Individual Placement - Fish Culture Support at Winthrop National Fish Hatchery Hatchery

Position Summary 

The goal of this position is to support staff at the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery with their busy fish culture and spawning workload in the spring, summer, and fall months. Winthrop National Fish Hatchery raises summer steelhead, spring Chinook salmon, and Coho salmon as mitigation for Grand Coulee Dam and under Tribal Trust responsibilities. This position will afford the placement the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in a variety of fisheries and fish culture techniques. Depending on staffing and project needs, the placement may assist the Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife CO with monitoring and evaluation activities, such as biosampling and spawning ground surveys.

 

Location

Winthrop, WA

 

Schedule 

March 2, 2026 - November 20, 2026

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

• Fish husbandry including feeding and cleaning care of juvenile fish
• Monitoring juvenile fish for signs of disease
• Moving fish within the facility and releasing fish to the river
• Routine sampling of juvenile fish
• Live spawning of adult summer steelhead
• Lethal spawning of adult spring Chinook salmon and Coho salmon
• Egg care
• Greeting visitors to the hatchery and providing tours of the facility

 

Marginal Duties 

• Data entry and quality checks
• Production of graphs
• Assisting with collection of water quality and water use data
• Assisting with report writing
• Assisting with routine maintenance related to fish culture and maintenance projects
• Assisting with coded wire tagging and adipose fin clipping of juvenile fish as feasible

 

Required Qualifications 

• Drivers license
• Personal Vehicle
• Bachelor's degree
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
• Willingness to work periodic weekends
• Comfortable in and around cold water
• Comfortable with learning to handle fish
• Comfortable with the humane killing of fish

 

This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger. Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority.

 

Preferred Qualifications 

Degree in fisheries, interest in fish, prior experience with fisheries or fishing, experience with R and/or Microsoft Access

 

Hours 

40 per week

 

Living Accommodations 

No living accommodations are provided. SCA members must find their own housing.

 

Compensation  

• $1,100 - One Time Round-Trip Travel Allowance
• $500 - Weekly Living Allowance (Paid bi-weekly)
• $1000 - Monthly Housing Allowance (4 disbursements) to be secured by selected candidate
• All-Weather Uniform Package
• $1,500 - Duty Related Travel Funds (Receipts required for tax-free reimbursement)

All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes. 

 

Personal Vehicle Information

Required

 

Additional Benefits 

Defensive Drive Training

First Aid/CPR

AmeriCorps: NOT Eligible

 

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all staff members. SCA is committed to maintaining a work atmosphere where people may grow personally and professionally. The Student Conservation Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. 

 

 Physical requirements and working conditions specific to the position are available in the full job description.