2024 Scallop Dredge Survey Charter Sources Sought

Our Ecosystem Surveys Branch seeks appropriate vessels to participate in our annual Atlantic sea scallop survey.

About

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Ecosystem Surveys Branch seeks information on appropriate vessels to participate in our annual Atlantic sea scallop survey. This survey is currently conducted along the U.S. continental shelf from New England to the Mid Atlantic region, including the U.S. waters of Georges Bank. Vessels will need to be available to participate in the survey sometime between May and July 2024, ideally in June. Each awarded contract will have a one-year base period in 2024 with option years through 2028. The deadline to respond to this Request For Information is November 22, 2023. A solicitation for a vessel contract opportunity System for Award Management will be posted in the near future

How Vessel Owners Apply

Interested parties will need to register with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and provide NOAA’s Western Acquisitions Division with information requirements outlined in the contract opportunity Request For Information website. Please contact Amanda Rossiter or Carina Topasna with any questions.

What We’re Looking For

The minimum vessel specifications include:

Sufficient berth space and lavatory facilities for crew members and 7-9 scientific personnel
Mess/galley for 6 scientists
Fuel and potable water capacity to operate continuously for 10 sea days
Adequate deck space to accommodate a scientific lab (8’ x 20’ container)
Equipment to monitor vessel speed, direction, bearing and water depth
Modern navigation equipment
Communications equipment (radios, cell phone, email capability)
Freezer storage for scientific samples (minimum 20 cubic feet, separate from frozen food stores)
Safety equipment required by the U.S. Coast Guard (EPIRBs, survival suits for each of the vessel’s crew and captain, life rafts for both crew and scientists)
Fishing equipment for deploying scallop dredges or autonomous vehicles and powering spooling winches for gear deployment

How Scallop Dredge Survey Data Are Used

Atlantic sea scallop dredge survey data are used in a variety of ways, including:

Determine the abundance, distribution, recruitment and size composition of Atlantic sea scallops
Collect meat, gonad and whole weight at scallop shell height data, as well as tracking the presence of scallop diseases
Track abundance of sea scallop predators such as sea stars and rock and Jonah crabs, as well as finfish bycatch
Inform fishery management advice to identify new rotational sea scallop areas, and as well as to help estimate allocations to the scallop fishery, including spatial allocations to existing rotational access areas
Understand the potential impact of offshore wind on survey operations

Survey data helps managers make informed decisions about the fisheries we care about. The U.S. sea scallop fishery is extremely important to our country’s economy and is the largest wild scallop fishery in the world. In 2022, commercial landings of Atlantic sea scallop totaled 31.6 million pounds of sea scallop meats and were valued at $478 million.