Fisheries Biological Aide – Clearwater Fish Hatchery
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Ahsahka, ID
$15.00 dollars per hour
SeasonalHousing
Fisheries & Hatchery Jobs
5 open listings · updated Oct 9, 2026
Median posted pay $19.09/hr (7 listings) · 44% include housing · Pay Report
Hatchery and fisheries jobs are the steadiest seasonal work in the outdoor world, because fish have to be fed every day of the year. A hatchery technician feeds by pond population and weight sample, cleans raceways and incubators, grades and inventories fish, helps with spawning and keeps daily records of feed, mortality and water temperature. Field fisheries technicians work the other side of the same program: spawning ground surveys, creel counts, weirs and tagging.
More About Fisheries & Hatchery Jobs
State agencies pay these jobs on a monthly or hourly schedule and publish the numbers. In September 2026 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife posted Fish Hatchery Technician appointments at $3,195 to $4,201 a month and Fish Hatchery Specialist 2 in-training roles at $3,653 to $5,376. Oregon posted a Cole Rivers Hatchery technician at $3,798 to $5,193 a month. Idaho Fish and Game paid fisheries technicians $18.61 an hour and biological aides $15.00, both with housing at the hatchery. Montana listed a Fisheries Technician 4 at $24.44 an hour and New Mexico a fish culturist at $18.69 to $28.04.
Federal fisheries work pays more and asks for more. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service posted Biological Science Technician (Fisheries) roles at $40,736 to $65,599 a year and a salmonid hatchery Fish Biologist at $50,460 to $80,243.
The seasons do not line up with summer work. Washington’s non-permanent hatchery appointments in this batch run October to April, June or July, and Idaho’s run October to June and February to October, which makes hatchery work a good winter bridge between summer guide and fishing crew seasons.
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Fisheries Technician – Pahsimeroi Fish Hatchery
Idaho Department of Fish and GameMay, ID$18.61 per hour, Plus Competitive Benefits!SeasonalHousing -
Fish Technician IV – Solomon Gulch Hatchery
Valdez Fisheries Development AssociationValdez, AK$28.55/hr starting (DOE)Full-time -
Fish Tech I (Seasonal) – Solomon Gulch Hatchery
Valdez Fisheries Development AssociationValdez, AK$19.09/hr startingSeasonal -
Fish Technician – Macaulay Salmon Hatchery (2027 Season)
Douglas Island Pink and Chum, Inc. (DIPAC)Juneau, AK$16–$20/hr DOESeasonalHousing
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Recently Filled (10) These employers hire. Watch for their next listing.
Biological Science Technician (Fish)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceJackson, WY$40,736 – $59,031 per yearFull-timeClosedHot Creek Fish and Wildlife Technician
California Department of Fish and WildlifeMammoth Lakes, CA$3,999.00 – $5,196.00 per monthFull-timeClosedFish Culturist
Wyoming Game and Fish DepartmentStatewide, WY$5,158.40 – $5,730.40 per monthFull-timeClosedFish Biologist – Salmonid Hatchery
U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceWhiteriver, AZ$50,460 – $80,243 per yearFull-timeClosedFisheries Technician – Clearwater Fish Hatchery
Idaho Department of Fish and GameAhsahka, ID$18.61 per hourSeasonalClosedBiological Science Technician – Fisheries (Field Unit Local Hiring Authority)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceArcata, CA$40,736 – $65,599 per yearFull-timeClosedFish Hatchery Specialist 2 (In-Training) – Goldendale Hatchery
Washington Department of Fish and WildlifeGoldendale, WA$3,653.00 – $5,376.00 MonthlySeasonalClosedFish and Wildlife Scientific Aid – Butte Creek and Feather River Salmon Monitoring
California Department of Fish and WildlifeChico, CA$18.26 – $21.67 per HourSeasonalClosedFish Culturist – Los Ojos Fish Hatchery
New Mexico Department of WildlifeLos Ojos, NM$18.69 – $28.04 HourlyFull-timeClosedFish Hatchery Technician – Soos Creek Hatchery
Washington Department of Fish and WildlifeAuburn, WA$3,195.00 – $4,201.00 MonthlySeasonalClosed
Questions About Fisheries & Hatchery Jobs
How many fisheries & hatchery jobs are open right now?
9 listings are live on WildWork as of October 9, 2026. 9 state their pay and 4 include housing.
What do fisheries & hatchery jobs pay?
The median posted rate is $19.09/hr across 7 current listings that state pay in that unit, with posted rates from $15/hr to $34.22/hr. These are advertised rates; tips, overtime and room and board are extra where the listing says so.
Do fisheries & hatchery jobs come with housing?
44% of current listings say the employer provides housing, free or at a charge, and 0% include meals. Each listing shows whether housing is included and what it costs when the employer says.
Do you need a biology degree for hatchery work?
Not for technician and aide jobs. Idaho’s fisheries biological aide at $15.00 an hour and Washington’s hatchery technician appointments are entry-level and trained on site. Degrees matter for the biologist series — the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s salmonid hatchery Fish Biologist posting at $50,460 to $80,243 a year is a professional scientific position.
How much do fish hatchery technicians make?
In September 2026, Washington posted $3,195 to $4,201 a month for Fish Hatchery Technician and $3,653 to $5,376 for Fish Hatchery Specialist 2 in-training, Oregon posted $3,798 to $5,193 a month at Cole Rivers Hatchery, Idaho paid $18.61 an hour, Montana $24.44 an hour for a Fisheries Technician 4 and New Mexico $18.69 to $28.04 for a fish culturist.
Is housing provided at hatcheries?
Sometimes, because hatcheries are remote and someone has to be on hand. Idaho Fish and Game’s Pahsimeroi and Clearwater hatchery postings include housing. Washington’s Soos Creek posting does not provide housing but makes an on-site travel trailer with utilities available for standby shifts.
What is the work actually like?
Physical, wet and on a schedule. Feeding by population and weight sample, cleaning raceways, troughs, screens and incubators, grading and inventorying fish, assisting with spawning, moving fish with pumps, brails and cranes, and handling chemicals like formalin and anesthetics under safety protocols. Field technicians walk spawning ground surveys in winter water.
When should you apply?
Fall for winter and spring appointments, and late winter for the summer field season. Washington’s non-permanent hatchery jobs in this batch posted in September for October starts; Idaho’s Clearwater hatchery job posted for an October start and its Pahsimeroi job for February.
Sources: Washington state careers, Fish Hatchery Technician and Scientific Technician postings; Oregon state careers, Cole Rivers Hatchery Technician; Idaho Department of Fish and Game, jobs; Montana state careers, Fisheries Technician 4 — Flathead; USAJOBS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fisheries announcements; New Mexico state careers, Fish Culturist — Los Ojos Fish Hatchery.