Fisheries Biologist
Are you looking for a financially rewarding career that offers independence, adventure, and practical experience in field biology? Do you want to play a critical role in the conservation and management of fisheries resources?
Do you have these Mandatory Qualifications?
- Completed Bachelor's degree with a major in a natural science such as Fisheries & Wildlife, Biology, Marine Science, Marine Biology, Ecology, etc.
- A minimum of 30 credit hours in applicable biological sciences.
- At least one course in both math and statistics.
- Coursework that emphasized the use of dichotomous (taxonomic) keys.
- Prior sea time is not required
As an at-sea biologist working aboard U.S.-flagged commercial fishing vessels, you will gather fishing effort and location information, sampling for bycatch composition, and collecting biological data from both bycatch and target species. Observers are based out of Dutch Harbor, AK for 70-90 day deployments. Observers are guaranteed subsequent deployment opportunities, salary advances, and have room & board provided while deployed. Training begins in November and beyond.
Commercial Fisheries Observing is a challenging and unique position. This is not a 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. job--rather, twelve to fourteen hour days are the rule. Gathering, sorting, and weighing a sample at sea is a physically demanding job, and recording the data gathered requires a biologist's attention to detail. The work is further complicated by the fact that observers and fisherman have different objectives--diplomatic efforts on the observer's part, aimed at securing a mutually agreeable working environment, are often part of the job.