Opportunity Information: Apply for F15AS00252
Apply for F15AS00252
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Assessing the Utility of In season Salmon Assessment Projects on the Kuskokwim River" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.649 Service Training and Technical Assistance (Generic Training).
- This funding opportunity was created on May 28, 2015 and posted on May 28, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 4, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $50,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $25,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
This grant opportunity, titled "Assessing the Utility of In season Salmon Assessment Projects on the Kuskokwim River" (Funding Opportunity Number F15AS00252), is a US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region 7 discretionary funding action intended to support applied fisheries research focused on improving real-time (in-season) salmon management on Alaska's Kuskokwim River. The agency planned to make a single award using a cooperative agreement mechanism, with one expected award and no cost-sharing requirement. Total estimated funding was listed at $50,000, with an award ceiling of $25,000 and an award floor of $1. The eligible applicant category was public and state-controlled institutions of higher education. Importantly, this notice was not an open competition: USFWS stated it intended to issue a single-source financial assistance agreement to Auburn University under the authority referenced as 505 DM 2.14(B). In other words, the government did not intend to accept or review outside proposals, and the listing functioned as a formal public notice rather than a solicitation.
The work is being issued through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Network, a partnership framework that helps federal agencies obtain research, technical assistance, and education support from universities and other partners. CESU projects are designed to address natural and cultural resource management issues across multiple disciplines (biological, physical, social, cultural, and engineering) and at multiple spatial scales, with an emphasis on ecosystem context. In this case, the natural resource focus is salmon assessment and management decision-making, specifically the question of how much value different in-season monitoring tools provide when managers must make time-sensitive decisions about harvest opportunities and conservation protections.
At the core of the project is a management strategy evaluation (MSE), which is a structured simulation approach used in fisheries and wildlife management to test how different monitoring systems and decision rules perform under uncertainty. The research team planned to use MSE methods to compare the "utility" of several kinds of in-season salmon assessment projects that differ in where they are located relative to major fisheries, how quickly they provide information during the run, and how much of the migrating salmon population they effectively observe. The design explicitly recognizes that real-world monitoring programs are imperfect, and it builds observation error into the evaluation so the simulated projects resemble the kinds of mistakes and noise managers actually deal with when counting fish or estimating run composition.
The project compares assessment approaches that index very different fractions of the overall salmon run. On one end, it includes a scenario representing the current test fishery, indexing less than one percent of the run. It also includes a mid-level scenario indexing around five percent of the run, described as analogous to a robust in-season, fishery-dependent survey. On the high-information end, it includes scenarios indexing more than 90 percent of the run, intended to represent a well-sited sonar project that can observe the bulk of passage. Beyond simply varying the fraction of fish observed, the simulations incorporate realistic errors in species identification and age composition estimation, reflecting known challenges in mixed-stock salmon systems where multiple salmon species and age classes migrate and are harvested at overlapping times.
The stated purpose is to determine how useful a proposed sonar project would be compared to other in-season assessment options for informing in-season management decisions on the Kuskokwim River. Practically, this is about whether investing in a high-coverage tool like sonar is likely to produce better management outcomes than relying on smaller-scale test fisheries or other monitoring approaches, once costs, observation errors, and timing constraints are accounted for. A key feature of the decision-making framework in the MSE is the use of probabilistic control rules based on contemporary pstar methodology. Pstar-style approaches generally formalize risk by making management actions depend on the probability of meeting biological objectives (for example, achieving an escapement goal) given uncertainty in run size estimates, thereby allowing managers to explicitly tune how precautionary or liberal harvest decisions are under uncertain conditions.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted May 28, 2015, with an original and current closing date of June 4, 2015, and an archive date of July 3, 2015. The funding activity category is listed as Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA number given is 15.649 (Service Training and Technical Assistance - Generic Training). For access issues or questions about the full announcement, the government point of contact was Lew Coggins, Fisheries Biologist, USFWS, reachable at 907-543-1022 or lewiscoggins@fws.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?
The opportunity is titled "Assessing the Utility of In season Salmon Assessment Projects on the Kuskokwim River" and the Funding Opportunity Number is F15AS00252.
Which federal agency is offering this funding?
The funding action is from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Region 7, and is described as a discretionary funding action.
What is the main goal of the project?
The project supports applied fisheries research aimed at improving real-time (in-season) salmon management on Alaska's Kuskokwim River by evaluating how useful different in-season monitoring and assessment tools are for time-sensitive management decisions.
Is this an open competitive grant opportunity?
No. USFWS stated it intended to make a single-source award and did not intend to accept or review outside proposals. The posting functions as a formal public notice rather than a solicitation.
Who was the intended recipient of the award?
USFWS indicated it intended to issue a single-source financial assistance agreement to Auburn University.
What authority was cited for the single-source approach?
The notice referenced the authority as 505 DM 2.14(B).
What funding instrument will be used?
The government planned to make the award using a cooperative agreement mechanism.
How many awards were expected?
