Internship - Fish Culture
Position Summary
The goal of this position is to support staff at the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery with their busy fish culture and spawning workload in the spring and summer months. This is an intensive position that will involve walking on uneven surfaces and working in and around cold water where an ability to swim and a comfort around water is mandatory. The intern should be comfortable learning how to handle juvenile and adult fish. Some tasks will require the humane killing of fish. The intern should also be able to lift and carry heavy items up to 50 pounds for extended periods of time. This position will afford the intern the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills in a potential variety of fisheries and fish culture techniques depending on funding, staffing, and safety related constraints. Additionally, each season can entail a variety of unanticipated challenges that the Service will attempt to overcome but does not guarantee the intern will have the opportunity to participate in every potential activity.
Schedule
April 7, 2025 - August 30, 2025
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- Fish husbandry including feeding and cleaning care of juvenile fish
- Monitoring juvenile fish for signs of disease
- Moving fish within the facility and releasing fish to the river
- Routine sampling of juvenile fish
- Live spawning of adult summer steelhead
- Lethal spawning of adult spring Chinook salmon
- Egg care
- Greeting visitors to the hatchery and providing tours of the facility
Marginal Duties
- Data entry and quality checks
- Production of graphs
- Assisting with collection of water quality and water use data
- Assisting with report writing
- Assisting with routine maintenance related to fish culture and maintenance projects
- Assisting with coded wire tagging and adipose fin clipping of juvenile fish as feasible
Required Qualifications
Drivers license, vehicle, bachelor's degree, ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs., comfortable in and around water, comfortable with learning to handle fish, comfortable with the humane killing of fish
This SCA Position is authorized under the Public Land Corps Authority. All participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, or veterans age 35 or younger. Participants must also be a citizen or national of the United States or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States. Hours served can be applied toward the Public Land Corps (PLC) hiring authority.
Preferred Qualifications
Degree in fisheries, interest in fish, prior experience with fisheries or fishing
Hours
40 per week
Living Accommodations
SCA members must find their own housing. Housing Allowance is provided.
Compensation
- $1,100 - One Time Round-Trip Travel Allowance
- $500 - Weekly Living Allowance (Paid bi-weekly)
- $1000 - Monthly Housing Allowance (5 disbursements) to be secured by selected candidate
- All-Weather Uniform Package
- $1,500 - Duty Related Travel Funds (Receipts required for tax-free reimbursement)
- AmeriCorps eligible ($2,817 education award) at fulfillment of 675 service hours and successful completion of internship
- All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes.
All allowances are subject to applicable federal, state, and local taxes.
Personal Vehicle Information
Required
Additional Benefits
- Defensive Drive Training
- First Aid/CPR
- AmeriCorps: Eligible/Required
Equal Opportunity Statement
SCA strives to cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all staff members. SCA is committed to maintaining a work atmosphere in which people of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles may grow personally and professionally. The Student Conservation Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.