Location: Portland or The Dalles/Hood River, Oregon

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) was formed in 1977 by four sovereign treaty tribes of the Columbia River Basin: the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and the Nez Perce Tribe. CRITFC was created to provide coordination, management, and technical assistance to the tribes in the co-management of their treaty fishing rights and fishery resources within the Columbia River Basin.

CRITFC also assists the four tribes in conservation, management, and restoration of Pacific lamprey through actions outlined in the CRITFC Tribal Pacific Lamprey Restoration Plan. These actions include improving mainstem and tributary passage and habitat, supplementation and augmentation (translocation and reintroductions), education and outreach, and research, monitoring, and evaluation.

Summary

The Fishery Technicians will work for the CRITFC Lamprey Program. The primary duties of the position are trapping, transporting, and hatchery holding of adult Pacific lamprey in support of the tribes’ Pacific lamprey translocation programs. Pacific lamprey are collected using a variety of trapping methods at Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day dams on the Columbia River. Traps are checked daily and collected fish are transported to a hatchery facility and held in tanks until being transferred to CRITFC member tribes approximately weekly.

Work weeks consist of five consecutive 8-hour days that include Saturday and Sunday with two consecutive weekdays off. Therefore, work schedule options will include Wednesday-Sunday, Thursday-Monday, Friday-Tuesday, or Saturday-Wednesday with the other two days off each week. Workdays may occasionally exceed 8 hours per day during the peak of the lamprey run, with overtime accrued for hours over 40 per week.

Responsibilities

• Collecting biological data, tissue samples, and executing technical procedures.
• Safely handling and accurately enumerating up to several hundred lamprey per day.
• Setting and checking Pacific lamprey traps at Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day dams on the Columbia River to collect adult lamprey for CRITFC member tribes.
• Transporting and holding collected lamprey in vehicle tanks and hatchery tanks.
• Monitoring fish health and water quality during trapping, transportation, and holding.
• Operating and maintaining dissolved oxygen and temperature probes and other sampling equipment.
• Taking detailed sampling notes, conducting data entry, and data management.
• Driving daily from the Portland duty station to the dams and back in CRITFC vehicles.
• Conducting outreach and education.

Qualifications

• Minimum high school diploma or equivalent.
• Ability to follow established fish collection, handling, and holding protocols.
• Ability to collect and maintain high quality data records from field and laboratory work.
• A willingness to pitch in and get the work done as a team and do so in an effective and positive manner.
• A strong orientation to safety. The ability to recognize safety risks and exercise good judgement to keep yourself and others safe. Ability to follow behavioral and safety requirements while working at federal hydro dams and state fish hatcheries.
• Must be a reliable and on time person, as our crew works together as a team and commutes to Bonneville Dam together each day.
• The ability to lift and carry objects weighing at least 50 lbs. and set and pull traps up to 75 lbs. with assistance.
• Must have the ability to work in inclement weather.
• Available to work a schedule that includes Saturday and Sunday and to be on call occasionally when necessary.
• Work from the Portland duty station.

Qualifications for Tech III

• Two or more years relevant work experience in a fisheries science, fishery technician or similar field data collection position.
• A bachelor’s degree in fisheries or a related field may substitute for work experience.
• Familiar with biological research and able to execute detailed technical procedures.

Working conditions

This position is physically demanding and requires frequent walking, lifting, and carrying buckets of fish and water weighing up to 30 pounds up and down flights of stairs, on walkways over and alongside flowing water, at heights while working at dams, and into and out of pickup truck tanks. The position requires lifting, carrying, and moving items weighing up to 75 lbs. as a two-person lift. Other activities include climbing up and down ladders, bending, stooping, crouching, and pulling ropes. Ability to safely operate motor vehicles including large pickup trucks for up to 6 hours per day on freeways, at Army Corps of Engineers dams, and on state hatchery grounds. Vehicle operation requires extreme caution in the presence of potential hazards including construction crews, narrow dam roadways, and pedestrians and tourists. Additional or extended working hours may be required occasionally to meet job related duties and functions. Must be able work in indoor and outdoor settings under environmental conditions ranging from cold, wet, and humid to hot, dry, and windy.

CRITFC Motor Vehicle Policy

This job occasionally requires driving a CRITFC vehicle or your own vehicle for business (mileage compensated), and therefore you must be able to meet the terms of the CRITFC Motor Vehicle policy. Per the policy, applicants are required to have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record for the past three years. This includes a three-year record clear of the following:

• Reckless Driving
• Driving Under the Influence
• Suspension or revoked license
• No more than two at-fault accidents
• No more than one major violation or two minor violations.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

This position requires adherence to CRITFC’s drug and alcohol policy. CRITFC employees are strictly prohibited from engaging in unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of a controlled substance (including alcohol and marijuana) in the workplace, and while conducting CRITFC business. Employees who violate this prohibition shall be subject to immediate disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Employees are encouraged to report any suspected on the job possession or use of illegal drugs to their supervisor.

Native Hiring Preference

CRITFC implements a tribal preference policy and encourages citizens and descendants of our member tribes (Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Yakama) and other federally recognized tribes to apply.

CRITFC is committed to building a culturally inclusive community and a work environment that respects and inspires every person. Members of historically marginalized groups including women, people of color, those with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ community, those who have served in the military, and members of other underrepresented communities are invited to apply.

Recruitment period: Opened until filled.