Sea Sampler
Employment Opportunities for Summer 2010
Who may apply:
The Commission is an
International Governmental Organization and as such we will be
considering applicants regardless of nationality.
Salary range:
$267- $299/day (U.S. currency) while aboard
vessel plus a $6/day taxable gear allowance. There are separate daily
rates for travel and working standby.
In addition, the IPHC will pay for approved transit, lodging, and
expenses to and from the research vessel.
Deployment usually takes place from Seattle after training in
May.
Duration:
21 -
90 days.
The International Pacific Halibut
Commission (IPHC) will be conducting comprehensive setline surveys
ranging from the U.S. West Coast and British Columbia to the Aleutian
chain and Bering Sea in the summer of 2010.
The research will be conducted aboard chartered commercial
longline fishing vessels with a scientific crew of two to three aboard
each vessel. Additionally,
the IPHC will deploy a sea sampler on National Marine Fisheries Service
trawl surveys, which consist of a scientific crew of five to six
including one IPHC representative.
A number of sea sampler positions will be
available in 2010 and the IPHC will be conducting interviews from
February 15 through March 15 to fill vacancies for the coming summer.
Applicants must be available either in person or via telephone
for an interview during this time.
However, if a qualified applicant is unavailable to
interview due to current work assignment, the applicant should indicate
alternative dates for an interview.
Interviews will
be granted based on the rated qualifications listed below.
Positions will be filled by April 15, 2010.
Qualified candidates who have successfully completed
the interview will be placed on a roster from which openings will be
filled. Inclusion on the
roster list does not guarantee employment.
Any candidates on the roster, but not hired for this year’s work
will be added to the standby list for the following season’s work and
will not have to re-interview for future work.
All
hired sea samplers will be required to attend training in
Seattle
in late May and have a valid passport at that time.
Job
Description
Work aboard ship involves recording length, sex, and
maturity data from Pacific halibut, and collecting age determination
structures (otoliths).
Special projects and data collection from other species will also be
part of the job. Working conditions can be cold, wet, and smelly:
sampling the fish requires working long hours, and heavy lifting on a
slimy, rolling deck. Samplers use knives and forceps while performing
their duties on deck.
Collaboration with commercial fishing
captains and crew on chartered vessels is essential to successful
collection of stock assessment data. Applicants should understand that
living conditions aboard survey vessels are often cramped, noisy, and
uncomfortable. Because of
the small size of the vessels (generally 60-90 feet), individual
sleeping berths are often in common quarters.
Biologists and vessel crew of both genders may be aboard the
vessel at any time. The
vessels are required to provide three meals per day, but they are not
required to cater to special dietary needs.
Personnel must be flexible and maintain effective interpersonal
relations under the described conditions.
Employees will act as liaison between the IPHC office and other
involved parties, such as the vessel captain and NMFS representatives,
to assure that research objectives are met.
During deployment, samplers may be
required to perform additional tasks in port when not assigned to a
vessel. These days are
considered working standby,
and are subject to a different pay rate than that received while at sea.
Duties include but are not limited to data editing, data entry, and
assisting IPHC port samplers.
The employee may be given accommodations and meal allowances
during these periods.
Employment will occur from May to
September and will be between 21 and 90 days in duration. Preference may
be given to candidates with the widest range of availability within
those months. Positions in
all areas of the survey are open to all employees, regardless of
nationality.
Minimum Qualifications:
Education:
Graduation from a recognized university, college or technical
institution.
Experience:
Experience collecting scientific data in the field.
Experience living on vessels at sea.
Abilities:
Must be able to work long hours, climb ladders on the vessel and
dock, negotiate slippery
decks, and lift live fish as large as 40 pounds without
assistance. Applicants
must not be
subject to motion sickness to the extent that work performance is
impaired
Background:
Employment with the IPHC requires the ability
to freely cross the U.S./Canadian border.
Candidates must have a valid passport by the beginning of May
2010. All prospective
employees must
submit to a
criminal background check.
Convictions such as DUI/DWI,
Breaking and Entering, Assault, Drugs, or Theft may prevent you
from crossing the
U.S./Canadian border and this may result
in the IPHC not being able to offer you employment.
Rated Qualifications:
·
Number of sea days
·
Experience aboard longline vessels
·
Experience aboard small (<100 ft) vessels in the open ocean
·
Skills in identifying north Pacific fish species
·
Demonstrated ability to follow statistical sampling protocols and
accurately record data
·
Leadership and teamwork skills
and experience
To Apply:
The IPHC is currently accepting applications for the
2010 season. If interested please complete and return an application
package which includes your: 1) résumé, 2)
application form 3)
background waiver
and 4)
reference check release form.
The application forms can be completed online but the waivers
must be faxed or scanned and emailed with a valid signature.
Background and
reference checks will only be completed after applicants have been short
listed.
Mail or fax the package to: Tracee Geernaert, IPHC,
P.O. Box 95009, Seattle, WA
98145-2009, FAX: (206) 632-2983.
Once you apply please keep us updated with current contact
information. Applications will be accepted until
February 15, 2010.
All applications received after this date will be placed at the
bottom of the roster or processed for the following year.
For additional information, please
contact Tracee by phone at (206) 634-1838 ext. 208 or via e-mail at
tracee@iphc.washington.edu
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