Fisheries Seasonal Technical Assistant

Overview

Lynker requires a paid co-op student, summer hire, or intern, for the 2025 winter-summer season .  The proposed start and end dates for this hire are 1/15/25 and 8/15/25.  The position will be at NOAA's James J. Howard Marine Sciences Lab which is located within the Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey. Our proximity to both major urban waterways and the pristine estuaries of southern New Jersey allows our staff to investigate a range of habitats and human effects on ecosystems.  The primary mission of the Howard Laboratory is to conduct research in ecology, leading to a better understanding of both coastal and estuarine organisms and the effects of human activities on nearshore marine populations and their habitats. This position supports Biological Effects of a Changing Climate on Living Marine Resources.   Inshore habitats are used by a variety of marine and estuarine organisms as a source of prey, location for  reproduction, and shelter during vulnerable life-stages. These habitats are subjected to a variety of  environmental stressors including thermal stresses due to a changing climate and the environmental co stressors correlated shifting thermal regimes, e.g., low dissolved oxygen, elevated and variable CO2 (the  basis of ocean acidification) and, in nearshore, embayments and estuaries, the infusion of contaminants  that augment eutrophication. Understanding the extent and nature of these co-stressors remain significant  challenges to researchers and resource managers. NEFSC is conducting research that 1) evaluates the  common environmental stressors associated with climate change, and 2) assesses the additive or  multiplicative effects of these co-stressors especially in an experimental laboratory context. NEFSC’S  focus on how environmental co-stressors affect the early life of finfish and shellfish and the sublethal  responses that are expressed then and soon thereafter (e.g., fertilization, embryos, larvae, and young  juveniles) that may diminish survival, recruitment, and organismal fitness. Some studies look at impacts  on juvenile and adult fish and the impact on interspecific and intraspecific interactions, metabolism,  feeding and reproduction.

Responsibilities

Duties of the Fisheries Seasonal Technical Assistant may include the following:

• Assists in the planning of and preparations for seawater laboratory studies. 
• Identifies supply needs, sources, and costs; communicates via list with attributes to Team Leader /  Technical Representative. 
• Experience with plumbing and ability to construct experimental systems. 
• Maintains the necessary cultures and distributes out live, frozen, and dry feeds for finfish and  shellfish maintained prior to, during, and after experiments. 
• Monitors and maintains seawater system with requisite sampling of water and other system  parameters. 
• Collects, samples, stores, processes, and/or ships finfish and shellfish / study subject samples  before, during, and after experiments. 
• Collects and processes image, video, and/or body component samples related to these studies. h. Runs physiological and bioenergetics assays of test subjects. 
• Maintains current inventory of all samples (biological, electronic, images, data, etc.) collected  during and after experimentation. 
• Develops and maintains Standard Operating Procedures for all biological, chemistry, animal  welfare, and hygienic methods used in support and operation of studies. 
• Develops and documents data, analytical, and quantitative tools used for studies. l. Enters, organizes, and summarizes data collected along with the metadata that describes data and  how these were collected. 
• Checks data QA/QC, reduces data, and conducts initial analyses as instructed by the PI or  surrogates. 
• Prepares tables, graphs, and summary reports. 
• Writes grant proposals in support of research. (Fishery Biologist II) 
• Provides direction on tasks to less-experienced Team members. 
• Reports at weekly frequency or as determined by the Team Leader / Technical Representative. r. Attends Team and higher level meetings as requested. 
• Communicates with internal and external collaborators regarding methods, samples, and data. t. Capable and willing to do physical work in indoor/outdoor spaces and possible on a sea-going  vessel. 
• Drives government vehicles (requires valid driver’s license).
• Works irregular hours, shift work, and on weekends if experiments require. 
• Follows safety protocols, participates in training, and satisfies requirements of access to and use  of federal property. 

 

Deliverables:

• Regular status and progress reports at a frequency requested by Team Leader/Technical  Representative. 
• Regular edits and updates of su