Department seeking trainee Fisheries and Marine Officers

Department seeking trainee Fisheries and Marine Officers

An advertising campaign has begun this weekend, to help the Department of Fisheries add trainee Fisheries and Marine Officers (FMO) to its ranks around Western Australia.

The Department’s Southern Region Compliance Manager Peter Godfrey said the working life of an FMO was challenging, full of variety and important to the community.

“The major role is the protection and sustainability of the State’s marine and aquatic resources, by ensuring people are complying with WA’s fish laws, so it involves a lot of interaction with stakeholders, industry and the community,” Mr Godfrey said.

“We have a great team of very experienced FMOs willing to share their knowledge and help train people who are keen to take up the positions being offered.

“To help people decide if this kind of position might be for them, the Department of Fisheries has developed an online questionnaire on pre-appointment requirements so potential applicants can go through an early self-assessment checklist.”

Mr Godfrey said Fisheries was seeking to appoint up to 24 Trainee FMO positions to a pool and successful applicants would undergo a comprehensive seven-week training program before they have the opportunity of becoming a fully-fledged field officer.

“After training is successfully completed in the Metropolitan area, officers are transferred to one of the Department's district offices in major regional fishing centres or onto one of the major patrol vessels,” he said.

“The Department of Fisheries currently has 110 FMOs with responsibilities along WA’s coast and in freshwater fisheries or aquaculture operations.

“On any one day FMOs across the State can be involved in apprehending offenders or collecting evidence in the field, assisting with education and awareness programs or liaising with stakeholders from industry, community groups or the general public.

“When prosecutions are followed up, FMOs are required to write reports and prosecution briefs and attend court to give evidence. The variety of work also includes land or sea patrols and that can involve compliance related activity on marine safety matters.”

More details about this employment opportunity and the self-assessment questionnaire are available on the Department of Fisheries website at www.fish.wa.gov.au. Just click on the ‘jobs’ link on the sub menu at the top of the home page.

Source: Recfishwest

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SPESS's picture

Posts: 3356

Date Joined: 29/12/06

Sounds like these guys are

Mon, 2007-02-05 11:04

Sounds like these guys are expandin there horizons! Great read on the questionare bit too, pretty full on stuff. Pitty the misses wouldnt like the away from home bit. Nevermind and not bad pay if your a young fella.

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

SPESS's picture

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Date Joined: 29/12/06

Hey by the way Adam i have

Mon, 2007-02-05 11:13

Hey by the way Adam i have yet to be informed on your actual job roll in exmouth. Just alittle interested in what youll be doing up there it sounds interesting thats all!

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

Adam Gallash's picture

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Date Joined: 29/11/05

Research Officer

Mon, 2007-02-05 11:36

I'll be a research officer, so I will be interviewing people and recording what they catch, their details and roughly where etc.

This is from the selection criteria:
The role will comprise survey work at boat ramps at the regional centres and patrols to visit fishing locations and campsites between the regional centres (eg. Quobba, Gnaraloo and Warroora, Stations).

I will be driving and camping out between Exmouth and Canarvon on patrols then returning to do surveys at Exmouth in between. Also doing the occasional boat patrols, things are likely to change as they go along.

From what I hear there are already a fair few other people up there doing human usage studies and the like.

Interesting that these positions have come up, not really sure if I'd want to be in the enforcement side of things anyway.

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SPESS's picture

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Sounds great though,

Mon, 2007-02-05 12:13

Sounds great though, enforcment would be pretty tricky work as there must be fine lines to work with. you would get a lot of free fish/crays though! LOL.

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

Adam Gallash's picture

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Date Joined: 29/11/05

Stories

Mon, 2007-02-05 12:28

I've heard a few stories about the traps of the pitfalls of being an enforcement officer. One story was that two officers came accross a couple of abalone poachers, but didn't realise there were another 3 of them up the reef.. The ab poachers with knives etc gave them a bit of a warning and left without too many problems. Those two fisheries officers werent too keen on doing remote patrols after that!

But in saying that, I'm sure theyre a hell of a lot more prepared these days and would have backup, radios, etc etc.

Depending on how much work the fisheries job incorporates might be able to do some housing development contracting with all the canal work going on, just have to suss it all out when I get there.

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It would be pretty funny

Mon, 2007-02-05 12:34

It would be pretty funny picking up your mates though! Sirens blaring and talking on the lound speaker! PULL OVER YOU FOOLS OR ILL SHOOT YOU OUT OF THE WATER!lol! Bet they would shit themselfs!

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!