Download/Open the Full Request for Proposals (PDF) - Updated 1/14/16
NOTE: A summary of FAQs regarding this Request for Proposals is available at http://www.grantquestions.com/. We will continue to update this page as we receive additional questions.
Program Overview
- Administered by: Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
- Program Name: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council 2016-2017 Collaborative Fisheries Research Program
- RFP Closing Date: February 12, 2016, 6:00 p.m. eastern standard time
- Point of Contact: Andrew Loftus, ASMFC/MAFMC Collaborative Research Funding Coordinator, aloftus@andrewloftus.com, (410) 295-5997
Purpose
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is requesting proposals for collaborative research projects to receive funding under the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s (MAFMC) 2016-2017 Collaborative Fisheries Research Program. The goal of this initiative is to enhance the science used in the management of Mid-Atlantic fisheries and to facilitate collaboration among scientists, fishermen, and other fishery stakeholders. Approximately $600,000 is available to support an anticipated 3-6 research projects. Priority will be given to proposals that include a strong collaborative component.
Research Priorities
The MAFMC has identified the following collaborative research priorities for 2016-2017 to address specific gaps in knowledge needed for management of stocks under its management authority. Proposals must address at least one of these priorities in order to receive consideration:
- Investigate NEFSC trawl survey efficiency, catchability, and availability relative to summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, spiny dogfish, and/or Atlantic mackerel. Projects which investigate calibration of an industry vessel relative to the NEFSC trawl survey will be prioritized.
- Investigate abundance and/or distribution of Atlantic mackerel beyond the depth range of current NEFSC trawl surveys.
- Develop innovative supplemental surveys (proof of concept) to derive fishery-independent indices of abundance for golden tilefish and blueline tilefish. Projects should focus primarily on development and evaluation of methodology, not on the collection of long-term data. The Council is particularly interested in projects which include video survey options.
- Determine the discard mortality rate by gear type for the recreational summer flounder and/or black sea bass fisheries. Special consideration will be given to projects that address discard reduction.
- Determine mesh selectivity for summer flounder and/or black sea bass to quantify selectivity at a range of mesh sizes, shapes, and configurations.
- Develop and/or evaluate innovative approaches for avoidance or monitoring of river herring and/or shad catch in small mesh fisheries.
- Collect sex-specific fishery-dependent data for summer flounder and compare against sex-specific data collected annually from the federal trawl survey, state trawl surveys, and the northeast area monitoring and assessment program trawl survey.
Program Details
This initiative is administered by the ASMFC with funding provided by the MAFMC. Projects funded under this program will be expected to deliver specific results to address questions outlined in one or more of the priorities described above and by December 2017. Projects which promote broad participation among researchers and stakeholders are encouraged.
Interested individuals should review the full Request for Proposals for additional details, including proposal submission instructions and evaluation criteria. Proposals are due February 12, 2016, 6:00 p.m. EST.
Questions
Questions should be addressed to Andrew Loftus, ASMFC/MAFMC Collaborative Research Funding Coordinator, aloftus@andrewloftus.com; (410) 295-5997.