Assist in collecting adipose fin-clipped salmon heads at Central Valley Hatcheries (i.e., Feather River, Nimbus and Mokelumne River hatcheries).
* Catalog and process heads taken from adipose fin-clipped Chinook Salmon sampled in Central Valley escapement and angler surveys, at state-run Central Valley anadromous hatcheries, and in other salmonid monitoring activities in California’s Central Valley.
*Retrieve, read, and archive CWTs taken from salmon heads: apply proper techniques and safety procedures for cutting and processing salmon heads, CWT retrieval, decoding, and verification of CWT data.
*Prepare, read, and age scale samples from Chinook Salmon sampled in the Central Valley salmon sport fishery.
*Provide assistance with data entry and verification of CWT reads: validate reads from salmon stocks of special concern and validate all out-of-state recoveries of California CWT releases.
*Other duties may include assisting other CDFW projects, including the Central Valley Genetic Tissue Archive, Salmonid Scale Reading Laboratory, fishery monitoring projects, hatcheries, and escapement surveys.
Successful candidates will have the opportunity to gain experience working in natural resource conservation. Many former Fish and Wildlife Scientific Aids have gained enough experience to be competitive in promoting to permanent positions in the state or in the private sector. The Central Valley CWT Laboratory provides an inclusive and safe working environment and promotes opportunities for collaboration, mentoring and work experience diversification.