Career Information for a Fisheries Biologist
Do you enjoy working outdoors? Do you have good communication
skills? Would you like being part of a team that makes
a difference? If so, you may be interested in a job
as a fisheries biologist in the Forest Service. The
Forest Service employs hundreds of fisheries professionals.
The Work Environment
Forest Service fisheries biologists work in all types
of environments- offices and mountains, lakes and laboratories,
forests and seashores--we have it all. As a fisheries
biologist, you will work alongside other resource professionals
protecting and improving conditions on 128,000 miles
of streams and rivers: more than 2.2 million acres of
fishable lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: and 16,500 miles
of coast and shoreline that support diverse aquatic
resources. All of these are found on the 191 million
acres of National Forest System land. You will work
in some of the most scenic places in the Nation, places
set aside and protected not just for their natural resources,
but for their natural beauty as well.
Operating on the Job
A principal responsibility of a fisheries biologist
is to support the wise use of natural resources. You
will advise resource specialists in the agency about
necessary protection and restoration of aquatic resources.
Forest Service fisheries biologists work on teams with
recreation, range, minerals, wildlife, watershed, engineering,
and timber management professionals. You will develop
and implement fish habitat management programs on national
forests, helping to meet the growing demand for fishing
and aquatic education on public land.
Forest Service fisheries biologists often work as partners
with conservation organizations; State, Federal, and
tribal fish management agencies; and special interest
groups to evaluate, improve, and monitor aquatic habitat
and fish populations. You will be a professional working
with other professionals in an interdisciplinary team
effort on every project.
Being a fisheries biologist in the Forest Service is
challenging, varied, stimulating, important, and satisfying.
The Forest Service works hard to provide fisheries biologists
with the up-to-date training and experiences they need
to be successful in their jobs.
Career Paths and Requirements
Fisheries biologists are hired at many different grade
levels. Recent college graduates may be hired at the
GS-5 or GS-7 grade level. They spend up to 2 years in
training and developmental positions, and then may be
noncompetitively promoted to the GS-9 grade level. You
may also be hired initially for higher grade level positions
if you meet higher education and/or experience requirements.
Promotion opportunities at GS- 11 and above are competitive,
but opportunities are good: over 35 percent of fisheries
biologists are at the GS- 11 grade level and almost
25 percent are at grades above that level.
To be a fisheries biologist with the Forest Service,
you must have a bachelor's degree with a major in biological
science. A master's degree will help you be more competitive
for some positions. A Ph.D. is not a prerequisite for
a Forest Service entry-level research job, but is considered
necessary for a long-term career in research. The following
course work also must be completed:
- At least 6 semester-hours in aquatic
subjects such as limnology, ichthyology, fisheries
biology, aquatic botany, aquatic fauna, oceanography,
fish culture, or similar courses of equivalent basic
values in the field of fisheries biology.
- At least 12 semester-hours in zoology
in subjects such as general zoology, vertebrate zoology,
comparative anatomy, physiology, entomology, parasitology,
ecology, cellular biology, genetics, or research in
these fields (extra or additional course work in aquatic
subjects may be used to meet this requirement when
appropriate).
- A combination of education and experience.
Courses equivalent to a major in biological science
(that is, at least 30 semester-hours), with a minimum
of 6 semester-hours in aquatic subjects and 12 semester-hours
in zoology, as shown above, plus related experience
or additional related education.