Fisheries Tech I – Seasonal Remote Sockey Salmon Monitoring
The purpose of this project is to evaluate freshwater and marine survival of Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association’s (KRAA) sockeye stocked Spiridon Lake and their returns to Telrod Cove. The locations are accessible by floatplane from the City of Kodiak and personnel will remain on-site for the duration of the project. Communication will be by satellite phone and inReach to relay data updates, communicate about resupply trips, and for crew welfare checks. Normal phone or wifi reception is not available. The majority of time will be spent outdoors with extended exposure to cold, sun, rain, bugs, bears, and at times working in swift water. All camp supplies including groceries will be flown in every 2-3 weeks and carried by frame pack and cart to the job site.
Benefits of the area are incredible outdoor recreation in a remote wilderness setting. KRAA will provide safety training (bear, firearm) and review sampling procedures prior to deployment. KRAA will provide transportation to/from the field site, housing, food, and chest waders for the project duration. A shared bunkhouse in the town of Kodiak is provided for transition between start/end dates. All personal clothing/gear is provided by the candidate.
Functions & Responsibilities
Essential Functions
• Assists the site crew leader (FT III) to carry out daily monitoring activities with minimal supervision from remote field camps collecting data on smolt migration and harvest of hatchery reared sockeye salmon. The project purpose of this is to evaluate freshwater and marine survival. Work is scheduled as a team or individually based on work load and fish migration patterns.
• Supports on-site safety
• Live fish handling and data collection on smolt to conduct fish counts, collect scales, and gather weight/sex/length information at times using Tricaine/MS-222
• Otolith sample collection on adult fish during cost recovery and common property commercial fishing
• Smolt trap set-up/take down, cleaning debris from smolt traps, maintenance of camp equipment and trails
• The project purpose of this is to evaluate freshwater and marine survival. Work is scheduled as a team or individually based on work load and fish migration patterns.
Skills & Experience
Knowledge & Skills
*** Must have the ability to legally possess firearms and may be subject to a background check.
*** Must be comfortable flying in small planes/helicopters and traveling to and working in remote locations.
*** Field personnel will live and work in proximity to Kodiak brown bears; safety is upmost priority to minimize human/bear interactions.
Education & Experience
• Pursuing education in fisheries/aquaculture, biology, or other natural resource field preferred.
• Should be highly motivated and safety oriented with excellent organizational, critical thinking, and communication skills. Safety is of upmost priority and candidate must be able to respond effectively to emergency situations.
• Experience in extended backcountry/camping trips, wilderness skills, outboard motor operation, knot tying/splicing, and basic construction techniques are extremely helpful for this position.
• Existing first aid (Wilderness first aid preferred) and CPR certifications are helpful to have prior to start date.
• Safety is of upmost priority and candidate must be able to respond effectively to emergency situations.
• Requires safe handling of firearms and other deterrents in protection against brown bear.
• Small boat handling experience and knowledge of commercial fishing and tendering will aid in successfully performing duties.
• The ability to self-entertain during non-working hours and maintain a positive attitude under challenging field conditions will be important.
Job Requirements
Physical Requirements
• Candidates must also be physically able to lift 50 lbs.
• Strenuous hiking carrying frame packs (50lb load) several miles over rough terrain in brown bear country is required.
Working Conditions
Spiridon Lake Smolt Monitoring
The season begins at Spiridon Lake in an amazingly innovative sockeye salmon enhancement program which has shown years of success and benefited the Kodiak fisheries and communities. Set-up, maintenance, and daily operation of the bypass system (two large inclined plane traps and attached pipeline) which allow the fish to safely bypass a series of waterfalls to Telrod Cove will fill the first couple of months. All fish will be enumerated and sampling will be conducted on the daily migration for scale (age), length, and weight measurements. Rotating day/night shifts and long hours are anticipated especially during peak migration days where high volumes of smolt will be migrating in the late night hours. Trap, trail, and camp maintenance usually occurs during daylight hours with smolt monitoring during late night/early morning hours. Personnel will share living quarters with at least one additional technician and often more during set-up/tear down and when any support is needed. The cabin is remote with an outhouse a short walk away, has refrigeration/freezer running off of propane, and filtered water.
Telrod Cove Fishery Monitoring
Returning adult sockeye salmon are harvested in the common property fishery in Telrod Cove. Monitoring duties include operating a small skiff with outboard motor in the ocean to estimate harvest and collect otolith, age, sex, weight, and length data from commercial and subsistence fishermen. Boat and stream surveys are also conducted to estimate fish return estimates. Work hours are dependent on run strength and tide cycle. The candidate will share living quarters with one technician in a weatherport tent (offering little privacy) with propane cook stove and small fridge or cooler during this phase of the project.
