Get Millions to Boost Alaska Fisheries & Conservation

Overview Information The Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Subsistence Management, administers the Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program (Catalog of Federal and Domestic Assistance Number 15.636 Alaska Subsistence Management). The Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program (Monitoring Program) is seeking technically sound projects that gather information to manage and conserve subsistence fishery resources in Alaska. The program also is directed at supporting meaningful involvement in fisheries management by Alaska Native and rural organizations and promoting collaboration among Federal, State, Alaska Native and local organizations.

The Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program encompasses awards made through both Federal assistance and procurement instruments (contracts). This Request for Proposals is the single designated annual competition through which multiple awards will be made. This Request for Proposals # 701819R123 will be posted on http://www.fedbizopps.gov and http://www.grants.gov. As in past years, studies that gather, analyze, and report information needs for subsistence fisheries management on Federal public lands in Alaska (National Wildlife Refuges, National Forests, National Parks and Preserves, National Conservation Areas, National Wild and Scenic River Systems, National Petroleum Reserves, and National Recreation Areas) will be considered.

Proposals are to be submitted to the Office of Subsistence Management by January 12, 2009, 5:00 PM Alaska time. I. Funding Opportunity Description The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) has established guidelines for proposals to successfully compete for funding. Activities that fall outside the scope of the Monitoring Program and will not be considered include: habitat protection, mitigation, restoration, and enhancement; hatchery propagation, restoration, enhancement and supplementation; and contaminant assessment, evaluation, and monitoring.

These important activities are most appropriately addressed by the responsible land management or regulatory agency, not the Monitoring Program. In addition, projects for which the primary objective is capacity building (e.g., science camps, technician training, intern programs), are not eligible for funding under the Monitoring Program. However, projects with capacity building as a secondary objective are encouraged, and partnerships/capacity building is one of the ranking criteria used to evaluate proposals. The Monitoring Program provides approximately $7 million annually in funding to support research on and monitoring of Federal subsistence fisheries in Alaska.

The funding commitments to multiple year projects influence the amount of funding available each year for new projects. In 2010, approximately $6.5 million will be available to fund new monitoring and research projects needed to sustain Federal subsistence fisheries for rural Alaskans on Federal lands; remaining funding is obligated to existing projects. Proposed requests for funding may be up to four years duration for long-term monitoring projects. Proposals for new project starts can be for up to four years duration.