Opportunity Information: Apply for 70181AR039
Apply for 70181AR039
- The Region 7 in the environment natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Estimation of Chinook Salmon Ecapement in Togiak River Watershed" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.608 Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 2, 2010 and posted on Jul 2, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 19, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $145,755.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $145,755.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The grant opportunity "Estimation of Chinook Salmon Escapement in Togiak River Watershed" is a US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Region 7 cooperative agreement intended as a single-source award to the Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA). It is not an open solicitation and the government is not accepting competing proposals; instead, USFWS planned to make one award about 15 days after the notice. The project sits within the Environment and Natural Resources activity area and aligns with federal fish and wildlife management assistance goals, particularly where federal subsistence responsibilities apply in Alaska.
At its core, the project is designed to produce a much more reliable estimate of Chinook salmon escapement (the number of fish that successfully reach spawning areas) in the Togiak River watershed, where existing monitoring has largely relied on aerial surveys. The main technical approach is to use mark-recapture methods, anchored by operating a weir on Gechiak Creek, to estimate total run abundance and key run characteristics. A major secondary purpose is to test how well aerial spawning-ground surveys track true abundance by comparing aerial observations against estimates derived from the mark-recapture framework. In practical terms, the project is trying to answer two management-critical questions: how many Chinook are actually escaping into the watershed each year, and whether the long-used aerial survey method is accurate enough (or needs recalibration) to serve as a dependable long-term monitoring tool.
The stated objectives lay out both precision targets and biological data needs. The project aims to estimate (1) the proportion of Chinook migrating past the Gechiak Creek weir, and (2) the total abundance of Chinook escaping into the Togiak watershed with a quantified precision requirement: a 90 percent probability that the estimate is within 25 percent of the true abundance. It also targets (3) weekly age and sex composition of spawners in Gechiak Creek with simultaneous 90 percent confidence intervals no wider than 0.20, along with (4) mean length estimates by sex and age. Beyond abundance and demographics, the work includes (5) documenting spawning locations across the watershed, (6) evaluating the effectiveness of aerial spawning-ground surveys for abundance monitoring, and (7) measuring and documenting water temperature throughout the main stem and lower tributaries, which helps interpret migration timing, spawning distribution, and broader habitat conditions.
The need for the project is framed around regional Chinook declines and the particular importance of Togiak Chinook to subsistence, sport, and commercial fisheries in Bristol Bay. Monitoring in federal waters has been characterized as weak and inconsistent, and the Togiak system is highlighted as the largest subsistence fishery in Bristol Bay with a clear federal jurisdictional nexus. Aerial surveys, the primary existing tool, are described as highly variable and potentially biased due to factors such as run timing shifts, observer differences, weather and water clarity, and aircraft and pilot variables. Historically, escapement was estimated by expanding raw visual counts using correction factors, but those correction factors have not been validated locally against independent methods. The announcement notes that escapement estimates had not been calculated since 2005 or were based on partial surveys, leaving managers without dependable, current measures of abundance.
Management context is a central justification. Spawning and rearing habitat for Chinook salmon in the Togiak River occurs within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Federal Conservation System. Because Title XIII of ANILCA mandates a priority for subsistence uses on federal public lands and waters, having defensible escapement information is essential for setting harvest levels and protecting future subsistence opportunities. The background also points to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) escapement goal of 10,000 Chinook (developed from aerial survey information) and indicates that the goal was regularly achieved from 1996 to 2007 under commercial fishing regulations. Reported historical averages for 1996 to 2005 include an estimated spawning escapement of 11,862 fish and average harvest of 11,273 fish, implying roughly a 49 percent exploitation rate, with harvest distributed across commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries. The project is positioned as a way to determine whether the population can support those exploitation levels under current conditions, especially given broader Chinook declines.
