Primary Function:
Fisheries Technicians will be trained to collect high-quality discard mortality and tagging data aboard for-hire vessels operating out of Port Fourchon/Cocodrie and Venice, Louisiana, supporting sustainable management of key reef fish species and long-term health of recreational fisheries. Time will be spent at the fishing ports speaking with vessel captains, scheduling trips, and at-sea collecting data.
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Participate in required training, safety briefings, and monthly program meetings as needed.
- Travel by personal vehicle to assigned ports to engage with vessel captains and deploy on vessels.
- Assist with industry outreach by encouraging voluntary vessel participation and maintaining positive relationships with captains
- Initiate contact in person and via phone with vessel captains and crew to schedule sampling trips.
- Maintaining accurate and detailed records of communication with industry.
- Maintain clear communication with vessel captains and crew to support safe, efficient sampling operations.
- Conduct offshore, at-sea sampling aboard for-hire vessels.
- Collect, measure, and record discard data for targeted reef fish species, including red snapper, grouper species, gray triggerfish, and greater amberjack.
- Apply external tags to discarded reef fish, targeting tagging of at least 50% of eligible individuals per trip.
- Accurately document biological and trip data and upload completed datasets within 48 hours of trip completion to the GSMFC data warehouse
- Support quality assurance efforts by coordinating with GSMFC staff and responding to data review requests
- Support administrative tasks related to sampling activities, including trip documentation and reporting.
Minimum Requirements:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in one of the natural sciences, including a minimum of 30 semester hours (or equivalent) in biological sciences or 1 year of professional biological experience in a field or laboratory program.
- At least one undergraduate course in math or statistics.
- Must have the physical ability to fulfill at-sea data collection duties, as verified by a licensed physician’s certification.
- Must have familiarity with reef fish species of the Gulf of America and basic fish handling techniques.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to collect accurate data under variable field conditions.
- Comfort working independently aboard vessels and interacting professionally with industry partners.
- Ability to follow protocols, safety procedures, and data quality standards.
- Basic computer skills, including data entry and use of electronic data systems.
- Willingness and ability to travel and work flexible schedules, including offshore and early-morning departures.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working at sea or in field-based data collection environments.
Compensation: $19 – $22/hour
