Federal

Biological Science Tech (Fisheries)

Bureau of Land Management ยท Department of the Interior
๐Ÿ“ Corvallis, Oregon GS-5/6 $40,736 - $59,031/yr
Posted: Feb 11, 2026 Deadline: Feb 18, 2026 (Closes in 3 days days left)

About This Position

Explore a new career with the BLM - where our people are our greatest natural resource. We expect to fill many vacancies. This is a temporary appointment. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status and will be for a period not-to-exceed 1560 hours in a service year.

Qualifications

In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. GS-5: Resume should demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4 level. Examples of specialized experience may include, depending on assignment participating in, fish population counts, banding, tagging and releasing fisheries related species; water quality sampling of streams and lakes; aquatic and riparian inventories; inventorying rare, and endangered species habitat based on guidelines; and taking soil samples by layer and root samples; -OR- Successful completion of a full 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of scientific or technical courses such as biology, chemistry, statistics, entomology, animal husbandry, botany, physics, agriculture or mathematics. At least 6 semester hours of courses must be directly related to this position; -OR- A combination of experience and education to meet total experience. GS-6: Resume should demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5 level. Examples of specialized experience may include surveying, mapping and documenting a variety of fisheries related species and habitat conditions; aquatic and riparian inventories, maps, and surveys; compiling of occurrence and distribution data, cover maps, and herbarium study mounts; assisting in performing fisheries or riparian studies and in constructing fish or stream/riparian habitat improvement structures; and compiling data obtained through soil inventory and assembling data into a logical sequence for review; -OR- Successful completion of 6 months graduate education directly related to the work of the position; -OR- A combination of experience and education to meet total experience. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. You must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of the announcement. Physical Demands/Work Environments: Work may be performed indoors or outdoors. Work may occur in steep, wet and muddy terrain, in campgrounds, recreation sites, visitor centers, offices, fee booths, bathrooms, trails or remote areas requiring extended camping. Positions may require physical exertions such as extended walking/standing, driving, stooping/crouching, digging, or lifting/carrying. Individuals should be able to work alone or with people; during day/night/weekend/holiday hours.

Major Duties

Biological Science Technicians (Fisheries) may plan and conduct aquatic and riparian inventories and studies as well as plan and conduct fish population studies.
Riparian studies may be conducted on wetland areas and along stream corridors and may include species inventory and condition assessments.
They also analyze inventory or study data; prepare data for inclusion in study reports; and make recommendations for aquatic and riparian enhancement projects or improvements in survey techniques and evaluation methods.
Other duties may include: Work from an outline; check extensive data in the field of fish habitat condition (stream or lake); record results; make census counts of various species or record observations, on species condition or stream surveys.
Biological Science Technicians (Fisheries) may also plan and conduct simple water quality samplings of streams and lakes.
They may also assist in construction or placement of habitat improvement structures, fences, gabions, trash catchers, etc.

Education

If qualifying based on education you will need to clearly state your undergraduate/graduate degree(s) and you must submit copies of all transcripts or a list of college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. If your degree is from a Foreign Institution See Foreign Education.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. Once the application process is complete, we will review your application to ensure you meet the job requirements. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your resume, supporting documentation and responses to the online questionnaire will be made. Your responses to the online questionnaire will be used to measure the degree to which your background matches the requirements for this position. Qualified applicants will be placed in one of three predefined categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified and Qualified. However, your resume must support your responses to the scored occupational questionnaire, or your score may be lowered. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. Candidates placed in the Best Qualified category will be identified for referral to the hiring manager and may be contacted for an interview. Your answers to the online questionnaire will be used to evaluate your competencies in the following areas: Technical Competence Fishery Biology Applies Technology to Tasks Interpersonal Skills

Additional Information

DOI uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/e-verify. Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/lnteragency Career Transition Assistance Program(ICTAP): CTAP provides eligible surplus and displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. Information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility is available from OPM's Career Transition Resources website at CTAP or ICTAP. If your agency has notified you in writing that you are a surplus or displaced employee eligible for CTAP consideration or that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority if: 1) This vacancy is within your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility; 2) You apply under the instructions in this announcement; and 3) You are found well qualified for this vacancy. You must provide proof of eligibility with your application to receive selection priority. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of CTAP/ICTAP eligibility, or a copy of your separation personnel action form. CTAP and ICTAP eligibles will be considered well qualified if they fall within the Well or Best Qualified categories on the rating criteria for this position. SELECTIVE SERVICE: Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must certify that they have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. To register or verify your registration go to the Selective Service System at https://www.sss.gov/RegVer/wfRegistration.aspx Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid by the Department of the Interior. Any travel, transportation and relocation expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee. This position is not eligible for Telework. Government facilities are required to provide a smoke free environment for their employees. This position may require you to wear an officially-approved uniform while in a duty status. At some duty locations this position may require you to have a current valid driver's license. At some duty locations you may need the ability to lift and move objects weighing over 50 pounds. All positions may not be filled or they may be filled at different times depending on budget, hiring needs, and requirements. These positions are temporary and are expected to last for up to 6 months. These positions have no promotion potential, if you want to be considered for a higher grade you must apply for the higher grade. If selected from this or a similar competitive, seasonal announcement, your appointment may be creditable for consideration under PL-114-47, Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA)?. The Act allows certain individuals, who have or had time-limited appointments at land management agencies, to compete for any permanent position in the competitive service under "internal" merit promotion procedures. For more information, see the section under Eligibility, which starts with Question #15 (Q15. Who is eligible for appointment under these provisions?). For additional information about the BLM, please visit Our website. If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document, you do not have in electronic form; view the following link for information regarding an Alternative Application