The cooperative agreement also has an explicit capacity-building and community involvement component. BBNA is expected to hire and train local residents, including citizens of BBNA villages, as research assistants who will help operate the weir and collect field data. This is meant to build local technical capacity for future fisheries projects while strengthening collaboration among BBNA, USFWS (including the Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Field Office), and ADFG. The announcement emphasizes the project as strategically important to these partners and consistent with priorities identified by the Office of Subsistence Management and the Bristol Bay Regional Advisory Council, both of which had previously called for improved and more reliable escapement monitoring in the Togiak River.
The single-source rationale is primarily continuity and unique qualifications. USFWS states that BBNA is the only organization committed and qualified to work cooperatively with Bristol Bay tribes and state and federal agencies on subsistence fishery research, management, and protection, and that this effort was already selected through the Federal Subsistence Fishery Resource Monitoring Program process. While the award itself is single-source at this stage, the underlying project concept was originally submitted competitively under the monitoring program and reviewed on criteria like strategic importance, technical merit, administrative competence, and capacity building. Recommendations flowed through an interagency technical committee, regional advisory councils, and Office of Subsistence Management staff, with final selection made by the Federal Subsistence Board.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted July 2, 2010, with an original/current closing date of July 19, 2010 and an archive date of August 18, 2010. The funding opportunity number is 70181AR039 under CFDA 15.608 (Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance). It anticipated one award, with no cost share or matching requirement, and an estimated total funding amount of $145,755 (award ceiling $145,755; award floor $46,765). Eligible applicant categories listed include nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status, excluding institutions of higher education), though the notice makes clear the intended recipient is BBNA due to the single-source award plan. The listed contact for access issues is Teresa Tanner, Fishery Biologist, at 907-271-1799.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Estimation of Chinook Salmon Escapement in Togiak River Watershed.
Which agency is offering the award?
The award is offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Region 7, as a cooperative agreement.
Is this an open grant competition?
No. This notice describes a single-source cooperative agreement. The government stated it is not accepting competing proposals and planned to make one award rather than run an open solicitation.
Who is the intended recipient?
The intended recipient is the Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA).
How many awards were anticipated?
The notice anticipated one award.
When was the opportunity posted, and what were the key dates?
The opportunity was posted on July 2, 2010. The listed closing date was July 19, 2010, and the archive date was August 18, 2010.
When did USFWS plan to make the award?
USFWS indicated it planned to make a single award about 15 days after the notice.
What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA program?
The funding opportunity number is 70181AR039. The CFDA program is 15.608 (Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance).
What is the activity area for this project?
The project falls within the Environment and Natural Resources activity area and aligns with federal fish and wildlife management assistance goals, including federal subsistence responsibilities in Alaska.
How much funding was expected to be available?
The estimated total funding amount was $145,755.
What were the award ceiling and floor?
The award ceiling was listed as $145,755, and the award floor was listed as $46,765.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice states there is no cost share or matching requirement.
Who was listed as eligible to apply?
The eligible applicant categories listed include nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status, excluding institutions of higher education). However, the notice also makes clear it is intended as a single-source award to BBNA.
What is the project trying to measure?
The project is designed to produce a more reliable estimate of Chinook salmon escapement in the Togiak River watershed, meaning the number of fish that successfully reach spawning areas.
Why is improved escapement estimation needed in the Togiak system?
The need is framed around regional Chinook declines and the importance of Togiak Chinook to subsistence, sport, and commercial fisheries in Bristol Bay. The notice also characterizes monitoring in federal waters as weak and inconsistent and notes that escapement estimates had not been calculated since 2005 or relied on partial surveys.
What methods have traditionally been used to monitor escapement in the watershed?
Existing monitoring has largely relied on aerial surveys, with escapement historically estimated by expanding visual counts using correction factors.
Why are aerial surveys considered uncertain or potentially biased?
The notice states aerial survey counts can be highly variable and potentially biased due to factors such as run timing shifts, observer differences, weather and water clarity, and aircraft and pilot variables. It also notes that correction factors used to expand visual counts were not validated locally against independent methods.
