Gear Liaison - Protected Species and Fisheries Gear Support

Overview

Lynker Corporation, in strategic partnership with Fisheries Immersed Science Hawaii (FISH) as the FLOAT – the “FISH” and “Lynker” Ocean Alliance Team Joint Venture, is seeking a Gear Liaison to support NOAA NMFS protected species and fisheries gear programs. This position will provide scientific, technical, field, outreach, and coordination support focused on reducing marine mammal and sea turtle bycatch in commercial fishing gear, supporting gear modification research and implementation, and helping fishermen understand and apply protected species gear requirements and best practices.

Hiring for this position will be contingent on contract award. FISH will be operating under its FLOAT joint venture, a NOAA ProTech Fisheries 2.0 prime contract holder.*

NOAA NMFS works with commercial fishing industry partners, science centers, regional program staff, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to evaluate and implement practical solutions that reduce protected species interactions while supporting sustainable fisheries. This Gear Liaison position will help bridge technical gear research, field testing, operational fishing knowledge, and industry outreach. The successful candidate will be comfortable working directly with fishermen, gear specialists, protected species staff, scientists, and enforcement personnel to support effective, practical, and scientifically defensible gear solutions.

Responsibilities

Duties of the Gear Liaison will include the following:

• Work directly with commercial fishermen, vessel operators, gear manufacturers, researchers, and other partners to create, modify, rig, test, and evaluate fishing gear configurations aboard commercial fishing vessels.
• Participate in field studies and at-sea or dockside evaluations of gear-based solutions intended to reduce marine mammal and sea turtle bycatch.
• Support projects focused on reducing large whale, sea turtle, and other protected species bycatch in Northwest Atlantic fixed gear fisheries, including trap/pot and gillnet fisheries.
• Support gear research and field evaluations involving bottom trawl gear, including Turtle Excluder Device testing and other modifications intended to reduce sea turtle or protected species bycatch.
• Evaluate how proposed gear modifications may affect actual fishing operations, including gear deployment, hauling, handling, retrieval, catch retention, gear loss, crew safety, and operational feasibility.
• Translate between technical/scientific protected species objectives and the practical realities of fishing gear use, vessel operations, weather, fishing grounds, port logistics, and crew practices.
• Demonstrate appropriate installation, configuration, use, and maintenance of protected species gear modifications during dockside outreach, field visits, and industry interactions.
• Explain gear requirements, gear modification concepts, and protected species risk-reduction measures to fishermen in practical, operational terms.
• Collect, compile, and help evaluate field observations, gear trial results, vessel feedback, gear performance information, and bycatch mitigation data.
• Identify trends, operational concerns, or feasibility issues observed during field studies, gear testing, dockside outreach, or industry discussions.
• Support law enforcement inspection and compliance monitoring by providing technical gear expertise, helping interpret gear configurations, and assisting with protected species gear-related questions.
• Assist with review of gear installation, gear marking, weak link use, line configuration, trap/pot setups, gillnet configurations, trawl/TED setups, and other gear features relevant to protected species compliance or bycatch reduction.
• Support entanglement gear analysis in collaboration with regional and science center gear teams, including reviewing recovered gear removed from marine mammals or sea turtles.
• Assist with technical evaluation of recovered entangling gear, including gear type, configuration, line characteristics, knots/splices, markings, attached components, wear patterns, and other features that may inform source identification or entanglement risk analysis.
• Support gear warehouse curation and recordkeeping for recovered gear, including maintaining the chain of information needed for later technical review, research, enforcement coordination, or management use.
• Provide technical input for Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team discussions, including gear feasibility, industry practices, operational constraints, implementation challenges, and potential unintended consequences of proposed measures.
• Support development, assessment, and implementation of gear-related options associated with the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan and other protected species bycatch reduction efforts.
• Review and interpret fishing gear information, field notes, trip reports, gear trial findings, enforcement observations, industry feedback, and protected species interaction information to support technical recommendations.
• Help identify practical gear-based mitigation measures that can be tested, refined, or implemented to reduce entanglement and bycatch risk while considering fishery operations.
• Support coordination among NOAA NMFS regional staff, science center gear experts, commercial fishermen, enforcement personnel, and other partners involved in gear testing, gear compliance, or protected species bycatch reduction.
• Participate in port visits, vessel visits, gear trials, field deployments, dockside demonstrations, industry meetings, Take Reduction Team meetings, and protected species response activities as required.
• Provide on-call or after-hours support when needed for emergency mammal stranding or entanglement events, including gear-related technical support.

