BOEM AK-21-01: Research on Winter Ringed Seal Density in Beaufort Sea Oil and Gas Project Areas

The goal of this Cooperative Agreement is to gather information on ringed seal distribution, density and habitat use within the landfast ice zone adjacent to BOEMs Beaufort Sea Planning Area, NPR-A, ANWR and within other existing North Slope oil gas fields present in the nearshore Beaufort Sea. The objectives of this study are to: Analyze nearshore ice use by ringed seals by locating and documenting status of wintering seals and their structures to develop avoidance strategies where ring seal habitat overlaps with North Slope oil and gas activities. Utilize novel survey technology to expand capabilities to facilitate research on the habitat of ringed seals to improve understanding of ringed seal movements. Identify winter and spring seasonal movement patterns of adult ringed seals with an emphasis on detecting subnivean lair use in landfast ice in areas bounded by NPR-A, ANWR and BOEMs Beaufort Sea Planning Area. Document ringed seal habitat use areas and local foraging behavior by classifying foraging locations and determine if oil and gas development activities create movement barriers for ringed seals to access prey. Evaluate and compare the efficiencies of the proposed survey technologies with existing methods used to detect ringed seals, their breathing holes, and lairs.

Open to: Eligible recipients include the State of Alaska, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education of the State of Alaska, other higher education institutions outside of Alaska, and the North Slope Borough.

Eligibility Information: Research projects are required to have a staff member of the applying organization as the Principal Investigator (PI). Cooperative research between interested organizations—i.e., state agencies, public universities, and non-profits in affected states—is always encouraged.

Cost Share/Match: Contributions of matching funds towards these efforts, either as cash or in-kind contributions (such as salary, equipment, etc., or a combination of both) is very strongly encouraged. Match cannot include value associated with collection costs for samples previously collected. Match value for instrumentation and other equipment should be adjusted to the period of use within the project relative to the full life cycle for the item. Matching dollars cannot be from other Federal funding sources. Further information can be located at 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.306. All questions regarding this project, including eligibility, should be directed only to the “Program Announcement and Cooperative Agreement Administration” point-of-contact listed in Section D.

Analyze nearshore ice use by ringed seals by locating and documenting status of wintering seals and their structures to develop avoidance strategies where ring seal habitat overlaps with North Slope oil and gas activities.
Utilize novel survey technology to expand capabilities to facilitate research on the habitat of ringed seals to improve understanding of ringed seal movements.
Identify winter and spring seasonal movement patterns of adult ringed seals with an emphasis on detecting subnivean lair use in landfast ice in areas bounded by NPR-A, ANWR and BOEMs Beaufort Sea Planning Area.
Document ringed seal habitat use areas and local foraging behavior by classifying foraging locations and determine if oil and gas development activities create movement barriers for ringed seals to access prey.
Evaluate and compare the efficiencies of the proposed survey technologies with existing methods used to detect ringed seals, their breathing holes, and lairs.