MONITORING OF SUBTIDAL FISH AND INVERTEBRATES INSIDE AND OUT OF NO-TAKE SAFETY ZONES AT SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND, CA | N62473 24 2 0008

Opportunity Information: Apply for N62473 24 2 0008

This funding opportunity (N62473 24 2 0008) is a Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest cooperative agreement to continue long-term monitoring of subtidal (below the low-tide line) demersal fish and selected invertebrates around San Clemente Island, California, specifically comparing conditions inside and outside the island's no-take safety zones. San Clemente Island is designated an Area of Special Biological Significance and, under Executive Order 13158, is treated as part of the National Marine Protected Area framework. The project is positioned as part of California and federal expectations to evaluate how protected areas perform over time, aligning with the Marine Life Protection Act requirements to monitor MPAs and with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Protected Area Monitoring Action Plan.

The core reason this work matters is that the U.S. Coast Guard established permanent offshore safety zones around San Clemente Island in 2010 to support U.S. Navy live-fire and testing activities while protecting the public from hazardous operations. These zones restrict public access, which effectively reduces or eliminates fishing pressure in certain areas. To remain consistent with the San Clemente Island Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan and to avoid separate state MPA designation, the Navy aligned INRMP boundaries with the Coast Guard safety zone boundaries. As a result, the safety zones function as de facto MPAs and are monitored in a way comparable to other South Coast MPAs. Baseline remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys and seafloor bathymetric mapping were completed in 2012/2013, followed by additional long-term monitoring in 2019/2020, and this new award is intended to extend that time series to detect ecological change and evaluate whether no-take conditions are producing measurable differences in fish and invertebrate communities compared with nearby areas open to fishing.

The anticipated work is organized into three base tasks. First, the recipient will conduct imagery-based subtidal habitat surveys for demersal fishes and selected invertebrates using protocols approved by the Cooperative Agreement Technical Representative (CATR). The surveys are expected to focus on species tracked in prior ROV efforts (2012-2015 and 2019/2020), and the project emphasizes returning to previously surveyed sites to the extent practicable so results remain comparable across years. The recipient is also responsible for coordinating field schedules with the CATR and relevant island personnel and must provide required information for access and security passes for staff and vehicles at least one month before surveys (with the CATR assisting in the pass process).

Second, the recipient will conduct comprehensive spatial analyses of the imagery-derived biological observations, integrating those data with existing bathymetric and habitat classification maps of the seafloor. The solicitation highlights spatial modeling approaches, including habitat suitability models, and expects analyses to use current best practices and appropriate software. The intent is to move beyond simple counts by examining how fish and invertebrate distributions relate to mapped habitat features and how those patterns differ inside versus outside the no-take safety zones.

Third, the recipient must produce draft and final technical reporting in a scientific format, following the submittal requirements in the agreement. The report must include standard sections (title and citation pages, table of contents, abstract/executive summary, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions) and the conclusions must synthesize findings in relation to previous monitoring and provide recommendations for future study. The deliverables also include legible copies of field notes, data forms, and other supporting information so that the monitoring record remains transparent and usable for future comparisons.

Administratively, this is a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement funding instrument (CFDA 12.300), with one anticipated award and an award ceiling of $76,983. Eligibility is limited to Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Californian cooperative partners that qualify under DoDGARS Part 34 or 2 CFR 200. The original closing date listed is 2024-05-28. Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a continuation of an established monitoring program that uses repeatable ROV/imagery surveys and modern spatial analysis to track whether restricted-access, no-take safety zones around a militarily active island are functioning like MPAs in terms of fish and invertebrate community responses over time.

• The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "MONITORING OF SUBTIDAL FISH AND INVERTEBRATES INSIDE AND OUT OF NO-TAKE SAFETY ZONES AT SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND, CA" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.300.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $76,983.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for N62473 24 2 0008

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