Stream Fish Habitat Internship

a river where interns might workLooking upstream while sampling a north shore stream. This provides a good example of diverse stream habitats that are sampled including riffles, run, and pool habitat.

Interested in learning about fish and rivers?

The Ecological and Water Resources Division’s River Ecology Unit is heavily involved in long-term monitoring of habitat conditions and biodiversity, development of fish habitat preference curves, and restoration of rivers. Each summer, the River Ecology Unit’s – Stream Fish Habitat interns gain valuable on-the-job work experience in fisheries and river research. Generally, three to four interns are hired per summer field season.

Stream Fish Habitat interns will learn about:

How to apply

Internship postings are active during the month of January. Look for the announcement on the Minnesota Careers webpage.  If you have questions related to Stream Fish Habitat Fish internships, contact [email protected].

  1. Log onto Minnesota Careers.
  2. Enter "intern" in the keywords field on the job search page.
  3. Select "Natural Resources Dept" in the "Agency" column on the left side of the page.
  4. View the Stream Fish Habitat internship posting.

Season

The internships generally start in May or early June and continue to Labor Day. Actual dates vary depending on academic and yearly calendars, and work needs. Required availability is from June 1 through mid-August.

Pay

Interns earn $19 per hour; benefits are not included.

Travel

The River Ecology Unit is a statewide program. This internship is based out of Little Falls, Minn. The typical office work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In a typical field week, we leave for the field on Monday or Tuesday, return on Thursday, and are in the office on Friday. Weekly office and field hours will vary based on where we are traveling for the week, which may be anywhere in the state. Interns are responsible for their own housing and living expenses on their off time (i.e., weeknights not in travel status and weekends).

Interns are required to travel overnight, generally two to three nights per week. When traveling overnight, the following is provided:

  • Lodging (hotel rooms – everyone gets their own room)
  • Transportation in state vehicles
  • Meals are reimbursed
fish sampling location in MNStream fish habitat sites sampled by the MNDNR River Ecology Unit between 1987 and 2020. The Unit conducts statewide sampling of fish habitat, with two established long-term sites which are sampled annually, along with an additional 15 to 25 sites per season.

Responsibilities

The primary responsibility will be to work as a team to assist the crew leader in the collection of biological and physical data on predominately warm water streams. Duties include:

  • Electrofishing with pre-positioned area shockers (occasionally tote barge, backpack, or other methods)
  • Fish identification, including many non-game species
  • Stream microhabitat and cover quantification
  • Velocity measurements with wading rods and flow meters
  • Water quality measurements
  • Purse seining

Fish habitat sampling sequence

The process for prepositioned area shocker (PAS) sampling is shown here in a sequence of four images involving MN DNR staff and interns.

 
Additional duties may include, but are not limited to equipment organization and maintenance, data entry in Microsoft Access and ArcGIS, topographic surveying, and geomorphologic monitoring of stream restoration projects.

This job requires walking on and wading through rough terrain and mud, wading streams (often in fast flows), lifting and carrying heavy equipment (max of 50 pounds) – such as generators, small boats and outboard motors. (Non-motorized canoe and boat will primarily be used.) The candidate will regularly be required to carry nets and anchors while wading streams. This position requires swimming while wearing a lifejacket and pulling a large net.

Minimum qualifications:

To be eligible for an internship, you must meet the following requirements:

  1. You must be a student at an accredited educational institution; AND
  2. Your advisor must certify that you will either receive academic credit or fulfill an academic requirement. The signature of a sponsoring academic instructor is required prior to beginning an Internship.
Additional minimum requirements include:

  • Majoring in one of the following: biology, natural resources, fisheries, ecology, aquatic biology, environmental science, water resource management. If you are unsure if your major qualifies, please contact us.
  • Coursework in ichthyology
  • Ability to identify fish using dichotomous keys
  • Must be available to work from May or early June to mid-August
  • Ability to work well as part of a team and independently
  • Ability to swim
  • Willingness to travel overnight, two to four nights per week on short notice
  • Willingness to work extended shifts of 10-12 hours as needed and in adverse weather conditions
  • Excellent human relations and communication skills sufficient to represent the position and division in a professional, efficient, and clear manner
  • Sense of humor
  • Must have a valid Class D driver’s license

Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience with fish identification under field conditions
  • Experience identifying non-game fish species
  • Experience with electrofishing
  • Experience trailering and towing boats

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