Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS NEFSC 2014 2003824
Apply for NOAA NMFS NEFSC 2014 2003824
- The Department of Commerce in the education environment science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2014 Monkfish Research Set Aside" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.454 Unallied Management Projects.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jan 6, 2014 and posted on Oct 29, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 9, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) State governments For profit organizations other than small businesses Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Independent school districts Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Small businesses Private institutions of higher education Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education City or township governments.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Fiscal Year 2014 Monkfish Research Set Aside (RSA) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number NOAA NMFS NEFSC 2014 2003824) was issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), specifically tied to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the regional fishery management councils. It is a discretionary funding opportunity that uses cooperative agreements and grants as the primary funding instruments. The program comes out of Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, which created a dedicated mechanism to support science that directly informs monkfish management: each year, 500 monkfish Days-at-Sea (DAS) are set aside from the overall DAS allocation for limited access monkfish vessels, and those DAS are then awarded to selected research projects so that fishing activity can be used to generate data and answer priority management questions. In practice, the "award" is the allocation of DAS to successful applicants, which can then be used to conduct research trips and collect information that would otherwise be difficult or expensive to obtain.
The central purpose of the 2014 Monkfish RSA Program was to fund projects that measurably improve understanding of the monkfish resource and fishery, or that add to the evidence base used for management decisions. NMFS and the councils signaled that they were not looking for general marine research, but for targeted work that fills specific knowledge gaps that affect stock assessments, regulations, and ecosystem-based decision-making. Because the program is structured around research performed with fishing operations under RSA DAS, it naturally supports cooperative research models in which scientists, industry participants, and managers align on sampling plans, gear configurations, and data standards, producing results that can be integrated into management processes.
The announcement laid out six research needs and priorities, ranked in order of importance, which served as the main roadmap for what proposals should address. The top priority was monkfish life history research, with an emphasis on age and growth, longevity, reproduction, and natural mortality. These topics are foundational for stock assessment and for understanding population productivity: age and growth work improves estimates of size-at-age and growth curves; longevity affects assumptions about population resilience; reproduction research informs maturity schedules and spawning potential; and natural mortality influences how managers interpret fishing impacts versus background mortality. The second priority focused on migration and movement patterns, including both short- and long-term movements relative to management areas and off-shelf movements, as well as habitat use. This reflects the need to understand spatial structure and connectivity, which can strongly affect how area-based measures, seasonal patterns, and stock boundaries perform in the real world. The third priority addressed trophic interactions, including monkfish roles in the food web and monkfish cannibalism, which can change recruitment dynamics and ecosystem impacts and may help explain variability in abundance beyond fishing pressure alone.
The fourth priority area was cooperative research surveys designed to fill gaps in existing survey coverage. This typically speaks to limitations in standard fishery-independent surveys, whether due to spatial gaps, seasonal gaps, gear constraints, or insufficient sampling intensity in certain habitats or depth ranges. By using RSA DAS to conduct targeted survey work, the program aimed to supplement traditional survey indices with additional data streams that can improve trend detection and reduce uncertainty. The fifth priority concerned bycatch and discard mortality, covering both target species (monkfish and Northeast multispecies) and non-target species (for example, monkfish or skate, depending on fishery interactions). This priority recognizes that management outcomes depend not just on what is landed, but also on what is caught and discarded, and on the survival of discards. Better discard mortality estimates can materially change total fishing mortality calculations and the perceived effectiveness of bycatch mitigation measures. The sixth priority targeted trawl and gillnet gear studies, including work on size and species selectivity and bycatch reduction, with explicit mention of reducing bycatch of and interactions with protected species. This area is aimed at practical, implementable fishing solutions that can reduce unwanted catch while maintaining economic viability, and it often results in gear modifications, operational changes, or best-practice guidance that can be adopted through regulation or industry practice.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity anticipated up to eight awards, and it was listed under CFDA 11.454 (Unallied Management Projects). No cost sharing or matching requirement was indicated. The posting date was October 29, 2013, with a closing window that ultimately extended to January 9, 2014 (originally January 6, 2014). The archived date was February 8, 2014. Notably, the listing showed estimated total funding and award floor/ceiling as zero, which is consistent with an RSA structure where the key resource being awarded is fishing access (DAS) rather than a traditional cash budget line, even though projects may still involve grant or cooperative agreement funding mechanisms and associated project costs depending on how the RSA is implemented and financed.
Eligibility was broad and included state governments, local governments (city or township), federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (with certain higher-education-related distinctions), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses), and small businesses. This wide eligibility reflects the cooperative nature of fisheries research, where universities, nonprofits, industry-led entities, and government partners can all be positioned to run effective projects, especially those requiring vessel time and coordination with permitted fleets.
For applicants who needed assistance accessing the full announcement, the contact listed was Cheryl Corbett at NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center, with phone number 508-495-2070 and fax 508-495-2004. Overall, the 2014 Monkfish RSA opportunity was designed to convert a set-aside of fishing effort into a focused research program, steering projects toward the most pressing biological, ecological, survey, bycatch, and gear questions affecting monkfish management in the Northeast.
Fiscal Year 2014 Monkfish Research Set Aside (RSA) Program (NOAA NMFS NEFSC 2014 2003824) - FAQs
1) What is the Fiscal Year 2014 Monkfish Research Set Aside (RSA) grant opportunity?
It is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce through NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). It is tied to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the regional fishery management councils, and it supports research intended to directly inform monkfish management.
2) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number is NOAA NMFS NEFSC 2014 2003824.
3) What makes this an "RSA" opportunity rather than a typical cash grant?
