National Park Service Grant for Understanding Pacific Halibut Movement in Glacier Bay

This Funding Announcement is not a request for applications. This announcement is to provide public notice of the National Park Service (NPS), intention to fund the following project activities.

ABSTRACT

Funding Announcement: P11AT36064

Project Title: Using Pop-Up Satellite Transmitting Tags for Understanding Pacific Halibut Movement in and Around Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve

Recipient: University of Alaska Fairbanks

Principle
Investigator: Andrew Seitz
Total Anticipated
Award Amount: $300,000

Cost Share: N/A

New Award
Or Continuation: New

Anticipated
Length of
Agreement: 5 Years

Anticipated
Period of
Performance: September 16, 2011-December 31, 2015

Award
Instrument: Cooperative Agreement

Statutory
Authority: Agreements Concerning Cooperative Research and Training on NPS Resources (16 U.S.C. � 1a-2(j)): The Secretary may enter into agreements with public or private educational institutions, States and their political subdivisions, for the purpose of developing adequate, coordinated, cooperative research and training programs concerning the resources of the National Park System, and pursuant to such agreements, to accept from and make available to the cooperator such technical and support staff, financial assistance for mutually agreed upon research projects, supplies and equipment, facilities, and administrative services relating to cooperative research units as the Secretary deems appropriate.

CFDA#: 15.945, Cooperative Research and Training Programs � Resources of the National Park System
JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN
COMPETITION (or SINGLE SOURCE) FOR DISCRETIONARY COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

CEAU task agreement : J9815110514
Using Pop-up Satellite Transmitting Tags for Understanding Pacific Halibut Movement In and Around Glacier Bay National Park

BACKGROUND:

The Glacier Bay commercial Pacific halibut fishery is projected to cease sometime between 2050 and 2060 because of attrition of lifetime access permit (LAP) holders. How the abundance of Pacific halibut in Glacier Bay reacts to this future decrease in commercial exploitation will depend on the frequency and timing of movement by individual fish out of Glacier Bay to areas that are commercially and recreationally fished. This proposed project will examine the seasonal movements of Glacier Bay Pacific halibut, particularly dispersal to winter spawning areas and homing to summer feeding locations. Fifteen pop-up satellite tags will be externally attached on Pacific halibut (> 105 cm FL) captured within Glacier Bay National Park during their summer feeding season each year over two years. These tags will measure and record ambient temperature, depth, light intensity and magnetic field strength at intervals of one hour. In the first year of the study, the tags will be programmed to release from the fish during the peak of the Pacific halibut spawning season in early-February, while in the second year, the tags will release 365 d after deployment. After releasing from the Pacific halibut, the tags will float to the surface and transmit the archived data to Argos satellites, which may then be retrieved by the investigators. The light intensity and magnetic field strength data will be used to estimate daily positions of tagged Pacific halibut to characterize frequency and timing of Pacific halibut spawning migration out of Glacier Bay as well as site fidelity to summer feeding locations within Glacier Bay. This information will aid in understanding the susceptibility of Glacier Bay Pacific halibut to adjacent commercial and recreational fisheries during seasonal openings.

1) 505 DM 2 Single Source – Only one responsible source will satisfy agency requirements.

The single source for this work is:

PhD student Julie Nielsen and advisor Dr. Andrew Seitz
UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
University of Alaska, Fairbanks

This is THE source for this work because Dr. Seitz has had considerable experience in researching large, highly mobile fish species movements (particularly halibut) using cutting edge technology. Moreover, he has published extensively the results of his work on Pacific halibut in this area and is highly respected in the field by the academic community. PhD candidate Julie Nielsen has also had considerable experience researching marine species movements, is currently completing publication of past Glacier Bay halibut movement research results, and is ideally suited to conduct this work given her experience and research interests. Her time is funded separately through a three year Rasmuson Fisheries Research Center graduate fellowship. The work is one small complementary component to a much larger NOAA Undersea Research Program (NURP) funded project investigating halibut movement over a broad geographic range from Southeast Alaska, to the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. The project will employ new technology (popup archival satellite tags [PAT] incorporating geomagnetic sensing technology) that is not currently being used widely by other marine researchers. The tags will be used to determine spatial and temporal components of halibut movement from Glacier Bay Proper to the Fairweather Grounds spawning area in the Gulf and back to Glacier Bay Proper.

