The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), West Coast Regional Office (WCRO) and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) require assistance conducting science and resource operations, including, but not limited to, management and maintenance of the Motorized Personal Watercraft (MPWC) buoy program.
MPWC are small, fast, and highly maneuverable craft that possess unconventionally high thrust capability and horsepower relative to their size and weight. The majority of MPWC currently operated within marine sanctuary areas are compact water jet-propelled craft that shed water from the passenger spaces. To prevent the disturbance of wildlife and other nearshore users, MPWC uses have been restricted to marine zones established in MBNMS, unless permitted for research uses. Operation of motorized personal watercraft within MBNMS has been restricted to designated zones and access routes. Zone boundaries are marked by large yellow buoys and navigation aids that require ongoing maintenance.
Also, WCRO and MBNMS engage in a variety of underway operations for marine research, education, outreach, maritime heritage, law enforcement, intra/inter-agency partnership trips, etc. This ROS role requires a crew member to assist on a small boat to achieve a number of diverse resource protection missions. The role will include management of ongoing resource protection operations/programs as well as management/support on a project basis.
Cardinal Point Captains, Inc. (CPC) provides vessel research support to ONMS and is seeking a well-rounded applicant to serve as Research Operations Specialist (ROS) to the NOAA WCRO and MBNMS.
Tasks
- Assist, plan and participate in resource protection and operations missions.
- Provide field and resource protection program support to NOAA’s WCRO, including support on a project basis.
- Assist in emergency response and remediation assessments.
- Maintain marine personal watercraft (MPWC} buoy zone marking system.
- Augment as non-licensed crew member on NOAA’s small boat(s) on site, such as the 67' research vessel R/V Fulmar and 22' R/V Tegula.
- Represent WCRO/MBNMS in related intra and inter-agency meetings and partnerships.
- Serve as crew member in a variety of underway operations for research, education, outreach, maritime heritage, law enforcement, intra/inter-agency partnership trips, etc.
- Support Motorized Personal Watercraft (MPWC} buoy program. Tasks include maintaining MPWC buoys at designated stations; maintain planning files, mooring specs, rigging designs, equipment inventories, etc. for MPWC buoys; and coordinate and/or lead search & recovery of MPWC buoys reported missing, adrift, or aground.
- Coordinate with USCG Station Monterey regarding use of the buoy storage bay for equipment deliveries and access by MBNMS personnel and the buoy system deployment contractor (separate contract}.
- Support resource protection outreach activities to recreational boating community.
- Participate in remediation activities related to miscellaneous spills or vessel incidents.
- Maintain MBNMS's incident database for occurrences of groundings, sinkings, spills and other potential enforcement incidents.
- Identify, track and record staff-wide HAZWOPER training needs and requirements.