Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission is hiring one Field Biologist to serve as the Project Field Team Leader to assist the on-going California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Eel River (mainstem) Adult Salmonid ARIS Sonar Monitoring Study during the 2024/2025 season. The Team Leader will coordinate with a CDFW Environmental Scientist project lead and will be responsible for operating the ARIS sonar cameras and associated equipment, scheduling crews, organizing data, assuring adherence to survey protocol and to the collection of consistent high quality data. The crew lead will play a significant role in assisting the CDFW Environmental Scientist in the compilation of the annual monitoring project report. We need someone who is responsible, communicates well, and can be counted on to oversee the project and safety of the field crew. Although all crew members will be properly trained in ARIS protocol operations, the lead will be held to a higher standard of commitment to the job.The goal of the project is monitor and estimate the adult escapement of Eel River (mainstem) California Coastal (CC) Chinook Salmon and Northern California (NC) Steelhead Distinct Population Segment. In order to accomplish this task, the ARIS camera will operate from approximately mid to late October 2024 to April 2025, depending on seasonal river flows and fish migration run-timing. The camera will record data 24 hours a day and 7 days a week through a safe and reasonable range of river discharges, thus requiring odd hours and some weekend work to adjust the camera’s position or, if necessary, remove the camera from the site. Travel will occur from the CDFW Fortuna, CA Field Office to the ARIS site (approximately 25 miles) and returning to the CDFW Office.

In addition to duties associated with the sonar operation, the crew lead may also participate in adult fish speciation efforts related to the project’s goal of producing an accurate Chinook Salmon abundance estimate. These efforts could include adult salmon spawner surveys in tributaries to the Eel River, direct bed and bank fish observations, rod and reel sampling efforts, tangle netting, kayak floats, and mask and snorkel surveys in the Mainstem Eel River within the vicinity of the sonar site.