Biological Technician - Growth Ecology of Alaskan Fishes

Ocean Associates, Inc. (OAI) is seeking a Biological Technician to provide support to the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering (RACE) Division, in Newport, OR. OAI supplies personnel support services on contract to government and industry clients for marine fisheries and protected species. The candidate for this position will conduct laboratory culture of marine fishes and their prey, and perform laboratory experiments examining the responses of Alaskan fishes to environmental, habitat, and climate variability.

The Fisheries Behavioral Ecology Program of the RACE Division examines the functional responses of Alaskan marine fishes to environmental, climate, and habitat conditions with laboratory experimentation and field collections. Experiments will examine the responses of fish to temperature, pH, feeding conditions, habitat variation, and pollutants. Activities will include the laboratory culture of larval, juvenile, and adult fishes and their prey. Activities will include monitoring of experimental conditions, fish measurements, feeding, tank maintenance, record keeping, and preparation of data summaries and syntheses. 

DUTIES

The Individual shall provide the following services:

• Culture marine fishes for laboratory experiments.
• Obtain scientific measurements of size and related biological traits from specimens. 
• Monitor and maintain laboratory culture conditions as prescribed for specific experiments. 
• Obtain scientific measurements of fish behavior and activity patterns. 
• Perform data quality checks and prepare written and numerical data summaries of laboratory observations. 
• Complete all training as required by NOAA Fisheries.

Other Duties Include:

• Provide NMFS Project Leader with written summaries for inclusion in scientific papers. 
• Provide NMFS Project Leader with data summaries and analytical metrics for inclusion in project reports. 
• Provide NMFS Project leader with certification(s) of all required training.  

Location: Hatfield Marine Science Center inNewport, OR  

Salary and Benefits: Commensurate with experience.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

Selected individual(s) must have the following minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree, or higher, from an accredited college or university with a major directly related in a field of study as related to the requirements of specific task order with emphasis in fisheries, oceanography, social science, natural science, mathematics, or hydrology, plus one (1) year of experience in related field or combination of such totaling five (5) years combined education and experience.  

Additional required qualifications include:

• Demonstrated experience in the culture of marine fishes or invertebrates. 
• Experience designing and constructing experimental seawater systems. 
• Demonstrated experience in laboratory experimentation related to the behavioral or physiological ecology of fishes. 
•  Ability to produce data tables and summary statistics of laboratory and field data 

Additional preferred qualifications include: 

• Demonstrated experience in the culture of cold-water marine fish larvae in experimental settings. 
• Ability to perform statistical analysis of experimental data. 
• Ability to produce scientific writing that effectively summarizes experimental observations. 

If you are interested in being considered for this position, please APPLY THROUGH OUR ADP WEB PORTAL, AT THE LINK AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS PAGE. 

• Include your name in the document file name.
• Sending your resume in readable (not scanned) PDF or Word format is preferred.  
• When applying for this position you will be asked to upload your resume at the end of this online application. 

Applicants should submit a resume that includes the following:

• Cover letter
• Work history for past 10 years or since last full-time education.
• Education.
• Previous experience or training with similar requirements.
• Three professional references.  

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States, complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire, and successfully complete a federal government background check. Ocean Associates Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal or state law. 

OAI is a government contractor and is required by law to invite applicants to self-identify their race, gender, national origin, disability status and veteran status. OAI is required to use the information it collects as part of its future affirmative action efforts in hiring. The information is collected anonymously by computer and is not connected to your application. You will see a place to check certain boxes in OAI's online application. Even though the information is anonymous, self-identification is voluntary. You can always check the box that says you decline to self-identify.  

Note:  If you are not selected, your materials may be retained for present or future opportunities. We may use your resume in bidding on a project and if we are awarded the work we will contact you before seeking further applicants. If you do not wish us to retain or use your resume to seek work for you, please let us know in the "Notes" section on the second page of the online application.