The core resource awarded to successful projects is access to fishing effort in the form of monkfish Days-at-Sea (DAS). Each year, 500 monkfish DAS are set aside and then allocated to selected research projects so fishing trips can be used to collect management-relevant data.
4) What is actually awarded to successful applicants?
In practice, the award is an allocation of monkfish DAS (Days-at-Sea) that can be used to conduct research trips and collect data that might otherwise be difficult or expensive to obtain.
5) Where does the Monkfish RSA Program authority come from?
The program comes out of Amendment 2 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan, which created a dedicated mechanism to support science that directly informs monkfish management by setting aside DAS for research.
6) What is the main purpose of the 2014 Monkfish RSA Program?
The central purpose is to fund projects that measurably improve understanding of the monkfish resource and fishery, or that add to the evidence base used for management decisions (for example, stock assessments, regulations, and ecosystem-based decision-making).
7) Is this program intended to support general marine research?
No. NMFS and the councils indicated they were not looking for general marine research, but rather targeted work that fills specific knowledge gaps affecting monkfish management.
8) What kinds of research models does this program naturally support?
Because research is structured around fishing operations conducted under RSA DAS, the program naturally supports cooperative research models where scientists, industry participants, and managers align on sampling plans, gear configurations, and data standards.
9) How many research priorities were listed in the announcement?
Six research needs and priorities were listed, ranked in order of importance, and they served as the main roadmap for what proposals should address.
10) What was the #1 research priority?
The top priority was monkfish life history research, emphasizing age and growth, longevity, reproduction, and natural mortality.
11) Why is life history research (age, growth, longevity, reproduction, natural mortality) important for monkfish management?
These topics are described as foundational for stock assessment and understanding population productivity. They affect estimates such as size-at-age and growth curves, assumptions about resilience, maturity and spawning potential, and how managers interpret fishing impacts relative to background natural mortality.
12) What was the #2 research priority?
The second priority focused on migration and movement patterns, including short- and long-term movements relative to management areas, off-shelf movements, and habitat use.
13) Why were migration, movement, and habitat-use studies prioritized?
Understanding spatial structure and connectivity can strongly affect how area-based measures, seasonal patterns, and stock boundaries perform and how well management areas align with real-world monkfish distribution and movement.
14) What was the #3 research priority?
The third priority addressed trophic interactions, including monkfish roles in the food web and monkfish cannibalism.
15) Why do trophic interactions and cannibalism matter in this context?
They can affect recruitment dynamics and ecosystem impacts and may help explain variability in abundance beyond fishing pressure alone.
16) What was the #4 research priority?
The fourth priority was cooperative research surveys designed to fill gaps in existing survey coverage.
17) What kinds of "survey gaps" was the program trying to fill?
The announcement referenced limitations in standard fishery-independent surveys, such as spatial gaps, seasonal gaps, gear constraints, or insufficient sampling intensity in certain habitats or depth ranges. RSA DAS can be used to conduct targeted survey work to supplement traditional survey indices.
18) What was the #5 research priority?
The fifth priority concerned bycatch and discard mortality for both target species (monkfish and Northeast multispecies) and non-target species (with examples including monkfish or skate, depending on interactions).
19) Why were bycatch and discard mortality considered important management topics?
Management outcomes depend not only on landings but also on what is caught and discarded and on discard survival. Improved discard mortality estimates can change total fishing mortality calculations and influence how effective bycatch mitigation measures appear.
20) What was the #6 research priority?
The sixth priority targeted trawl and gillnet gear studies, including size and species selectivity and bycatch reduction, with explicit mention of reducing bycatch of and interactions with protected species.
21) What types of results were gear studies expected to support?
The described intent was to generate practical, implementable fishing solutions (such as gear modifications, operational changes, or best-practice guidance) that reduce unwanted catch while maintaining economic viability and that can be adopted through regulation or industry practice.
22) What funding instruments were expected to be used for this opportunity?
The announcement indicated cooperative agreements and grants as the primary funding instruments.
23) How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated up to eight awards.
24) What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity was listed under CFDA 11.454 (Unallied Management Projects).
25) Was cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was indicated.
26) What were the key dates for the application window?
The posting date was October 29, 2013. The closing window ultimately extended to January 9, 2014 (originally January 6, 2014). The archived date was February 8, 2014.
27) Why did the listing show estimated total funding and award floor/ceiling as zero?
The information provided states this is consistent with an RSA structure where the key resource being awarded is fishing access (DAS) rather than a traditional cash budget line, even though projects may still use grant or cooperative agreement mechanisms and have associated project costs depending on implementation.
28) Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included state governments; local governments (city or township); federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (with certain higher-education-related distinctions); public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; independent school districts; for-profit organizations (including those other than small businesses); and small businesses.
29) Why was eligibility so broad?
The information provided links this to the cooperative nature of fisheries research, where universities, nonprofits, industry-led entities, and government partners may be positioned to conduct projects that require vessel time and coordination with permitted fleets.
30) Who was the contact for help accessing the full announcement?
The listed contact was Cheryl Corbett at NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
31) What contact details were provided for Cheryl Corbett?
Phone: 508-495-2070. Fax: 508-495-2004.
32) How does the RSA DAS set-aside relate to limited access monkfish vessels?
The program description states that 500 monkfish DAS are set aside from the overall DAS allocation for limited access monkfish vessels, and those DAS are then awarded to selected research projects.
33) What was the overall program design goal?
The overall design goal was to convert a set-aside of fishing effort into a focused research program that produces data and results aimed at the most pressing biological, ecological, survey, bycatch, and gear questions affecting monkfish management in the Northeast.
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