Potential JOB options in salmon conservation??

[tincan]

Would like to get your thoughts on any potential organizations that would be attractive to work for in the salmon/wildlife/conservation arena. I am currently looking into a career move and have met with a few NGO's and also a few 'regular' companies. I'm sure there are many others on this forum who are currently working in a related field or have knowledge about potential companies or organizations out there that are doing good things and perhaps looking for good people. I've learned a lot on this forum and by reading up on the industry and, like many, the more I learn the more frustrated I get and the more I want to get involved to see positive change.

So, as someone considering getting involved in the salmon/wildlife/conservation arena, my ?'s to you are:

1) What are some organizations (NGO, gov't, private, etc) that are worth looking into?

2) Does anyone on this forum currently or previously work for an organization devoted to salmon conservation, etc.? If so I'd love to chat so either post here or PM me.

Thanks in advance,

tincan

 

[tincan]

Appreciate the views but no comments yet?? Surely you know somebody working at: government; PSF; PSC; DFO; or other conservation orgs.

 

[GLG]

Sadly most of the jobs have been downloaded to the general public.
There are a few consultants that co-ordinate the work but it's volunteers that are the ones getting it done. Find a community based hatchery or streams keepers group in your area and that will get you some contacts in the field.
GLG

 

[Cuba Libre]

Sadly, the field biologist of old with Fisheries no longer exists. In fact the permanent DFO staff spend little time actually working with fish these days. As GLG indicated, DFO relies heavily on consultants to do field work and others (volunteers, MOH, PSF etc) to do the actual work. The provincial staff is slashed even further. The best hope ( and its slim) is for you to contact the Freshwater Fisheries Society to see if they have any job opportunities in the provincial trout hatchery system.

Have a look at this letter from Dave Clough to the Halalt Band.
http://a100.gov.bc.ca/appsdata/epic...90651357_bb11cb99a0c24caa9e39eb0b2d226eb6.pdf

This will give you some idea of what consultants do. PM me if you have questions. Good luck
Bryan

 

[Cuba Libre]

Dont know why I didnt think of this earlier, but here is a good link for contact information on fish and wildlife consulting outfits

https://professionalbiology.com/mem...xpertise_tid=19&field_member_location_tid=All

Worth a shot to get in touch with some to judge what demand, if any may be out there for guys/gals wanting to work in the field.

They should be able to put you on the right track as to what education levels they are looking for in employees.

 

[Lipripper]

Archipelago?.....

 

[Cuba Libre]

Archipelago?.....

Well, working as an observer through Archipelago will get you a job as a dockside monitor or onboard observor , watching what the commercials catch, its not my idea of a great job... Long hours if offshore, irregular hours if plant based etc.... But is is a job. But Tincan will have to take the Vancouver Island University (Malaspina) fish identification course first.

 

[tincan]

GLG, thanks I am looking into a few local streamkeeper groups and will be volunteering at 1 or more of those shortly. Was hoping to supplement that with a paid job in a somewhat related field if possible and I've found that budgets are very tight for most conservations groups so that's why i was hoping to gain some more insight from people on this forum as many of you are much more knowledgeable than I am in this area. Appreciate your feedback!

Sadly most of the jobs have been downloaded to the general public.
There are a few consultants that co-ordinate the work but it's volunteers that are the ones getting it done. Find a community based hatchery or streams keepers group in your area and that will get you some contacts in the field.
GLG

 

[tincan]

Thanks CL. Interesting report indeed. As mentioned by many on this forum many budgets have recently been slashed including some NGO's (PSF for instance just had it's 3 million/year fed gov't funding ended) so it's tough going for many of these org's during such a critical time. Seems the current fed gov't really wants to limit anything that could potentially stand in their way of developing the tar sands...and science-based research certainly falls into that category. Scary times.

Sadly, the field biologist of old with Fisheries no longer exists. In fact the permanent DFO staff spend little time actually working with fish these days. As GLG indicated, DFO relies heavily on consultants to do field work and others (volunteers, MOH, PSF etc) to do the actual work. The provincial staff is slashed even further. The best hope ( and its slim) is for you to contact the Freshwater Fisheries Society to see if they have any job opportunities in the provincial trout hatchery system.

