Opportunity Information: Apply for R12SF30001
Apply for R12SF30001
- The Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colorado Region in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Razorback Sucker Genetic Diversity Assessment" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.538 Lower Colorado River Multi Species Conservation Program..
- This funding opportunity was created on Sep 1, 2011 and posted on Sep 1, 2011.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 15, 2011. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $251,699.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $251,699.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- This is a Notice of Intent to Award, no competition is being sought.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Razorback Sucker Genetic Diversity Assessment grant opportunity is a Bureau of Reclamation (Lower Colorado Region) cooperative agreement tied to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (CFDA 15.538). It focuses on supporting applied conservation work for the razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), a native Colorado River basin fish that was once widespread and abundant but declined sharply due to large-scale water development (especially dam and reservoir construction) and the spread of non-native species. Although the creation of large reservoirs initially boosted some razorback populations after dam closures, those gains did not last because the species generally failed to recruit new young into the adult population. As older fish died off and few juveniles survived to replace them, populations shrank, contributing to the species being listed as endangered in 1991.
A central theme behind the project is genetics: razorback suckers still retain relatively high genetic variation, particularly in Lake Mohave, which remains one of the largest and most genetically diverse remnant populations documented in past studies (for example, work by Dowling and colleagues). That combination of population size and genetic diversity has made the lower Colorado River a major focus for management. However, traditional recovery actions such as stocking hatchery-reared fish have produced limited success over the long term. Early stocking often used smaller fish that were likely heavily impacted by predation. Even more recent stockings of larger fish (the MSCP reports stocking more than 18,000 razorback suckers per year at sizes around 300 mm or greater throughout the lower Colorado River) have shown disappointing long-term survival in monitoring results cited in the notice.
The opportunity is motivated by a practical gap in knowledge that directly affects how effective augmentation and repatriation efforts can be: while larvae are still periodically collected in multiple lower river areas (including below Davis Dam, in Lake Havasu, and downstream from Blythe, California), those larvae typically persist only briefly after swim-up before dying, likely from predation or other mortality sources. Critically, the program does not yet know how many adults are producing those larvae or which specific parents are contributing. In other words, there is ongoing reproduction in some places, but the genetic and demographic structure of that reproduction is uncertain. A genetic diversity assessment is meant to clarify parentage and contribution patterns, which can help managers understand whether reproduction is coming from a broad set of adults (better for maintaining diversity) or from only a few (riskier for inbreeding and loss of diversity), and how to design collections, rearing, and stocking in ways that conserve the strongest possible genetic representation.
The notice also contrasts the lower river and Lake Mohave situation with Lake Mead, where reproduction and at least some recruitment appear more promising. That difference is important because it suggests conditions exist in Lake Mead that may allow razorbacks to successfully produce juveniles that survive, and other projects are already underway to identify the features behind that success. The genetics-focused work in this opportunity fits into that broader effort by helping determine whether recruitment patterns and survival differences might also be linked to the genetic makeup of spawners and offspring, or to how many spawners are actually contributing in each system.
Administratively, this posting is a Notice of Intent to Award, meaning it is not a competitive funding opportunity and no competition is being sought. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, implying substantial involvement or collaboration with the agency rather than a hands-off grant. The expected number of awards is one, with estimated total funding up to $251,699 (the ceiling equals the total; the floor is listed as $0), and there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The posting date is September 1, 2011, with a closing date of September 15, 2011, and an archive date of October 15, 2011. The eligible applicants field is broadly labeled as "Others" with clarification referenced elsewhere in the full announcement, but since the agency states no competition is being sought, eligibility is largely a formality in this specific case rather than an open call.
In practical terms, the opportunity supports work that helps the MSCP and partner agencies answer a high-impact management question: when larvae are collected for protective-custody rearing and later stocked back into the river or reservoirs, are those actions capturing and maintaining the natural genetic diversity necessary for long-term recovery, or are they inadvertently narrowing it because only a small subset of adults are reproducing? By resolving uncertainty around parentage and genetic diversity in produced larvae and stocked fish, the project is intended to strengthen restoration strategy for an endangered native fish that continues to face major barriers to self-sustaining recruitment in much of its historical range.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Razorback Sucker Genetic Diversity Assessment grant opportunity?
It is a Bureau of Reclamation (Lower Colorado Region) cooperative agreement focused on applied conservation work for the razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus). The work is tied to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (MSCP) and is listed under CFDA 15.538.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The opportunity is offered by the Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region, as part of its involvement with the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (MSCP).
Is this a competitive grant opportunity?
No. The posting is a Notice of Intent to Award, which means no competition is being sought and it is not an open, competitive funding opportunity.
What type of funding instrument is being used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement. This implies substantial involvement or collaboration with the agency rather than a fully hands-off award.
How many awards are expected?
The expected number of awards is one.
How much funding is available?
Estimated total funding is up to $251,699. The ceiling equals the total amount listed, and the minimum (floor) is listed as $0.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The notice states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
What are the key dates for this posting?
