At Saltwater Inc., we believe that high-quality data is vital to the health of our fisheries and oceans. Our mission is to provide that data. We are a Women-Owned Small Business and are constantly seeking new team members who share our passion for innovation and environmental wellness.
We are currently recruiting for a Longfin Squid Stock Assessment Specialist to work with the Longfin Squid Research Track Assessment Working Group under the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The group will be formed later this year, and their efforts will be centered on organizing available data and developing and reviewing models to estimate biomass, fishing mortality, and future sustainable catch levels.
This contract is anticipated to last 27 months, from January, 2024–March, 2026. It is anticipated that the contractor will average 24 hours per month for 27 months (648 hours total), with approximately 2–5 of those monthly hours in working group meetings. It is anticipated that 19–22 hours will be used to conduct analytical tasks on behalf of the working group, so this is a part-time position. Work in 2026 will be focused on preparation for, and participation in, the scheduled March 2026 peer review. Work will be performed remotely.
Duties:
The contractor will also collaborate on the development of technical working papers that advance the state of longfin squid assessment science, and which are independently peer reviewed at the conclusion of the assessment. It is anticipated that the contractor will be focused on the tasks below.
- Present the survey data used in the assessment (e.g., indices of relative or absolute abundance, recruitment, state surveys, age-length data, application of catchability and calibration studies, etc.) and provide a rationale for which data are used. Describe the spatial and temporal distribution of the data. Characterize the uncertainty in these sources of data.
- Use the appropriate assessment approach to estimate annual fishing mortality, recruitment and stock biomass (both total and spawning stock) for the time series and estimate their uncertainty. Compare the time series of these estimates with those from the previously accepted assessment(s). Evaluate a suite of model fit diagnostics (e.g., residual patterns, sensitivity analyses, retrospective patterns), and (a) comment on likely causes of problematic issues, and (b), if possible and appropriate, account for those issues when providing scientific advice and evaluate the consequences of any correction(s) applied.
- Update or redefine Status Determination Criteria (SDC; point estimates or proxies for BMSY, BTHRESHOLD, FMSY and MSY reference points) and provide estimates of those criteria and their uncertainty, along with a description of the sources of uncertainty. If analytic model-based estimates are unavailable, consider recommending alternative measurable proxies for reference points. Compare estimates of current stock size and fishing mortality to existing, and any redefined, SDCs.
- Define appropriate methods for producing projections; provide justification for assumptions of fishery selectivity, weights at age, maturity, and recruitment; and comment on the reliability of resulting projections considering the effects of uncertainty and sensitivity to projection assumptions.
Minimum Qualifications & Requirements
- A Ph.D. with a background in marine biology, fisheries, or similar.
- Demonstrated quantitative expertise with fisheries stock assessments.
- Demonstrated assessment experience involving short-lived, data poor, and/or model-resistant species.
- Saltwater’s mandatory employee COVID-19 policy requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination to safeguard the health of our employees and their families.
Compensation
- Salary commensurate with experience.
