks within age structures, and finalizing data for age and origin analysis
• Lead limnology, zooplankton, and mysid shrimp field and lab sampling, including operating boats during the day and night to collect samples, coordinating with a contracted limnologist to ensure samples are processed on time, and processing mysid samples in the lab
• Maintain watercrafts, field gear, lab equipment, workspaces and remote facilities as needed; facilitate repairs as needed
• Lead data entry, QA/QC, and organization to ensure data is ready for analysis
• Assist with other field efforts as needed, including but not limited to boat electrofishing, redd count surveys, gill netting on large vessels, and maintaining acoustic telemetry equipment
• Assist with other lab efforts as needed, including but not limited processing aging structures for age and growth analysis for several fish species

Required Qualifications:

• Experience operating a variety of watercrafts in various weather conditions
• Experience leading field and lab crews and planning necessary logistics
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and in team settings
• Experience entering and organizing biological data
• Demonstrated ability to follow established sampling and data entry protocols with high attention to detail
• Demonstrated high degree of initiative and problem-solving ability
• Ability to interact with the public in a professional manner
• Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries or related field, or equivalent experience and training.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience processing and aging fish aging structures in a laboratory setting
• Experience operating, hauling, and/or maintaining trawling vessels
• Experience maintaining boats, field equipment, and lab equipment and making minor repairs as needed
• Experience navigating boats at night using radar technology
• Experience processing and tagging fish and collecting biological samples
• Experience identifying thermal marks on fish otoliths for age and origin analysis
• Experience analyzing, summarizing, and writing biological fisheries data
• xperience analyzing data using Microsoft Suite and/or R software

Essential Functions:  Included in this band are skilled technician positions.  Some functions performed by employees can be identical to those performed by fishery biologists at the entry-level or advanced entry-level.  The distinction in titling is intent.  Positions in this group and pay band are not intended to lead to higher level, professional Fishery Biologist 2 positions.

(The functions listed below are characteristic of the type and level of work associated with this group and pay band.  They are not all-inclusive. Individual positions may perform some or all, as well as other similar work.)

• Lead and participate in survey crews that conduct fishery presence/absence research, recreational/commercial fishing surveys, anadromous fish escapement surveys (carcass, redd, trap/weir, snorkel, etc.), or tag detection and mark recovery surveys. Make standardized observations such as species identification, length, weight, behavior, growth, survival, reproductive condition, fin clips or tags, and/or signs of parasites, diseases or pathogens.
• Lead crew in regular facility inspections including, for example, dewatering equipment, pumps, flumes, gates, tanks, screens, filters, gatewells, and/or tag interrogation equipment. Crew may also monitor and maintain water quality levels. Record findings and adjustments made. Provide input for facility improvements. Respond appropriately and immediately to emergencies.
• Update database by entering, checking, and/or editing biological or habitat data that has been inputted on field forms, electronic data loggers, and/or desktop computers. Maintain, organize and provide access to databases. Write memoranda and short reports for transfer of data. Produce summaries including corrections. Produce presentation quality tables and graphs of data.
• Perform precision ageing of two to four different species of fish in a laboratory setting. Record age and growth data in the appropriate format; summarize and input data. Collect and organize biological samples and collections. Document ageing problems, techniques and results in annual production ageing reports. May assist with preliminary data summaries and analyses, or technical report writing.

Knowledge Required by the Position:

• Knowledge of fishery biology (including knowledge of particular species of fish).
• Knowledge of fish husbandry.
• Knowledge of aquatic habitats.
• Knowledge of the scientific method.
• Knowledge of sampling protocols.
• Knowledge of personal computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, publishing software, presentation software, database software, topographic software, bibliographic software, and statistical analysis packages.
• Knowledge of technical writing protocols.
• Knowledge of basic math.

Employees have the knowledge to resolve common technical or procedural problems for themselves or their work crew.  They are able to assess or interpret the significance of their results and relate that to the overall objective of the project.  They have the knowledge to outline, organize and execute the details of projects where unusual or irregular procedural or technical problems arise.   

Additional Mandatory Skills: 

• electronic detection technol.
• able to swim
• lift 40 – 50 lbs.
• load boats on trailers
• tow & maneuver trailers
• valid driver’s license
• operate motorized boats
• operate non-motorized boats
• operate GPS
• fish ageing (scale, otolith, other)
• fish species ID skills
• operate handheld data recorder
• compile and collect neat and accurate data
• specific software skills (spreadsheet, word processing, database, GIS, statistical)
• oral communication skills
• written communication skills
• repair & maintain equipment

Physical Demands:

Demands can range from moderate-including walking, climbing stairs and ladders, reaching, lifting, bending, and strenuous sweeping-to rigorous.  In the latter case, the employee must be able to handle buckets of water or gear weighing up to 50 pounds.  Long daily periods of hiking, carrying equipment, swimming, and/or standing may be required.  Camping out or living at sea in vessels with minimal amenities for extended periods may be required. Some work requires the ability to maintain footing in fast-moving water.

Work Environment:

A portion of the work is performed in an office setting with adequate lighting, heating and ventilation.  The majority is performed in fish processing labs, fish holding areas, fish processing plants, and/or in the field.  Incumbents may work on narrow, elevated walkways and platforms that are over or adjacent to water.  Field work involves exposure to all types of weather, slippery rocks, trails, irregular terrain, insects, poison oak, rough or fast-moving water, or cold water temperatures. Work at high elevations or aboard boats, research vessels, or commercial fishing vessels may be required.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

A range of experience and education may be presented.  At the lower end of the range, candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience** OR one semester of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position.  An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.

At the upper end of the range, candidates must present one year of Specialized Experience** OR a year of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position. An equivalent combination of experience and education is also qualifying.

**Specialized Experience is experience that equips the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the work of the position being filled.  To be creditable, Specialized Experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. 

LocationIDFG -Coeur d’Alene(Kootenai County)Project Length12 months or morePosition TypeFull-YearTravel Requirements25% – 50%BenefitsFull-Year Employees working at least 30 hours a week are covered by the Company’s Life, LTD and AD&D plan. They are eligible to enroll in medical, dental and vision insurance, as well as short term disability, voluntary Life, LTD and AD&D insurance, flexible spending and deferred compensation. An employee receives up to 120 hours of vacation during their first three years of service. After that, the amount of vacation increases every three years of service up to a maximum of 192 hours per year.DrivingState Vehicle – Valid driver’s license required. Offers of employment contingent upon passing driving records check.Salary Target$21.83- $31.54/ hourClosing DateJan 31, 2026