This is the fourth class and supervisory level in the Fisheries Management Series. This class develops and prepares partial and/or complete marine and fisheries management plans which ensure adequate populations of marine life for the seafood industry, commercial fishing, recreational fishing and environmental protection groups. Positions in this class serve as the charge position which manage programs to collect marine life economic, biological, environmental and recreational data and draw conclusions upon which fisheries management plans, technical bulletins, agency regulations and sponsored legislation are based; supervise a variety of tax and licensing programs required by law; supervise a staff of Fisheries Management Technicians, Fisheries Management Specialists and Specialist Seniors; serve as the agency's representative to a wide variety of special interest groups, associations and interstate fisheries management agencies; and conduct public hearings and make formal presentations. This class is distinguished from the Fisheries Management Specialist Senior class by its responsibility for the final development of fisheries and marine life management plans, and serving as the section charge position and supervisor.

Complexity of Work: Performs work of unusual difficulty which involves balancing economic, social, scientific, and environmental concerns when developing or approving fisheries and marine life management plans and regulatory guideline recommendations; designing, collecting, analyzing and managing data from diverse and sometimes resistant populations; and directing legislated programs. Duties include editing all fisheries management plans for scientific concept, statistical validity, and balance between industry, scientific, and environmental issues; ensuring data collected is in the format needed by agency and special interest groups to be effective management tools; conducting public hearings, sometimes at remote locations, to collect information on proposed new or changed regulations or public concerns; supervising the development of new or changed programs; solving disputes between conflicting special interest groups or within a single group to promote fewer regulatory requirements; managing or supervising staff who are responsible for programs mandated by legislation or agency regulations such as the hard shell clam permit system, non-resident fisheries harvesting system, aqua-fish culture permitting program; and writing, editing and/or presenting plans, regulatory recommendations, technical reports, environmental impact statements, and/or briefings, to members of governing boards, federal agencies, interstate/multi-state environmental planning groups, seafood industry groups, scientific/research universities/institutes, and/or funding/grant awarders. Responds to request for information from news media representatives.

Supervision Given: Supervises a staff of Fisheries Management Technicians, Specialists, Specialist Seniors, and support positions.

Supervision Received: Receives general directions from a Fisheries Management Division Assistant Commissioner or other higher administrator in the form of unit goals and objectives, new legislative issues, new agency issues and staff work needed to present Virginia concerns to federal agencies and interstate commissions.

Scope: Positions affect research criteria and funding; data collection; final draft of legal regulation recommendations to governing boards/commissions; fisheries management plan preparations which affect the livelihood and/or recreation of fishermen, seafood industry economics, availability and value of dockside harvests; and future availability of marine life.

Impact of Actions: Decisions may have serious impact on environmental and ecological issues for a variety of fisheries and marine life species in Virginia and along the east coast; on agency research funding; on future availability of species for consumption; on employment in the seafood and fishing industries; and on the reputation of the agency to special interest groups such as scientists, conservationists, water and marine life planners, commercial/recreational fishermen, and the general public.

Personal Contacts: Frequent external and internal contacts with the public to respond to inquiries and provide information; with ecologists, fishermen, and seafood industry workers to interpret regulations and assist with dispute solving; with scientists to award grants and discuss results and contract fulfillment; and with other Virginia, federal, and interstate agencies/commissions to represent agency point of view on proposals, plans and research conclusions.

Knowledge: Comprehensive knowledge of marine science and biology, scientific research methods, marine data collection, public administration and supervision, marine scientific publications and principles of communication. Comprehensive knowledge of commercial seafood species, harvest seasons, landing areas, gear/ equipment used, business locations and markets, and the related legal framework. Considerable knowledge of the economic issues and historical concerns of commercial watermen, seafood buyers and sellers.

Skills: Working skill in the use of a computer for scientific operations. May need skill in operating a small boat and harvesting equipment.

Abilities: Demonstrated ability to supervise a staff of professional fisheries specialists, paraprofessional technicians and support staff; to analyze data; to exercise leadership in the writing, editing and/or evaluating of scientific fisheries management plans; to balance interests of a diverse general public and special interest groups; to instruct, persuade and inform individuals using formal/informal and oral/written communication methods; to translate scientific data to layman’s language; to chair public hearings; to testify at federal, state, and interstate public and private hearings; to manage financial affairs; and to supervise contract administration.

QUALIFICATIONS GUIDE*

Licenses or Certification: None.

Education and Training: Graduation from an accredited college or university with course work in marine science, oceanography, biology, or a related field. Additional course work in research methods, statistics, and computer science.

Level and Type of Experience: Progressively responsible experience in the commercial/recreational fishing industries, seafood industries, environmental protection groups and/or marine science research management/planning agencies which included technical writing, innovative program design and problem solving, public speaking, scientific data collection and informal arbitration.

An equivalent combination of training and experience indicating possession of the preceding knowledge and abilities may substitute for this education and experience.

This class was redefined and re-titled in December 1988 as a result of the statewide Classification Review/Specification Update Program. It replaces the Fisheries Management Specialist C class.

Last updated: 1/1/89