Fishery Biologist 2 (PCN 111428) - State of Alaska

What you will be doing:
This position plans and executes crab research as a lead Bering Sea / Aleutian Islands (BS/AI) fisheries biologist. Snow crab and southern Tanner crab studies will be a primary focus. This position assists in proposal development and project execution, collection of field data, conducts live crab experiments in seawater laboratory facilities, and prepares final datasets and analyses for inclusion in professional presentations, reports, and peer-review publications. Position duties also include general supervision of seasonal biologists/technicians.

Our organization, mission, and culture: 
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s mission is to manage, protect, maintain, and improve the fish, game, and aquatic plant resources of Alaska. The Division of Commercial Fisheries strives for a diverse and inclusive workforce where safety and well-being are paramount and employees at all levels promote a culture where everyone is valued, treated equitably, and treated respectfully.

Incumbent duties will directly inform and impact management of commercially important crab and shellfish resources in the BS/AI. Incumbent expertise and knowledge will help our team develop new and ongoing research projects to assess crab stock distributions, abundances, health or productivity, disease prevalence, movements, trophic status, and responses to climate and fisheries. The incumbent’s research products can be used in annual stock assessments, technical reports, and peer-reviewed manuscripts, and help generate research questions for scientific proposals.

Benefits of joining our team: 
This permanent position provides great opportunities to contribute to the research and understanding of crab stocks in the BS/AI region, some of the nation’s most valuable commercial crab fisheries. It is an opportunity to work with multiple researchers and agencies and apply incumbents’ expertise and technical skills to help improve biological and ecosystem level crab interactions, stock assessment models, and inform species distribution and ecosystem models testing crab response to environmental conditions.

The working conditions you can expect:
This position is based in Kodiak, Alaska. Work is mainly conducted at the Kodiak ADF&G regional office at an office desk, in a scientific laboratory, and the ADF&G seawater lab at the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center located next door. The incumbent will be expected to work at-sea annually, typically 2-4 weeks, onboard commercial crab fishing vessels or scientific research vessels in the Bering Sea or Aleutian Islands. Travel to Dutch Harbor / Unalaska, or other western Alaska ports, for surveys will be necessary for deployment in at-sea projects.

Requires travel within the State (normally 1-4 trips for fisheries surveys or meetings each year).

Who we are looking for: 
We are looking for an individual with the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Work Traits: A strong work ethic, attention to detail, ability to read and utilize scientific literature resources, ability to act as an effective supervisor and constructive team member, and ability to work independently to complete tasks and meet deadlines.
• Data and Analysis: Experience with physical data entry and electronic spreadsheets, databases, and metadata. Experience producing data summaries and statistical models from biological, ecological, and environmental data sets. Experience with geospatial mapping software, such as GIS or R.
• Professional Development: Experience or ability to produce professional level data products, visualizations, reports, and manuscripts as a lead research scientist. Experience or ability to effectively communicate scientific results to scientific peers, crab industry stakeholders, and members of the public (including K-12 students).
• Lab: Experience working in both dry and wet lab settings, utilizing microscopes, fume hoods, chemicals, personal protective equipment. Knowledge of flow-through aquaria and animal husbandry techniques are desirable. Ability to maintain organized and safe laboratory spaces.
• At-sea: Experience collecting biological and morphometric data at sea or in the field and the ability to spend multiple weeks at sea collecting data and not be incapacitated by chronic or debilitating motion sickness.  

•  A valid driver's license is required.
• Position requires possession of, or access to, firearms or ammunition.