Have a look at this letter from Dave Clough to the Halalt Band.
http://a100.gov.bc.ca/appsdata/epic...90651357_bb11cb99a0c24caa9e39eb0b2d226eb6.pdf

This will give you some idea of what consultants do. PM me if you have questions. Good luck
Bryan

 

[tincan]

Nice, I'll look through all those consultancies now. My background is not biology / science however. I've worked at a consultant on the finance side and do have grad level degree in business. I'd ideally like to find a position where I could help explain/consult using my finance background to make positive change in the fisheries/environmental sector. The science is already well on the side of conservation IMO but obviously science/education is not enough to make the major changes we need. I'm hoping to bring the financial side of things to light in order to support the science side of things. $$$ is what this is all about unfortunately so we gotta fight fire with fire. just my 2 cents. Thanks again for the suggestions.

Dont know why I didnt think of this earlier, but here is a good link for contact information on fish and wildlife consulting outfits

https://professionalbiology.com/mem...xpertise_tid=19&field_member_location_tid=All

Worth a shot to get in touch with some to judge what demand, if any may be out there for guys/gals wanting to work in the field.

They should be able to put you on the right track as to what education levels they are looking for in employees.

 

[Cuba Libre]

Good luck... Lots of road blocks ahead, but keep pushing and you may hit paydirt.

 

[chris73]

Tincan, guys like you should pursue a career in politics. We need dedicated and open-minded people in politics and government to lead society and economy on the right track. There you will be in a position to really make a positive impact on conservation once you reach influential ranks.
The government of the near future is planned to do just that - governing. There will be less and less public servants doing trades or science if they can have it their way. I somewhat agree with this philosophy of having government not competing with trades however when it comes to environment then a market based approach is a very questionable model IMO.

 

[tincan]

haha, Ya I've been told by more than one friend before that I should get involved politically... usually after a few beers when I start running my mouth on all that is wrong in the world. It is something that has crossed my mind but the thing that really makes it unappealing for many people is the fact that politics are just so... what the word?... oh ya, political It seems to me that the ones who succeed in politics are the ones willing to play the 'game' and that just doesn't sit well with me. I am sure there are some very well-intentioned politicians out there but when I see how some political leaders rise to the top it really makes me think about how messed up the whole system is. I'm probably too idealistic to succeed in a political career. That said, I do think we all need to become politically involved to some extent, whether its talking about things at the dinner table, calling our MPs, or running for office. I had a good chat with Fin Donnelly at a dinner event a few months back and it was good to see that he's got his head on his shoulders when it comes to the fishery issues we are all dealing with. I think we more we talk to MPs the better we understand all the issues they have to deal with. It's easy for me (and others) to ***** and complain (which is fun sometimes too) but coming up with realistic solutions is another story. I do think that getting young, bright people in gov't is key to a better world.... it's just not very appealing to them at the moment which is a sad state of affairs.

Tincan, guys like you should pursue a career in politics. We need dedicated and open-minded people in politics and government to lead society and economy on the right track. There you will be in a position to really make a positive impact on conservation once you reach influential ranks.
The government of the near future is planned to do just that - governing. There will be less and less public servants doing trades or science if they can have it their way. I somewhat agree with this philosophy of having government not competing with trades however when it comes to environment then a market based approach is a very questionable model IMO.

 

[Englishman]

Tincan, you are right on. Politics and the political system is totally the wrong model for dealing with the environment and its resources. Politics is about compromise and that is deadly with respect to the environment. We cannot have half the rivers poisoned or half the species on the planet driven to extinction. Biology just does not work like that!

The vast majority of politicians and economists have no knowledge of science, biology or ecology and really do behave as though business "trumps" the environment. As well as the three literacies of reading, writing and mathematics, there is a fourth literacy of which our politicians and decision makers are completely ignorant. This is ecology and the working of the environment as driven by biology. They are therefore incompetent to make policy in this area as it requires a different understanding and skill set than setting say, social policy. Until society recognises this, or until some of the younger generation who have had exposure to the "fourth literacy" through education come through, it will always be up to us, the people, to oppose these foolish, incompetent and simplistic politicians.

 

[Lipripper]

Well, working as an observer through Archipelago will get you a job as a dockside monitor or onboard observor , watching what the commercials catch, its not my idea of a great job... Long hours if offshore, irregular hours if plant based etc.... But is is a job. But Tincan will have to take the Vancouver Island University (Malaspina) fish identification course first.

There isn't that many in the flesh observers anymore... They do a lot more than just that