Spiny Dogfish Aging Technician

At Saltwater Inc., we believe that high-quality data is vital to the health of our fisheries and oceans: our mission is to provide that data. We are a Women-Owned Small Business and are constantly seeking new team members who share our passion for innovation and environmental wellness. We are currently recruiting for a Spiny Dogfish Aging Technician to perform aging of archived spiny dogfish spines for the NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center under the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.. Additional samples will also be obtained from the NEFSC bottom trawl survey and/or commercial sources. Age data provide information on catch/population age compositions, recruitment strength, and fish population growth dynamics to support determinations of stock status, biological reference points, and annual catch limits.

Are you passionate about work that progresses the human understanding of marine species and are adept at lab work, including fish dissection and aging fish hard part samples? If so, this position is for you. Work will be performed on-site at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Narragansett, RI. The contract has a one-year base period beginning August 1st and may have one 12-month option period after.

Duties

The NEFSC has approximately 10,500 spines to age. Each spine will require at least two “reads.” A read can take approximately 2-3 minutes. New samples will require processing (cleaning) that will take at least 3 months. NEFSC staff will provide training on reading and cleaning methodologies.

The contractor will regularly meet with NEFSC staff and may be requested to meet with a Contract Oversight Team to ensure the scope of work proposed under this contract is addressed. The supplies required for this project will be purchased and made available to the contractor.

The contractor will be required to assist with at-sea sampling onboard research vessels. Such work typically occurs in 12-hour on/off shifts with a total of 84 hours per week and up to 4 weeks per year of at-sea time required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience recording biological data.
• Demonstrated experience with microscopes, image analysis systems (Image J), or electronic data entry systems.
• Demonstrated experience with personal computers using word processing software, spreadsheets, and email.
• Bachelor’s degree in marine, estuarine, environmental science, biology, or other related fields.
• Demonstrated experience relevant to project-specific interests, including interpreting samples and data of fish hard parts, such as otoliths, for aging.
• Demonstrated experience dissecting fish.

Salary range is dependent upon experience.

Saltwater Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, parental status, veteran status, or disability status. We strive to create an inclusive workplace culture to attract the best talent and allow each member of our team to achieve their full potential and maximum productivity. Furthermore, Saltwater Inc. highly encourages qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to apply for positions for which they are qualified and to notify us if there are any needs for accommodation throughout the application process and/or upon hire.

Only qualified applicants with the requisite experience need to apply.

Saltwater’s mandatory employee COVID-19 policy requires proof of Covid-19 vaccination to safeguard the health of our employees and their families.

We will honor all requests for application confidentiality.

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