2) Nature and description of the deliverable required to meet the agency�s needs:

Deliverables and required delivery schedule.

Project work elements Expected date
Install tags July/Aug. 2011
Recover tags Apr. 2012
Annual Report (Yr 1) June 1, 2012
Install tags July/Aug. 2012
Recover tags Aug. 2013
Annual Report (Yr 2) Dec. 1, 2013
Publication Format Final Report June 1, 2014
Present research results Winter/Spring 2013/14
Manuscript Acceptance & Publication Dec. 1, 2014
End of Project Dec. 31, 2015

This proposed project will provide information on the frequency and timing of migration, as well as migratory pathways of GBNP Pacific halibut. This information will enable investigators to better understand and predict when and where these fish might be susceptible to capture in commercial and recreational fisheries outside of GBNP. If GBNP Pacific halibut migration behavior incurs harvest mortality risk, migration information could be used to design protection measures. Measureable results include:

� Quantifiable evidence of the timing and spatial characteristics of sampled halibut movements in and around Glacier Bay National Park.
� Enhanced knowledge of the effectiveness of commercial fishery harvest cessation on the protection and conservation of the Glacier Bay halibut resource.
� Enhanced Resource Manager understanding of the suitability of Glacier Bay Proper as a marine protected area for other wide ranging fish and invertebrate species.
� Enhanced visitor education and understanding of one of the park�s keystone marine predators.
Total project cost estimate: $149,491 ($73,156 in 2011 and $76,335 in 2012)

3) Criteria for justifying award without competition. In order for an assistance award to be made without competition, the award must satisfy one or more of the following criteria. Please explain which criterion specifically addresses the proposed agreement.

Unique Qualifications – The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of demonstrable factors such as location (UAF Fairbanks and Juneau), cost-sharing ability (the project dovetails with a larger NURP funded project), technical expertise (Dr. Seitz and Ms Neilsen specialize in this type of work), and use of cutting edge technology (PAT with onboard geomagnetic sensing capability)

4) A description of the market research that was conducted and the results, or a statement of the reason a market research was not conducted:

No market research was conducted because this type of work is extremely specialized and generally conducted only by very few academics throughout the country. The expertise for this work at the University of Alaska is in close proximity. Any other university associated researchers capable of conducting this type of work would incur considerable additional costs just getting to Alaska that would add significantly to project costs.

5) Any other facts supporting the use of other than full and open competition:

Dr. Seitz and Julie Neilsen are currently developing a publication analyzing and summarizing past (1990s era) halibut movement in Glacier Bay Proper through a CESU agreement (J98181005810/H9911080028).

Current Glacier Bay fishing regulations authorize commercial harvest of Pacific halibut by lifetime access fisheries permit holders. Few commercial fishers will continue participating in this fishery beyond 2048. Although recreational fishing will still occur, annual harvest amounts will decline by at least 200,000 lbs or more. Understanding the timing and spatial characteristics of halibut migration from Glacier Bay Proper to the spawning grounds within the context of existing commercial and recreational fisheries openings within and outside the park will provide insight into the effectiveness and functionality of Glacier Bay Proper as a marine protected area.

6) A statement of the actions, if any, the agency may take to remove or overcome any barriers for competition before any potential future agreement award:

Because of the specialized and cutting edge nature of this work no actions are anticipated at this time.

Substantial Cooperation and Involvement by NPS

NPS previously contributed considerable financial and other resources to scientific research on halibut movement that is currently being assembled for publication by our cooperators. The current proposed study continues on from where previous work ceased. Previous work established the existence of home ranges for Pacific halibut in Glacier Bay proper. The currently proposed work will establish spatial and temporal characteristics of Pacific halibut movement out to spawning grounds and possible returns back to Glacier Bay proper. NPS has worked closely with these collaborators to cooperatively direct and develop the proposed research proposal for this project in order to meet future perceived management application needs. The NPS and cooperator will jointly participate in reviewing and modifying project proposals, data, and reports. Both parties will jointly participate in project field work. Both the NPS and cooperator will have substantial direct involvement prior to project activity in order to ensure compliance with permitting requirements including National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review, and National Institute of Health (NIH) Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) as well as NPS research permitting.