Fisheries Biologist Vacancy - Argyll Fisheries Trust - July 2011

THIS POST HAS NOW BEEN FILLED - 22nd August

Fisheries Biologist

Salary from £19-24k, Subject to Experience

The Argyll Fisheries Trust seeks a biologist to fill a post within AFT to meet its objectives towards the sustainability of wild freshwater fish and their habitats in Argyll.

Based at the AFT office at Inveraray, the person will be part of a team developing programmes to restore and support wild fish populations underpinned by monitoring and research. The AFT undertakes a wide range of projects in partnership with stakeholders, conservation bodies and local communities where people/communications skills will be required. An understanding of the issues surrounding wild salmon and sea trout is essential, and a familiarity of aquaculture and forestry practices would be an advantage.

AFT is looking for an individual with a degree is a scientific or environmental discipline who has practical experience working in the field. The successful candidate for the post will be enthusiastic, aspires to develop, is self motivated, and able to work well within a team.

Ideally the applicant should also be qualified to SFCC team leader standards in electro fishing and is familiar with GIS mapping programmes. A full driving licence is essential.

The Argyll Fisheries Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Set up in 1996 it has a track record of implementing science-based management of fish populations and fisheries. The AFT biologist team reports to an active and involved Board of Directors.

A full job description is available from Craig MacIntyre, Manager AFT, Cherry Park, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8XE; Tel 01499 302322; e-mail: cm@argyllfisheriestrust.co.uk.

Applications with a CV (max 2 pages) and a covering letter should be at the above address by July 22^nd.

Latest news

Hi. Lots of exciting things going on at the Trust this year (well, exciting to us). We're finishing off the reports for last year's projects on Mull and the Lower Firth of Lorn, which will be available through this website shortly(ish).

Our big projects for this year are habitat surveys and electrofishing in the rivers around Loch Fyne, and we'll also be runninng Rivers in the Classroom alongside the surveys in local schools. Still in Loch Fyne, we're part of a project looking at the distribution of sea lice in the loch, which will help us understand what happens to salmon and sea trout when they leave the rivers.

In the Awe catchment, we're doing a lot of work to understand the many factors that affect wild salmon and trout populations. Also, work starts next month on dealing with some of the invasive non-native plants that blight the river and loch areas. More on that next month.

At the moment, we're surveying for sea trout in coastal waters, so if you see a red truck towing a boat called "Deirdre", give us a beep.

Finally, our assistant biologist, Tony, is deserting us next week for pastures new. His position will be advertised on this site shortly, so if you fancy a job that involves working in some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK, get your CVs dusted down and updated.

Good luck, Tony! (splitter)