Aquatic Biology Engineer

Job Details

Within the INRAE ​​research infrastructure dedicated to the study of living organisms in continental aquatic environments (IR LIFE), the experimental unit of aquatic ecology and ecotoxicology (U3E) where you will be hosted is in charge of managing several observation, experimentation and collection devices enabling the monitoring of aquatic ecosystems and the populations that live there.

The OFB, INRAE, Institut Agro, and UPPA research and development center on migratory fish in their environments (MIAME R&D Center) is affiliated with U3E. The MIAME center also brings together various research units in the conservation biology of amphidromous migratory fish. Within this framework, numerous studies are conducted in their natural environment.

The use of animals for scientific purposes (UAFS) is governed by European Directive 2010/63/EU, its transposition into French law through Articles R214-87 et seq. of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code, Decree  No. 2013-118 of February 1, 2013, concerning the protection of animals used for scientific purposes , the related ministerial orders, and the DGAL/SDSPA/N2013-8095 service note of June 6, 2013. This regulation was originally established to govern the use of animals by the medical and pharmaceutical industries operating in controlled environments (laboratories). However, it applies broadly to all animals, including wild animals in their natural habitat, used, for example, for scientific research, particularly when the research focuses on the conservation of these species. The application of this regulation to wild animals lacks precise criteria to be respected to guarantee maximum animal welfare (e.g. on conditions of detention and handling), which leaves some latitude leading to a diversity of practices and many problems of assessment in the different ethics committees.

In this context, the work, under the hierarchical responsibility of the U3E director and the functional responsibility of the head of the MIAME unit, concerns wild freshwater fish and will consist of drafting a guide to good field practices including:

• an inventory of the most regularly carried out operations on wild fish in their natural environment (non-exhaustively: capture by various means, biometrics, collection of biological samples, ...);
• a bibliographic synthesis of knowledge on the welfare of wild fish;
• a bibliographic synthesis of the main methods for assessing animal welfare, based in particular on the recommendations of ANSES (Anonymous, 2018);
• recommendations for good practices in view of literature reviews and current best practices (in the form of fact sheets for each operation identified);
• proposals for classifying field operations with regard to UAFS regulations (whether or not they fall under these regulations, degree of severity, ...);
• proposals for methods/measures to reduce, replace and refine operations where relevant;
• definition of the limit points and the procedure to follow in the event of their appearance.

Requirements

Required training and skills

Master's/Engineering degree (Bac+5)

- Minimum of a Master's degree (Bac+5) in aquatic biology or veterinary medicine
- Strong interpersonal and listening skills. The projects require interaction with numerous stakeholders.
- Proficiency in literature review and synthesis (in English)
- Excellent writing skills, scientific curiosity, autonomy, and strong analytical and summarizing abilities.

Contact Information

frederic.marchand@inrae.fr