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Fisheries Technician 2- Wild Salmon and Steelhead Program
Contractor
McCall, ID, USA
Posted on Sep 25, 2026
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is recruiting candidates to fill the role of a Fisheries Technician 2 - Wild Salmon and Steelhead Program based in McCall, Idaho. This is a full-time, full-year benefits-eligible position.
Schedule is variable based on duties and time of year. Field work occurs in March through October, and will require working long days, working 50% or more weekends, and frequent multi-day trips. November through February schedule is typically Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, office work. Schedule is fairly flexible during winter months. Position is full-time, with a contract lasting one year that can potentially be extended from year-to-year after annual review.
This position will include daily driving on backcountry and mountain roads.
Fisheries Technician II provides technical assistance and leads seasonal staff in the operation of rotary screw traps, snorkel surveys, spawning ground surveys, and anadromous harvest monitoring. Stationed in McCall, Idaho.
Incumbent joins the Wild Salmon and Steelhead monitoring crew tasked with monitoring and evaluating Idaho's anadromous salmonid populations. The primary duties of this position are; a) lead and participate in operating rotary screw traps on the South Fork Salmon River and in the Frank-Church Wilderness Area (50% of time), b) lead and participate in conducting snorkel surveys to enumerate salmonids in remote areas for up to 8 days at a time (20% of time), c) lead and participate in conducting spawning ground surveys for chinook salmon (10% of time), d) lead and participate in anadromous fishery harvest monitoring surveys (20% of time). This position will provide guidance and lead the work of a snorkel crew (6 individuals) and screw trap tenders (4 individuals).
The minimum requirement for this position is a bachelor's degree in fisheries, natural resources, or related field and one year of specialized experience.
Essential Functions:
- 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 and participate in crews engaged in captive fish rearing activities including spawning, incubating, feeding, sampling, sorting, handling, medicating, anesthetizing, and transporting fish. Crew may also monitor the status of facility systems and equipment, fabricate, construct, and maintain systems. Gather research data and organize information from fish samples or experimental projects.
- Lead crew in watershed and stream assessments and habitat surveys. May include stream habitat inventories (channel typing, habitat typing, woody debris, etc.), road inventories, and riparian inventories.
- 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.
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:
- snorkeling
- trap/weir
- carcass and redd surveys
- electronic detection technol.
- able to swim
- lift 40 - 50 lbs.
- valid driver's license
- hiking
- operate GPS
- habitat typing
- habitat monitoring
- 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:
Travel and working at remote field sites is required. Field work involves exposure to environmental elements such as slippery uneven surfaces and varying weather conditions and requires moderate to rigorous ability of walking/hiking, climbing, reaching, lifting and bending. Tasks include wading streams, swimming, hiking for long distances, and carrying up to 50 pounds of gear and equipment. Some camping for extended periods is also required during select seasons.
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.