Qualifications

The Gear Liaison must have the following:

• Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in environmental science, fisheries biology, marine biology, natural resource management, conservation biology, ecology, fisheries science, marine science, or a related field. A relevant degree may be substituted by two additional years of relevant experience.
• Hands-on knowledge of commercial fishing gear and fishing operations, especially fixed gear, trap/pot gear, gillnet gear, trawl gear, or other fisheries relevant to Northwest Atlantic protected species interactions.
• Experience working directly with commercial fishermen, vessel operators, gear specialists, port communities, fishing industry organizations, or fisheries field programs.
• Ability to evaluate how gear modifications work in practice, including how changes to lines, weak links, panels, TEDs, markings, buoy systems, traps, nets, rigging, or other components may affect fishing operations.
• Understanding of marine mammal and sea turtle bycatch, entanglement risk, protected species mitigation measures, or take reduction planning.
• Experience participating in fisheries field studies, gear trials, vessel-based work, dockside outreach, gear demonstrations, port sampling, observer programs, or related fisheries operations.
• Ability to interpret fishing gear configurations and explain gear function clearly to scientists, managers, enforcement personnel, and fishermen.
• Ability to communicate credibly and effectively with fishermen and fishing industry partners, including in field, dockside, vessel, and meeting settings.
• Knowledge of one or more relevant statutes or programs, such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, or related protected species/fisheries management programs.
• Strong technical judgment, field awareness, attention to gear details, and ability to identify practical implementation issues before they become larger operational problems.

The Ideal Gear Liaison will have the additional preferred qualifications:

• Experience with Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, or Northwest Atlantic commercial fisheries.
• Hands-on experience with fishing gear design, fabrication, rigging, repair, inspection, marking, modification, or testing.
• Experience with whale entanglement prevention, marine mammal or sea turtle bycatch reduction, recovered gear analysis, gear warehouse curation, or protected species response support.
• Experience supporting NOAA, NMFS, a fishery management council, a state marine fisheries agency, a fisheries science center, law enforcement partners, or a protected species program.
• Experience with trap/pot gear, gillnet gear, bottom trawl gear, Turtle Excluder Devices, weak links, buoy lines, gear marking, ropeless/on-demand systems, or other gear technologies relevant to protected species risk reduction.
• Experience supporting Take Reduction Team activities, protected species rulemaking, gear compliance outreach, or fisheries stakeholder engagement.

Work Environment

This position may be performed primarily remotely, with travel and field work required as authorized. Field activities may include dockside outreach, gear demonstrations, meetings with fishermen and industry partners, gear trials, site visits, workshops, and coordination with NOAA NMFS staff and partner organizations.

The Gear Liaison shall generally be available during normal business hours to support project coordination, meetings, reporting, and time-sensitive requests. Work is not expected to exceed 40 hours per week unless authorized. Travel may be required to commercial fishing ports, NOAA facilities, partner offices, field sites, workshops, conferences, or other authorized locations. Some duties may require work outside normal business hours, including evenings, weekends, or holidays, in connection with urgent protected species or gear-related response needs.

About Lynker

Lynker is a growing, employee owned business, specializing in professional, scientific and technical services. Our continually expanding team combines scientific expertise with mature, results-driven processes and tools to achieve technically sound, cost effective solutions in hydrology/water sciences, geospatial analysis, information technology, resource management, conservation, and management and business process improvement.

We focus on putting the right people in the right place to be effective. And having the right people is critical for success. Our streamlined organization enables and empowers our talented professionals to tackle our customers' scientific and technical priorities – creatively and effectively.

Lynker offers a team-oriented work environment, and the opportunity to work in a culture of exceptionally skilled professionals who embrace sound science and creative solutions. Lynker's benefits include the following:

• Comprehensive healthcare for the employee at no monthly cost
• Healthcare benefit covers medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision
• Personal Time Off (PTO) Policy plus paid holidays
• Highly competitive compensation plan regularly calibrated against industry and location benchmarks
• 401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) – we're all company owners!
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Life and accident insurance
• Tuition assistance/Training/Workforce improvement reimbursement per year
• Spot bonuses for exceptional performance
• Annual Employee Recognition Awards with bonuses
• Employee Referral Program
• Free centralized, self-directed Learning Management System to learn at your own pace
• Personalized career growth plans for every employee

Lynker is an E-Verify employer.

Lynker is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions based on merit, qualifications, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local laws.

*This position is advertised through our joint venture, FISH and Lynker Ocean Alliance Team (FLOAT), a partnership between Lynker and Fisheries Immersed Sciences Hawaii (FISH) serving the NOAA ProTech Fisheries 2.0 IDIQ contracting vehicle.

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