One award was expected, and the agency planned to make a single award.
What is the total estimated funding amount?
The total estimated funding listed in the notice is $50,000.
What are the award ceiling and award floor?
The award ceiling is $25,000 and the award floor is $1.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost-sharing requirement was stated for this opportunity.
Who is eligible to apply (as listed in the notice)?
The eligible applicant category listed is public and state-controlled institutions of higher education.
What is the CESU Network and how does it relate to this project?
The work is being issued through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Network, which is a partnership framework used to obtain research, technical assistance, and education support from universities and other partners on natural and cultural resource management issues across multiple disciplines and spatial scales.
What topic area does the project focus on?
The natural resource focus is salmon assessment and management decision-making on the Kuskokwim River, specifically evaluating the value of different in-season monitoring tools for guiding harvest opportunities and conservation protections.
What is a management strategy evaluation (MSE) in the context of this project?
In this project, an MSE is a structured simulation approach used to test how different monitoring systems and decision rules perform under uncertainty, including the effects of imperfect monitoring and observation error.
What does the project mean by comparing the "utility" of in-season assessment projects?
"Utility" refers to how useful different monitoring approaches are for informing in-season management decisions, considering factors like where monitoring occurs relative to major fisheries, how quickly information becomes available during the run, and how much of the migrating salmon population is effectively observed.
What types of in-season assessment scenarios are included in the simulations?
The simulations compare scenarios that index very different fractions of the salmon run: a scenario representing the current test fishery indexing less than one percent of the run; a mid-level scenario indexing around five percent (analogous to a robust in-season, fishery-dependent survey); and high-information scenarios indexing more than 90 percent (intended to represent a well-sited sonar project).
Why does the notice emphasize observation error and imperfect monitoring?
The evaluation is designed to resemble real-world monitoring programs, which are imperfect. The simulations explicitly build in observation error so they reflect the kinds of mistakes and noise managers encounter when counting fish or estimating run composition.
What kinds of specific errors are included in the simulations?
The simulations incorporate realistic errors in species identification and age composition estimation, reflecting challenges in mixed-stock salmon systems where multiple salmon species and age classes migrate and are harvested at overlapping times.
What is the specific question the project is trying to answer about sonar?
The stated purpose is to determine how useful a proposed sonar project would be compared to other in-season assessment options for informing in-season management decisions on the Kuskokwim River.
How does the project connect monitoring information to management decisions?
The MSE includes a decision-making framework that uses probabilistic control rules based on contemporary pstar methodology, where management actions depend on the probability of meeting biological objectives given uncertainty in run size estimates.
What is pstar methodology (as described in the notice)?
As described, pstar-style approaches formalize risk by linking management decisions to the probability of achieving biological objectives (such as meeting an escapement goal) under uncertainty, allowing managers to adjust how precautionary or liberal harvest decisions are.
What is the funding activity category for this opportunity?
The funding activity category is listed as Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development.
What CFDA number is associated with this listing?
The CFDA number provided is 15.649 (Service Training and Technical Assistance - Generic Training).
When was the opportunity posted, and what were the closing and archive dates?
The opportunity was posted on May 28, 2015. The original and current closing date is June 4, 2015. The archive date is July 3, 2015.
Who is the government point of contact for questions or access issues?
The point of contact listed is Lew Coggins, Fisheries Biologist, USFWS.
How can the point of contact be reached?
Lew Coggins can be reached by phone at 907-543-1022 or by email at lewiscoggins@fws.gov.
Browse more opportunities from the same agency: Fish and Wildlife Service
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development
Next opportunity: NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD MARINE ECOLOGY INTERN
Previous opportunity: Notice of Intent to Award Noncompetitive Assistance Award
USGrants.org Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for F15AS00252
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (F15AS00252) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Modeling Fisher Habitat Relationships in the Northern Sierra Nevada, Klamath National Forest, and Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation in California Apply for F15AS00403 Funding Number: F15AS00403 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $163,450 |
| Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative Apply for F15AS00429 Funding Number: F15AS00429 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Upper Midwest Great Lakes Landscape Conservation Cooperative Apply for F15AS00426 Funding Number: F15AS00426 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Listen, Feel, and Learn App Research Project Apply for P15AS00329 Funding Number: P15AS00329 Agency: National Park Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $61,031 |
| North Carolina State University Cooperative Agreement Apply for F15AS00447 Funding Number: F15AS00447 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Geologic Mapping in Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway Apply for P15AS00348 Funding Number: P15AS00348 Agency: National Park Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Population Genetics and Viability Analyses for NPS and FWS Bison Herds Apply for P15AS00356 Funding Number: P15AS00356 Agency: National Park Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $178,000 |
| The North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative Apply for FWSR1 NPLCC FY2011 Funding Number: FWSR1 NPLCC FY2011 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Migratory Bird Conservation in the Upper Midwest Apply for F13AS00041 Funding Number: F13AS00041 Agency: Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Natural Resources Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $75,000 |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Subscribe to Leads
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "F15AS00252", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.