Coral Propagation and Culture (Level II)

*US Citizenship Required

*Position is Subject to Contract Award

The incumbent works in the NOAA Galveston Deep Sea Coral Laboratory to conduct operations of the coral culture facility and the marine organisms under the guidance of the Program manager and other assigned aquaculture staff. Assists in laboratory studies of diseases and other deleterious agents affecting corals. General duties are to provide laboratory support in the husbandry and maintenance of related facilities.

a) Laboratory and Fieldwork-Support Duties

Tasks shall include but is not limited to:

• Maintain recirculating culture systems within the coral culture facility, conduct safety inspections, monitor water quality, and report malfunctions in facility operations to the Program/Task Order Manager.
• Conduct routine care of live coral specimens under optimum conditions for health/growth including tank setup and cleaning for ESA coral species. Confer with other staff and Veterinarians regarding animal care.
• Participation in at-sea surveys to conduct collection of broodstock and for out planting of laboratories reared specimens.
• Database management of corals and water quality.
• Help execute experiments with Program leads as directed.
• Respond to unusual coral disease and bleaching outbreaks as necessary including field operations and transport to Galveston culture facility of specimens for treatment and recovery.
• Participate in required training on workplace safety, defensive driving, and basic tool handling and maintenance.
• Conduct work aboard Federal government and contract vessels when conducting coral collection or re-stocking activities. Meet vessels to transfer live coral fragments or colonies, in participating laboratories.
• Training: general laboratory safety training, chemical safety hygiene, defensive driving, materials safety data sheets (MSDS), personal protection equipment (PPE), fire extinguisher, electric hand tools, acid handling and storage, slips trips and falls prevention, battery handling and charging, NOAA IT security, and automatic electronic defibrillator (AED).

b) Data Management Support

Tasks shall include but is not limited to:

• Assist in the preparation of written standard operating procedures and manuals for the husbandry of cold water corals.
• Computer data entry of water quality and coral health.
• QA/QC data input.
• Updating tracking sheets and project management tools as needed.

c) Analytical Support

Basic duties include data preparation and validation prior to analysis, assisting in drafting reports and manuscripts, and review. Advanced duties involve working with. Tasks shall include but is not limited to:

• Collect and archive journal articles, research papers, etc., on coral biology, culture and husbandry.
• Assist the Program Manager/Task Order Manager in the preparation of graphs, graphics, Power Point presentations for communicating the results of research and data collection.

d) Outreach and Education

The Contractor shall participate in Outreach and education as follows by answering telephones, provide information to the public, help develop and maintain educational materials, and perform as a participant at outreach and educational events such as open-houses, career fairs, teacher education workshops, etc.

• Bachelor's degree in marine sciences or related biology fields with at least 2 years of experience related to maintaining coral culture systems. Previous experience with saltwater aquaria or similar aquatic systems is desired.
• Knowledge of applying basic water quality, aquaculture/mariculture and animal husbandry concepts, principles and methodologies and be capable of independently performing scientific tasks using established methods and techniques.
• Knowledge of basic plumbing, carpentry and facility maintenance
• Capable of following oral and written instructions and learning sea turtle husbandry and recognizing animal behaviors while on the job.
• Capable of writing reports at the college level and making oral and written presentations.
• Must possess a valid driver's license, issued in the USA.
• Must be able to lift 50 lb sacks of salt and load into a pick-up truck and work in environments where temperatures are maintained at or near 40°F.

• Knowledge of marine life, preferably corals.
• Knowledge of water quality and animal husbandry