What is the primary technical approach for the project?
The main approach is mark-recapture, anchored by operating a weir on Gechiak Creek, to estimate total run abundance and key run characteristics.
What is the secondary purpose related to aerial surveys?
A major secondary purpose is to test how well aerial spawning-ground surveys track true abundance by comparing aerial observations against estimates derived from the mark-recapture framework.
What are the two main management questions the project is trying to answer?
The project is intended to answer: (1) how many Chinook are actually escaping into the watershed each year, and (2) whether the long-used aerial survey method is accurate enough or needs recalibration to serve as a dependable long-term monitoring tool.
What precision target is stated for estimating total escapement abundance?
The project aims for a quantified precision requirement: a 90 percent probability that the total abundance estimate is within 25 percent of the true abundance.
What specific biological and run-characteristic objectives are listed?
The stated objectives include estimating: (1) the proportion of Chinook migrating past the Gechiak Creek weir, (2) total abundance escaping into the Togiak watershed, (3) weekly age and sex composition of spawners in Gechiak Creek (with simultaneous 90 percent confidence intervals no wider than 0.20), and (4) mean length estimates by sex and age.
What additional objectives beyond abundance and demographics are included?
Additional objectives include: (5) documenting spawning locations across the watershed, (6) evaluating the effectiveness of aerial spawning-ground surveys for abundance monitoring, and (7) measuring and documenting water temperature throughout the main stem and lower tributaries.
Where does the spawning and rearing habitat occur that supports the federal subsistence management context?
The notice states Chinook spawning and rearing habitat in the Togiak River occurs within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, which is part of the Federal Conservation System.
Why is this project linked to federal subsistence responsibilities?
The justification points to Title XIII of ANILCA, which mandates a priority for subsistence uses on federal public lands and waters. The notice argues that defensible escapement information is essential for setting harvest levels and protecting future subsistence opportunities.
What escapement goal is mentioned, and where did it come from?
The notice references an Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) escapement goal of 10,000 Chinook, developed from aerial survey information.
What historical harvest and escapement levels are cited?
For 1996 to 2005, the notice cites an estimated average spawning escapement of 11,862 fish and an average harvest of 11,273 fish, implying roughly a 49 percent exploitation rate, with harvest distributed across commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries.
How does the project relate to harvest and exploitation concerns?
The project is positioned as a way to determine whether the population can support historical exploitation levels under current conditions, especially in the context of broader Chinook declines.
What capacity-building or local workforce components are included?
BBNA is expected to hire and train local residents, including citizens of BBNA villages, as research assistants to help operate the weir and collect field data. The intent is to build local technical capacity for future fisheries projects.
Which partners are emphasized in the project collaboration?
The notice emphasizes collaboration among BBNA, USFWS (including the Anchorage Fish and Wildlife Field Office), and ADFG.
Which advisory or program entities are cited as having called for improved monitoring?
The notice states the work is consistent with priorities identified by the Office of Subsistence Management and the Bristol Bay Regional Advisory Council, both of which had previously called for improved and more reliable escapement monitoring in the Togiak River.
Why did USFWS justify a single-source award to BBNA?
The stated rationale focuses on continuity and unique qualifications. USFWS asserts BBNA is the only organization committed and qualified to work cooperatively with Bristol Bay tribes and state and federal agencies on subsistence fishery research, management, and protection, and that the effort had already been selected through the Federal Subsistence Fishery Resource Monitoring Program process.
Was the project concept ever reviewed competitively?
Yes, according to the notice, while the award itself is single-source at this stage, the underlying project concept was originally submitted competitively under the monitoring program and reviewed for strategic importance, technical merit, administrative competence, and capacity building, with final selection made by the Federal Subsistence Board.
Who is the contact person listed for access issues, and what is the phone number?
The listed contact for access issues is Teresa Tanner, Fishery Biologist, at 907-271-1799.
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