How to Apply

THIS IS AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS THROUGH USAJOBS. Your application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time by 02/18/2026 . If you need assistance in applying on-line, please contact the HR Office at the address noted below. If applying on-line poses a hardship for you (i.e. you do not have access to the Internet) you must contact us prior to the closing date of the announcement for an alternative method of applying. PLEASE NOTE: If you have access to a public library, State Job Service Office, etc., you should use these resources to apply online. You must follow the steps described below to complete the application process: YOU MUST HAVE OR CREATE A PROFILE IN USAJOBS. Your profile must contain a current resume for submission. See Required Documents section for what to include in your resume. INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN AN INELIGIBLE RATING. The USAJOBS Resume Builder was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is an available tool when you login to your USAJOBS account. Review the Appointment Eligibility Criteria: The eligibility section of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this vacancy announcement. You will ONLY be considered for the appointment eligibilities that you selected. You must provide proof of your eligibility to be considered. You must submit a resume and also complete the online application and assessment questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. The eligibility portion of the application process is designed to allow you to choose how you wish to be considered for this announcement. You may choose more than one eligibility. You must provide proof of your eligibility and will only be considered for the questions that you answer "yes". Please note, your eligibility will be based solely on the selections you have indicated in this section. You must provide the supporting documentation to support your claim to be considered. You may choose more than one eligibility in this section. To view the assessment questionnaire, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12884141 Note: If invited to take additional competency assessment(s), you will be able to preview a sample exercise at the time of the assessment. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (Welcome | Login.gov), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. FOLLOW UP. Check your application status before the announcement closes. It is your responsibility to ensure that a complete application (including a resume, on-line questionnaire, and applicable supplemental documentation) is received by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 02/18/2026. NOTE: Technical problems may take at least 1 business day to resolve; therefore, you are highly encouraged to complete the application process prior to the closing date.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes: Resume or Application. At a minimum, your resume MUST contain job title (include job series and grade, if federal), duties, starting and ending dates (month and year), hours worked per week, and salary. USAJOBS has a template to ensure a complete resume. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YX7o1PBoFk Your resume will be used to validate your responses to the assessment tool(s). Failure to provide required information will result in loss of eligibility. You are welcome to submit an optional cover letter. Transcripts: If using education to qualify, submit a copy of ALL your college transcripts or a list of ALL college courses that include hours and grades from an accredited U.S. college/university. Upon selection, official transcripts must be received prior to appointment. If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Veterans: If you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit a copy of your DD-214, "Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty," (Member 4 copy is preferred), showing the dates of active duty, type of discharge, and character of service (must be honorable) OR written documentation from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, in addition to the documents specified above, you must submit documentation that supports your claim as shown on the back of the Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference. SF-15. If you are claiming Sole Survivorship Veterans' Preference (SSP), please provide the documentation you received granting this preference. Additional information on veterans' preference can be found in the www.fedshirevets.gov/job-seekers/special-hiring-authorities/. Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligibles: Submit documentation verifying your CTAP/ICTAP eligibility - this includes a copy of the agency notice and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level and duty location. Please note that documents selected for transfer from your USAJOBS profile are NOT automatically added do your application. You need to transfer your document(s) in the "Documents" step during the application process. Hard copy paper supplemental documents, submitted without prior Human Resources approval, will be considered as an incomplete application. Required documentation must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on the closing date of this announcement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Biological Science Tech (Fisheries) position at Bureau of Land Management?
The salary range for this position is $40,736 - $59,031/yr. This is a GS-5/6 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Biological Science Tech (Fisheries) job located?
This position is located in Corvallis, Oregon. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
In order to be rated as qualified for this position, we must be able to determine that you meet the qualification requirement - please be sure to include this information in your resume. No assumptions will be made about your experience. GS-5: Resume should demonstrate one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4 level. Example...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Feb 18, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
What does GS-5/6 mean?
GS-5/6 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.