New York State Department of Civil Service Announces Examinations Open to All Qualified Individuals

Fish Culturist Trainee 1

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $1,302 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $651 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

Back To Top

Minimum Qualifications

On or before May 10, 2008, you must have 60 semester credit hours including at least twelve credit hours in fisheries, marine resources, aquaculture or aquatic sciences, aquatic ecology, limnology, or mariculture.

Notes

1. Upon successful completion of the one year training as a Fish Culturist Trainee 1, you will automatically advance to Fish Culturist Trainee 2 at a salary of $28,733. Upon satisfactory completion of the one year training as a Fish Culturist Trainee 2, you will be advanced to the full title of Fish Culturist 1, without further examination, at a salary of $32,138.
2. Your college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the New York State Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S2CMH.
3. If you expect to meet the education requirements by June 30, 2008, you can be admitted to the written test, but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirement to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
4. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
5. New York State residence is not required.

The Positions

These positions exist in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Back To Top

Duties

As a Fish Culturist 1, you would be employed in a fish hatchery. You would be responsible for general fish culture and hatchery maintenance duties and may direct the work of seasonal employees and volunteers. Under the general supervision of a Fish Culturist 2, you would maintain and clean raceways and ponds; feed fish; monitor fish health and provide treatments; load, deliver, and stock fish; and participate in egg harvesting, fertilization, and incubation. You would also maintain and repair physical plant and facility equipment; perform grounds maintenance; participate in public education efforts; perform record-keeping and inventory activities; and participate in scientific studies.

Back To Top

Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Fish culture - These questions test for basic knowledge of hatchery fish culture, including the care of fish stocks, recognition of disease problems, and the biology of the fish species involved.
2. Freshwater fisheries biology and ecology - These questions test for a knowledge of common freshwater fish species found in New York State. Topics may include, physical characteristics, diseases, population parameters, habitat needs, food requirements, reproductive needs and behavior, seasonal behavior, life stages, impact on human life, and basic practices and equipment used in species management activities.
3. Operation of mechanical devices - These questions test for knowledge of the operation of various types of mechanical devices such as gears, pulleys, levers, valves, and similar types of mechanical equipment.
4. Office record keeping - These questions test your ability to perform common office record keeping tasks. The test consists of two or more "sets" of questions, each set concerning a different problem. Typical record keeping problems might involve the organization or collation of data from several sources; scheduling; maintaining a record system using running balances; or completion of a table summarizing data using totals, subtotals, averages and percents.
5. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

Back To Top

How To Apply

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

In addition, it is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to enjoy equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their applications. Further information is available from the Special Arrangements Unit of the Department of Civil Service at 518-457-2487 [press 2, then press 2] in the Albany area, toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2], or via TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) at 518-457-8480.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1].

Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

With the exception of written tests announced by New York City, if you have applied to take a written test announced by a local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1], no later than two weeks before the test date, to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center.

S2/TB2 CMH-tlm
Issued: 2/22/08

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

Back To Top