Scott Creek Field Assistant

About the role

The incumbent will be joining a research team consisting of UCSC staff, faculty, and students, and collaborative researchers from the NMFS Santa Cruz Laboratory. Fieldwork is primarily conducted in coastal streams and estuaries in Central California. Laboratory work is performed at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz, CA.

Responsibilities

• Makes preparations for and conducts standard stream field surveys using prescribed methods under close technical supervision.
• Assists in all core activities performed at the salmonid Life Cycle Monitoring station on Scott Creek to include adult salmonid trapping, handling, and processing for the purpose of determining species status and trends.
• Assists with stream spawning ground surveys and juvenile distribution, abundance, and habitat use surveys via snorkeling, electrofishing, and PIT tagging; determines and documents stream habitat characteristics; detects and tracks PIT-tagged fish using instream fixed and mobile antenna units; collects scales, fin clips, otoliths, and other tissue samples for analysis.
• Data management and some laboratory work are also required.
• Conducts standard laboratory analyses such as mounting fish scales, aging fish from scale samples, and processing collected freshwater invertebrate samples.

Requirements

• Graduation from high school or a General Education Diploma and three years of laboratory experience.
• Two years of college including courses in the natural, physical, or social sciences and two years of laboratory experience.
• Must possess CPR/First Aid/AED certification or have the ability to obtain it within 60 calendar days of hire.
• Knowledge such as attained in lower division coursework leading to a Bachelor’s Degree in Fisheries, Aquatic Ecology, Wildlife, Zoology, or other closely related field.
• Knowledge of flora and fauna of freshwater, riverine, and estuarine ecosystems.
• Knowledge of contemporary fisheries monitoring techniques.
• Experience handling and sampling freshwater fish.
• At least 3 months of field research data collection experience.
• Experience with biological data collection and statistical analysis.
• Experience with word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
• Strong organization, time management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to exercise flexibility, initiative, good judgment, and discretion.
• Ability to work independently and follow instructions from supervisors.
• Ability to work accurately with close attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively with a small group of co-workers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Fisheries, Fishery Sciences, Stream Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, or other closely related field.
• Previous experience with standard fisheries sampling methods and techniques such as snorkel surveys, electrofishing, PIT tagging techniques, adult spawner surveys, habitat surveys, and water quality monitoring.

Skills

• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to work independently and follow instructions from supervisors.
• Ability to work accurately with close attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively with a small group of co-workers.
• Knowledge of contemporary fisheries monitoring techniques.
• Experience with standard fisheries sampling methods and techniques.

Benefits

Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience. Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Pay

Budgeted Salary: $27.07 - 29.51/hour.

Schedule

Full-time, FixedPercentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week. Days of the Week: Monday to Friday, with the occasional evening or weekend. Shift Includes: Day.

Contact Information

For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link. The IRD for this job is: 08-04-2026.