Azura Consulting LLC Diadromous Fisheries Analyst – Sturgeon Bycatch/Habitat Use Orono, ME · Remote · Full time Company website

Apply for Diadromous Fisheries Analyst – Sturgeon Bycatch/Habitat Use

Thank you for applying. Azura Consulting LLC (Azura) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal or state law. We strongly encourage all qualified persons to apply for this position.

This recruitment process can take several weeks. Once we narrow the applicants, we conduct virtual interviews with chosen applicants and make a final selection. The chosen candidate then undergoes a federal background investigation which often takes 6 to 16 weeks; the candidate either passes or fails based on NOAA's regulations. Contingent upon satisfactory completion of this investigation and United States work authorization verification, Azura will formally offer the position to the preferred applicant. If the applicant fails this investigation, the next applicant who meets the position's criteria will be contacted. Azura will notify all other applicants if they are not chosen for the position.

About Azura

Azura is a woman-owned small business headquartered in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We offer 'big city' resources with 'small town' customer service. Our primary consulting services are focused on natural resources, professional writing and editing, and educational outreach and communication. Please see our website above for more information.

Background

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) that originate from U.S. rivers are listed under the Endangered Species Act as five Distinct Population Segments (DPSs). The New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, Carolina, and South Atlantic DPSs are listed as endangered, and the Gulf of Maine (GOM) DPS is listed as threatened. There is strong fidelity for individuals to return to the natal river for spawning, but individuals belonging to different DPSs mix in marine and estuarine water at other times of the year (Waldman et al. 2012; Kazyak et al. 2021).

Some abundance estimates are available for specific life stages of specific DPSs but there are no complete abundance estimates for any of the DPSs, and there is limited information on the distribution of Atlantic sturgeon DPSs in marine waters. Additional information is needed to inform assessments of the effects of proposed federal activities on Atlantic sturgeon DPSs and to identify and conduct recovery actions for each DPS.

Bycatch in federal and state managed fisheries is one of the primary stressors for each DPS. NOAA intends to use a two-prong approach to address the current information deficits by identifying and/or developing two new tools: 1) the best modeling approach for estimating fisheries bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon and 2) the spatial distribution (e.g., including seasonal variation and variations by DPS) of Atlantic sturgeon DPSs in marine waters. Initial focus will be marine waters from Maine through Virginia; however, analysis may extend to the overall Atlantic sturgeon range (Hamilton Inlet, Labrador, Canada to Cape Canaveral, Florida to include Canada and Southeast Region).

The Diadromous Fisheries Analyst will work closely with the oversight group and provide strong organizational and writing skills to support this project.

Place of Performance and Work Schedule

Work is anticipated to be remote from a location in the Greater Orono or Bangor, Maine area. Work is full-time (40 hours per week, Monday through Friday) and expected to last approximately one year. During workdays, candidates must be able to respond to all communications within 24 hours and conduct calls and meetings as necessary during normal business hours.

Compensation and Benefits

• Rate dependent on skills, education, and work experience
• Competitive benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and disability insurance; and paid time off for vacation, sick leave, and federal holidays.

Duties

The employee will perform a variety of tasks to support this project. Specific tasks may include the following:

• Work with the oversight group to coordinate efforts including organize and build bimonthly (every 2 months) meeting agenda, network with related ongoing and planned sturgeon work, and track progress on core elements of the sturgeon information needs for management within scope of work
• Assist in the development of GOM population models with Maine Department of Marine Resources with a completion target of 1 September 2025
• Integrate GOM models and lead development of a novel coast-wide population model to improve current methods and highlight data gaps, shortcomings and needs
• Write technical memorandums with the oversight group and document all project analyses in a shared repository and fully brief federal staff on methods and analytical details
• Develop a spatial distribution layer by DPS in marine waters including assessment of data coverage, bottom types or other habitat layers, data/information gaps, and needs for informative seasonal distribution and insights into marine and coastal habitat use.
• Time periods for this deliverable:
• November 1 to February 28
• March 1 to October 31
• Develop a plan for data collection or monitoring coverage based on gap analysis of current data from fisheries dependent and, if appropriate, independent sampling programs
• Conduct Data Consolidation with Regional Telemetry Nodes in Atlantic sturgeon DPS US distribution in conjunction with the US ATN with focus on data consolidation and data network collaboration and integrate these data with GOM data as they become available in summer 2025.
• Publish bycatch, distribution, and population methods in technical series or peer-reviewed journals as determined by the oversight group

Required Qualifications

• Master’s of Science or a Doctor of Philosophy degree in a scientific field
• Proficient in spatial data analysis and manipulation, ArcGIS, R, and or Python programming language(s) (modeling experience preferred)
• Spatial analysis and modeling experience
• Process-oriented and attentive to detail
• Excellent reading comprehension and writing skills
• Ability to multitask and work with short deadlines
• Must have strong skills with MS Office and Google Suite applications
• Eligibility to work in the U.S.
• Candidate must be able to obtain a Public Trust Clearance which requires passing a thorough background check.

Instructions

• Click the link above or at the bottom of the page to apply.
• The application will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
• If you want to provide more information for any of your responses, please use the Applicant Comment section to elaborate.
• You will need to provide 2 to 4 references with contact information (name, email, and phone number).
• Required Documents:
• Cover Letter - 1 page that specifies the position to which you are applying; your earliest available start date; and your level of knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience as they pertain to the key responsibilities and desired strengths of this position. Label this file as Lastname-Firstname_Cover Letter_ Diadromous Fisheries Analyst-Sturgeon.
• Resume/CV - 3 pages or less targeted specifically towards the duties and qualifications of this position. Label this file as Lastname-Firstname_Resume (OR CV)_Diadromous Fisheries Analyst-Sturgeon.

Resources for Applicants

77 FR 5880. (February 6, 2012). Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened and Endangered Status for Distinct Population Segments of Atlantic Sturgeon in the Northeast Region.

77 FR 5914. (February 6, 2012). Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Listing Determinations for Two Distinct Population Segments of Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the Southeast.

Kazyak, D.C., White S.L., Lubinski B.A., Johnson R., and Eackles M. (2021). Stock composition of Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) encountered in marine and estuarine environments on the U.S. Atlantic Coast. Conservation Genetics. 22:767–781.

Waldman, J.R., T. King, T. Savoy, L. Maceda, C. Grunwald, and I. Wirgin. (2013). Stock origins of subadult and adult Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus, in a non-natal estuary, Long Island Sound. Estuaries and Coasts. 36:257–267.