Master’s student – Traditional Knowledge of Anadromous Northern Dolly Varden - Research Affiliate Program

Important messages

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Assessment accommodation

The candidate will be required to be registered as an MRM student in the School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM) at Simon Fraser University (SFU), Vancouver, BC under the supervision of Brett van Poorten (Ph.D.), and may conduct field work out of the Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, MB under the joint supervision of Colin Gallagher (M.N.R.M) and Kimberly Howland (Ph.D.).

When submitting an application to this selection process, you will be prompted to answer screening questions concerning the essential education and experience qualifications. When answering these questions, please provide detailed, concrete examples that clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirement. Failure to clearly substantiate how you meet the screening criteria may result in the rejection of your application. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or possible missing information.

Duties

Document historical subsistence harvest levels and trends in population abundance and size-structure of northern Dolly Varden.
Describe traditional and contemporary fisheries management protocols, practices, and habits.
Identify the communities’ contemporary desired subsistence harvest levels, values derived from the fishing experience and existence values of the fish.
Participate in Arctic fieldwork, as possible.
Interact with community members by answering questions, addressing concerns, and presenting results on an annual basis.
Present main study results at the end of the two-year period at one conference.
Interpret data, and publish results in government reports and/or peer-reviewed journals.

Work environment

The Arctic and Aquatic Research Division of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Ontario and Prairie Region, is based at the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Division provides information and advice to support the management of Arctic fisheries resources, their habitat and Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and on the Yukon North Slope. Successful management and conservation of these resources depends on acquiring, interpreting and sharing biological information, the processes affecting them and the ecosystem of which they are part.

In this project, the focus will be on the traditional knowledge of Gwich’in and Inuvialuit people regarding the harvest and management of anadromous Dolly Varden, which are critical to the livelihoods and well-being of northern communities in the western Canadian Arctic, and which are sensitive to many stressors, including climate change. The work will entail interviewing northern Indigenous co-management partners from the communities of Aklavik, Fort McPherson, and Inuvik, Northwest Territories to document knowledge and understanding of the temporal trends (over multiple decades) in the decline of Dolly Varden populations from several stocks. Incorporating traditional knowledge into the adaptive co-management of Dolly Varden has led to the successful implementation of the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for anadromous Dolly Varden. Fisheries and Oceans Canada is seeking to use quantitative reference points in a Precautionary Approach framework for the management of various fisheries. We propose to investigate how harvester’s knowledge can improve the development of reference points to provide a better and more trusted means to adopt a co-management approach that is more consistent with the Precautionary Approach framework.
The School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM) at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada is one of North America’s leading interdisciplinary schools in resource and environmental management. It is an applied graduate and undergraduate school in which both social and natural scientists apply inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to resource and environmental management. Our mission is to inspire leadership and improve decision-making in environmental management through internationally recognized research, education, professional practice, and community engagement to support a socially just and ecologically sustainable world.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Contact information for 2 references.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in Biology, Environmental Science or Resource Management

Currently enrolled or willing to enroll in September 2022 in a Master of Resource Management program at Simon Fraser University within the School of Resource and Environmental Management (proof of enrollment will be required before the work term starts).

Degree equivalency

Experience interacting with Indigenous communities
Experience collecting, tabulating, analyzing and reporting data related to social or ecological systems
Experience working with scientific and non-scientific teams

*In the context of student recruitment in the federal public service, experience can be acquired through studies, work experience or volunteer activities.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English essential

Information on language requirements

Ability to communicate orally and in writing

Initiative
Innovative
Interpersonal relationships
Organized

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - Note: Each student hired through the Research Affiliate Program (RAP) must meet the security requirements of the position as a condition of employment. Therefore, the student will be asked by the hiring organization to complete security-related documents.

Valid Health Canada medical
Willingness and ability to travel and work from remote areas for up to a month
Willingness and ability to work on evenings and weekends on occasion
Maintaining your student status is a condition of employment. Once you have defended your thesis you are no longer eligible for the program.

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

Interviews may be conducted in Winnipeg, MB or remotely by telephone. Candidates from outside the Federal Public Service will be required to pay for their own travel expenses.

Reference checks may be sought.

An alternative format (such as Braille) of this notice and Statement of Merit Criteria are available upon request.

Candidates invited to attend an interview will be required to bring proof of their education credentials, in the form of a diploma or official transcript (original documents only).

Candidates with foreign credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca/indexe.stm.

Candidates will be communicated with via e-mail. In your application, please include the e-mail address that you wish to use for communication purposes throughout this recruitment initiative. It is your responsibility to verify your e-mail account on a regular basis.

On October 6, 2021, the Government of Canada announced details of its plans to require vaccination across the federal public service.
As per the new Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration Including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, federal public servants in the Core Public Administration and members of the RCMP must attest to their vaccination status. The requirement for employees to be fully vaccinated applies whether they are teleworking, working remotely or working on-site. This is a condition of employment and it applies to indeterminate (permanent), determinate (term), casual, and student hiring. Should you reach the point in the selection process where it is necessary to verify terms and conditions of employment then the hiring manager or a human resources representative will contact you in order to complete an attestation.

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Please apply online.

Preference

Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.