Bluefin Tuna Research Program

About

The Bluefin Tuna Research Program provides financial assistance for projects which seek to increase and improve the working relationship between fisheries researchers from NOAA Fisheries, state fishery agencies, universities, and other research institutions, and U.S. fishery interests (recreational and commercial) focusing on northern bluefin tuna in the Atlantic Ocean.

The program is a means of advancing research objectives to address the information needs to improve the science-based fisheries management for Atlantic bluefin tuna. This program addresses NOAA's mission goal to "Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources through an Ecosystem Approach to Management."

The objective of the program is to provide a basis for advancing science-based fisheries management for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Such advancement will depend upon improvements in understanding fisheries harvesting and the biology of bluefin tuna, especially regarding the effects of mixing and movement between the eastern and western Atlantic stocks on monitoring stock abundance.

Contracting parties to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, of which the United States is one, and other partners have embarked upon a $25 million research program on bluefin tuna. It is expected to span six years as a step toward improving ICCAT's science-based management approach for fisheries affecting bluefin. Research sponsored under this funding opportunity represents a contribution to this partnership.

Research priorities for this funding opportunity include:

1. Representative sampling of hard and soft tissues and associated analytical techniques for studies of population genetics, stock composition, age composition, growth and total reproductive contribution by size and age.
2. Large-scale conventional, electronic and genetic tagging experiments specifically designed to estimate movement rates, abundance, and mortality of the eastern or western stocks.
3. Historical data (both paper copies or archived biological material) mining to sharpen estimates of catch, catch composition, fishing effort, and spatial aspects of catch.
4. Simulation modeling to evaluate the performance of assessment models and management strategies in light of uncertainties related to stock mixing, reproductive potential and other life-history traits.
5. Improving the quality of fishery data for stock assessments (e.g., using advanced technology to obtain representative data on catch per unit effort, size composition, etc…).
6. Developing novel fishery-independent techniques to estimate abundance or mortality (e.g., using advanced technology or enhancing coverage through effective multi-institution partnerships).
7. Integration of satellite remote sensing, oceanographic modeling and other multidisciplinary scientific products to consider environmental effects upon biology (recruitment, mortality, movement, etc), fishery operations or to resolve the uncertainties in current and historical recruitment.

Application Process

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants may be institutions of higher education, nonprofits, commercial organizations, individuals, and state, local, and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies or institutions are not eligible. Foreign governments, organizations under the jurisdiction of foreign governments, and international organizations are excluded for purposes of this solicitation since the objective of the program is to optimize research and development benefits from U.S. marine fishery resources.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

Cost-sharing is not required for this program.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

All applicants must include a written agreement with a person employed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), who will act as a partner in the proposed research project. This written agreement must be signed by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) Director.

A. Address to Request Application Package

The standard application package is available at Grants.gov. If you do not have internet access, an application package may be received by contacting

Dax Ruiz, Federal Grants Program Manager
NOAA/NMFS/SERO
263 13th Avenue, South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 824-5324
e-mail: Dax.Ruiz@noaa.gov

B. Content and Form of Application

1. Format Requirements:

All pages must be single-spaced and should be composed in at least a 12-point font with one-inch margins on 8 1/2 x 11 paper. The project description may not exceed 8 pages, exclusive of title page, project synopsis, literature cited, budget information, resumes of investigator, and letters of support (if any). Failure to follow the requirements will result in the rejection of the application.

Any PDF or other attachments that are included in an electronic application must meet the
above format requirement when printed out.

2. Content Requirements:

Please review Section IV.B, "Content and Form of Application" in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) document for a comprehensive list of required information for this grant. In short, the sections required are as follows:

a. Signed Title Page: The Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) must be signed by the authorized representative. Electronic signatures submitted through G rants.gov satisfy this requirement.

b. Project Synopsis (1-page limit): It is critical that the project synopsis accurately describes the project being proposed and conveys all essential elements of the activities. It is imperative that potential applicants tie their proposals to one of the program priorities described in Section I.B of the NOFO. The Project Synopsis must identify the principal investigator(s) and a brief statement of qualifications.

c. Project Description (8-page limit): The applicant should describe and justify the project being proposed and address each of the evaluation criteria as described in the NOFO. Project descriptions should include clear objectives and specific approaches to achieving those objectives, including methods, timelines, and expected outcomes.

d. Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan (up to 2 pages). See Section VI.B. of the NOFO, Administrative and National Policy Requirements, below for additional information on what the plan should contain.

e. Literature Cited: If applicable.

f. Budget and Budget Justification: All applications must have a detailed budget narrative explaining and justifying the Federal and non-Federal expenditures as listed on the SF-424A budget forms. Refer to NOAA Grants Management Division’s Budget Narrative Guidance at https://www.ago.noaa.gov/grants/training.html. Provide justifications for all budget items in sufficient detail to enable the reviewers to evaluate the appropriateness of the funding requested.

g. Resumes (2 pages maximum for each major participant).

h. Standard Application Forms: Please refer to the appropriate application package available through www.Grants.gov. If you do not have internet access, an application package may be received by contacting Dax Ruiz, Federal Grants Program Manager, NOAA/NMFS/SERO; 263 13th Avenue, South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, Phone: (727) 824-5324, e-mail: Dax.Ruiz@noaa.gov.

i. Each application should include: NOAA NEPA Questionnaire (https://www.nepa.noaa.gov/docs/NOAA-Grants-Questionnaire-final.pdf). It is recommended that you pay attention to responding to Questions 1-29 and 39-49.

j. Applications must identify the principal participants, and include copies of any agreements describing the specific tasks to be performed by participants. Project applications should give a clear presentation of the proposed work, the methods for carrying out the project, its relevance to managing and enhancing the use of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishery resources, and cost estimates as they relate to specific aspects of the project. Budgets must include a detailed breakdown, by category of expenditures, with appropriate justification for both the Federal and non-Federal shares.

k. Applications should exhibit familiarity with related work that is completed or ongoing. Successful applicants are required to collect and manage data in accordance with standardized procedures and format approved or specified by NMFS and to participate with NMFS in specific cooperative activities that are determined by consultations between NMFS and successful applicants before project grants are awarded. All data collected as part of an awarded grant must be provided to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

Applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and be registered in the Systems for Award Management (SAM). Allow a minimum of thirty days to receive a DUNS number and to be registered in SAM. Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.

D. Submission Dates and Times

Applications must be received by www.Grants.gov, postmarked, or provided to a delivery service by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on September 25, 2020. Note: It may take www.Grants.gov up to two (2) business days to validate or reject an application. Please keep this in mind when developing your submission timeline. Use of U.S. mail or another delivery service must be documented with a receipt. Applications received later than 5 calendar days following the closing date will not be accepted. No facsimile or electronic mail applications will be accepted. See Section IV G of the NOFO. Other Submission Requirements for complete mailing information.

E. Intergovernmental Review

Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs. Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of E.O. 12372. To find out about and comply with a State’s process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOCs are listed in the Office of Management and Budget’s home page.

F. Funding Restrictions

Construction is not an allowable activity under this program. Therefore, applications will not be accepted.

Applications must be received on grant.gov by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 25, 2020 to be considered for funding. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to 2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline.

Schedule

June 18: Federal Funding Opportunity posted on Grants.gov
June 18-September 25: Submission period.
October 1: Archive date.

Last updated by Southeast Regional Office on 06/18/2020