Bottom Longline Survey Scientist, Levels II–III

Overview

Lynker Corporation is seeking Bottom Longline Survey Scientists, Levels II–III to support NOAA Fisheries’ SEFSC. These proposed roles will support the SEFSC Bottom Longline Survey and related fisheries research through field survey leadership, biological sampling, trophic and life-history research, data management and analysis, scientific publication, and public outreach. *Hiring for these positions will be contingent on contract award.

The Bottom Longline Survey supports research on sharks and other predatory fishes in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Associated research includes trophic ecology, distribution and movement, age and growth, reproductive biology, population structure, taxonomy, and fishing gear selectivity.

Responsibilities

Duties of the Bottom Longline Survey Scientist will include the following:

• Serve as Field Party Chief, Watch Leader, or Watch Stander on the SEFSC Bottom Longline Survey and other SEFSC resource surveys as needed.
• Support other SEFSC field research activities in similar roles.
• Prepare and submit cruise instructions and cruise reports when serving as Field Party Chief.
• Plan, coordinate, and provide logistical support for surveys.
• Coordinate participant clearances and work with IT staff to support survey data collection and post-survey retrieval.
• Serve as liaison between ship and science crews.
• Assist with procurement, preparation, and loading of survey gear, bait, supplies, and equipment.
• Coordinate vessel activities, personnel, vessel position and movements, ports of call, and monitoring of weather and sea conditions with vessel personnel when assigned.
• Conduct biological and environmental sampling, data collection, logging, and sample processing under field conditions.
• Perform QA/QC and entry of survey data.
• Support and, when required, lead research activities.
• Coordinate trophic studies of elasmobranchs captured during the Bottom Longline Survey and other appropriate SEFSC surveys.
• Support laboratory maintenance, sample procurement and cataloging, stomach content analyses, and presentation of results in peer-reviewed journals.
• Assist and advise personnel conducting diet studies of teleost fishes.
• Support research involving shark biology and gear interactions, including distribution and movement patterns, age and growth, reproductive biology, population structure, taxonomy, and gear selectivity.
• Enter and edit research data and maintain databases used to archive and distribute research data in accordance with Public Access to Research Results requirements.
• Upload data to applicable SEFSC Oracle databases.
• Maintain tag, biological sampling, and genetic-sample survey information.
• Conduct data analyses and prepare summaries, reports, publications, and presentations.
• Conduct advanced analyses including non-parametric and multivariate statistics.
• Conduct spatial analyses including kriging, mapping, and heat maps.
• Support other SEFSC field and laboratory research programs.
• Support marine mammal and sea turtle stranding activities as needed, including accessing stranded animals by beach or small boat, identification, measurements, bagging and transportation, and data submission.
• Conduct and, when needed, organize public outreach and education activities.
• Prepare for and potentially present, facilitate, or participate in workshops, scientific meetings, symposia, and public forums.

 

 

Qualifications

The Bottom Longline Survey Scientist should have the following:

Level II

• Master of Science degree in Marine Science or a related field of study; or
• Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science or a related field of study plus three years of relevant experience.

Level III

• Master of Science degree in Biology or a related science plus a minimum of five years of experience in fish biology, marine biology, oceanography, ecology, or a related field; or
• Bachelor of Science degree in Biology or a related science plus a minimum of ten years of experience in fish biology, marine biology, oceanography, ecology, or a related field.

Essential qualifications for both levels include:

• Demonstrable field experience with multiple gear types, including longlines, trawls, and plankton collection devices.
• Experience with oceanographic equipment such as side-scan sonar and conductivity, temperature, and depth instruments (CTDs), as well as video technologies.
• Knowledge of fisheries biology and survey design concepts, principles, and methodologies sufficien