The posting date is September 1, 2011. The closing date is September 15, 2011. The archive date is October 15, 2011.
What species is the project focused on?
The project focuses on the razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), a native fish of the Colorado River basin.
Why is the razorback sucker a conservation priority?
The species was once widespread and abundant but declined sharply due to large-scale water development, especially dam and reservoir construction, and the spread of non-native species. The species was listed as endangered in 1991, and a major issue is that many populations have not successfully recruited enough young fish into the adult population over time.
What does the opportunity mean by a "genetic diversity assessment"?
Based on the notice, it refers to genetics-focused work intended to clarify parentage and contribution patterns among producing adults and the larvae being observed and collected. The goal is to understand whether reproduction is supported by many adults (which better maintains genetic diversity) or only a few (which increases risk of reduced diversity and inbreeding over time).
Why is genetics such a central theme for this project?
The notice emphasizes that razorback suckers still retain relatively high genetic variation, especially in Lake Mohave, which has been documented as one of the largest and most genetically diverse remnant populations in past studies (including work described as by Dowling and colleagues). That makes protecting and representing this diversity in management actions a major focus.
Why is Lake Mohave highlighted in the notice?
Lake Mohave is described as one of the largest and most genetically diverse remnant populations documented in prior research. Because of that combination of population size and diversity, the lower Colorado River and Lake Mohave have been a major management focus.
What management problem is this project trying to solve?
The notice identifies a practical gap: larvae are still periodically collected in multiple lower river areas, but they typically persist only briefly after swim-up before dying, likely due to predation or other mortality sources. A key uncertainty is how many adults are producing those larvae and which specific parents are contributing.
Where are razorback sucker larvae being collected, according to the notice?
The notice mentions larvae are periodically collected in multiple lower river areas, including below Davis Dam, in Lake Havasu, and downstream from Blythe, California.
What does the notice say happens to larvae after swim-up?
It states that the larvae typically persist only briefly after swim-up before dying, likely from predation or other mortality sources.
What is meant by "parentage" and "contribution patterns" in this context?
In the context provided, parentage refers to identifying which adult fish are the parents of collected larvae. Contribution patterns refer to whether many different adults are producing offspring (broad contribution) or only a small subset of adults are producing most larvae (narrow contribution).
How can knowing parentage help recovery actions?
The notice indicates that understanding parentage and contribution patterns can help managers design collections, rearing, and stocking in ways that conserve the strongest possible genetic representation. It addresses whether protective-custody rearing and stocking are capturing natural diversity or inadvertently narrowing it.
How does this relate to stocking and augmentation efforts mentioned in the notice?
The notice explains that traditional recovery actions such as stocking hatchery-reared fish have had limited long-term success. It notes early stocking often used smaller fish that were likely heavily impacted by predation. It also notes that even more recent stocking of larger fish (with MSCP reporting more than 18,000 fish per year at sizes around 300 mm or greater in the lower Colorado River) has shown disappointing long-term survival in monitoring results cited in the notice.
What does the notice say about the scale of stocking in the lower Colorado River?
It states the MSCP reports stocking more than 18,000 razorback suckers per year at sizes around 300 mm or greater throughout the lower Colorado River.
Why might stocking not be producing strong long-term outcomes, based on the notice?
The notice attributes limited success to issues such as predation on smaller stocked fish in earlier efforts, and it states that even larger stocked fish have shown disappointing long-term survival in monitoring results referenced in the notice.
What role does Lake Mead play in the notice and why is it mentioned?
Lake Mead is mentioned as a contrast: the notice states that reproduction and at least some recruitment appear more promising there. This suggests conditions exist in Lake Mead that allow juveniles to survive, and other projects are underway to identify the features behind that success. The genetics-focused work here is positioned as part of the broader effort to understand differences among systems.
Does the notice suggest genetics could be linked to recruitment differences among lakes and river reaches?
Yes. The notice explains that the genetics-focused work fits into broader efforts by helping determine whether recruitment patterns and survival differences might be linked to the genetic makeup of spawners and offspring, or to how many spawners are contributing in each system.
What does the "eligible applicants" field indicate?
The eligible applicants field is labeled as "Others," with clarification referenced elsewhere in the full announcement. However, the notice also states no competition is being sought, so eligibility is described as largely a formality in this specific case rather than an open call.
What is the main conservation question this project is intended to answer?
The notice frames a high-impact question for MSCP and partners: when larvae are collected for protective-custody rearing and later stocked back into the river or reservoirs, are those actions capturing and maintaining natural genetic diversity needed for long-term recovery, or are they narrowing diversity because only a small subset of adults are reproducing?
Why does it matter whether many adults or only a few adults are producing larvae?
If many adults contribute, genetic diversity is more likely to be maintained, which supports long-term resilience. If only a few adults contribute, the notice indicates there is greater risk of reduced genetic diversity and inbreeding concerns over time, which could undermine recovery efforts.
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