Organization: This position is a collaboration between Manomet, Tidal Bay Consulting, Bates, and various municipalities in the Casco Bay region, who are part of the Casco Bay Regional Shellfish Working Group (CBRSWG).
Location: Work will be based out of the Manomet office in Brunswick, Maine, with the potential for housing in Phippsburg, Maine. Field work would be conducted in one or more towns within Casco Bay, roughly from Scarborough to Georgetown. The candidate would need to provide their own transportation.
Timing: There is flexibility with the start date of the 8-10-week internship between June – July/August.
Position Description: This position would be focused on continuing preliminary research conducted by Bates students into the feasibility of an innovative approach to monitor larval settlement of soft-shell clams using floating spat collector bags and associated environmental conditions. This project may also include water quality monitoring and/or an eDNA component, pending funding. This monitoring component may be conducted with project-specific equipment or may rely on existing monitoring equipment and data sets. Depending on the progress and start date, some or all of the equipment may already be deployed, and the candidate would be monitoring the equipment, collecting samples, entering and organizing data, and coordinating with the shellfish wardens and/or marine resource officers in the towns the equipment is deployed. The specific research question(s) are still being developed as the project partners conduct a literature review and outreach to determine if floating bags have been used for this purpose elsewhere.
Other duties may include coordinating site visits for members of the CBRSWG, developing communications around this project, in the form of a summary report, presentation or video. There may also be opportunities to contribute to other initiatives of the CBRSWG, including preparing outreach materials on the shellfish industry and management for an audience of town council members, and the beginnings of a database of information from municipal shellfish programs within Casco Bay.
Time permitting, other field work could include green crab surveys and quahog aquaculture monitoring that Manomet is coordinating; shellfish surveys in the intertidal with municipalities; and habitat restoration and beach profiling that Bates is coordinating.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate would have a background in biology or ecology, field research, and general knowledge of shellfish and/or fisheries management. Experience using MS Excel is required. Experience using other software, including GIS, Tableau, or R is a benefit, but not required. Field work may encompass up to 50% of this position, and would primarily be conducted in the intertidal, though there is potential for work from a skiff or small boat, pending availability. The candidate should be comfortable walking in the intertidal, being a passenger on a small boat or paddling a kayak/canoe, and lifting up to 40 pounds of gear.
This is an equal opportunity position. The candidate will be expected to agree to a liability waiver, and potentially complete a medical form. While not required, it is highly recommended that the candidate has health insurance.
Housing: Affordable housing is available through the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area and Shortridge Coastal Center in Phippsburg, Maine. The rate is $60/ week, with the potential for a shared or private bedroom. The bathroom, kitchen, and living room are shared.
Compensation: There is no additional funding for this position aside from the funding provided by Williams.
Contact Information: For questions, please contact Jessica Gribbon Joyce, [email protected]
How to apply: Please send a cover letter, resume, and examples of any relevant work (if applicable) to Jessica Joyce no later than February 28, 2020.
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