SOLICITATION NOTICE
V -- VESSEL CHARTER WITH DIVERS
- Notice Date
- 7/5/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 483112
— Deep Sea Passenger Transportation
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Region Acquisition Division, Norfolk Federal Building, 200 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA, 23510, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- EA133M-07-RQ-0472
- Response Due
- 7/10/2007
- Archive Date
- 8/15/2007
- Description
- The Government intends to solicit and negotiate on a sole source basis with Olympus Dive Center, 713 Shepard Street, Morehead City, NC 28557 for the following: Recovery and subsequent disposal of ghost Black Sea Bass traps in the U.S. South Atlantic Fishery Management Area Objectives 1. Address gear assessment, impact, and recovery. ? Mapping and documentation of traps on hard bottom habitat ? Video documentation of trap condition on site and active ghost fishing ? Subsequent recovery of derelict gear, assessment on land for gear configuration compliance, and recycling or disposal of gear after data is collected. 2. Attempt to codify the reasons for gear loss and to suggest regulations to enable loss prevention. ? Employ a statistically sound sampling frame in which to conduct our survey based on known hard bottom habitats and personal knowledge of derelict traps within Onslow Bay, NC. ? Using a low light video camera and GPS coordinates, map out specific trap locations. ? Employ skilled Nitrox-certified divers to search and recover traps from the mapped sites within the sampling framework. ? Assess gear compliance with regulations and impact on environment on site through video taping. ? Recover gear with minimal bottom and habitat destruction and bring it ashore for full assessment and data collection. 3. Work with partners to design and promote use of more eco-friendly gear types. ? Escape panel compliance ? Use of sinking line instead of floating line to reduce the risk of navigation hazards and whale and sea turtle interaction ? Accounting for gear each licensed fisherman possesses (i.e. enforce tags be turned in at the end of the year and have a fine associated with missing tags) ? Develop the systematic trap removal 4. Assist partners with developing programs and incentives for gear recovery in critical habitat. ? In collaboration with the North Carolina Aquariums, use video documentation of derelict traps to produce an educational DVD to highlight our efforts and engage the public. ? Review and comment on educational pamphlet on derelict fishing gear produced by partners. Approach Black Sea Bass fishing is usually conducted on hard bottom; the locations where the fish occur are well known. In the South Atlantic most traps are set in depths between 40 feet and 100 feet, depths well within the reach of SCUBA survey. We propose to test a novel approach to systematic trap removal using a statistically sound research protocol. We will target known hard bottom areas and shipwrecks with documented major trap loss within 120 square miles in Onslow Bay, west of Cape Lookout, North Carolina using a towed low light video camera to identify traps. The exact GPS coordinates will be recorded and mapped for our subsequent recovery efforts. Once suspected trap locations have been recorded, we will deploy 2 vessels with divers employing dive scooters to extend the range of the survey and to increase recovery efficiency. One of our partners is a commercial fisherman who will use his 35-foot lobster boat, rigged for diving, and trap retrieval. The other partner is a dive charter vessel that will assist in the recovery effort with its dive crew. Dive charter boats work daily during the spring, summer, and fall, and we propose to go only when those boats indicate visibility is over 30 feet. To prevent bottom and habitat disturbance we will not encourage excavation of buried traps if they pose no risk of ghost fishing. The traps will be videotaped when found, sent to the surface with a lift bag, hauled on the lobster boat, and brought back to shore for individual assessment. Benefits By collecting and removing ghost fish traps from the proposed survey area, we will be cleaning up fishing grounds, fish habitats, and help to eliminate ghost fishing by these traps. We will estimate the number of lost traps in proportion to the number of fished traps in the Black Sea Bass fishery in the survey area. These data will give us an estimate of how many traps are out there and whether or not they are in compliance with regulations (i.e. escape panels and identification tags). Our results will be shared with the NOAA NMFS Regional Administrator and South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) to help formulate appropriate management measures for the Black Sea Bass fishery. NOAA will also serve in a broader role in marine conservation, public education, and environmental stewardship by educating and partnering with divers to clean up the bottom hard bottom habitats. The partners will develop and demonstrate a trap recovery technique that will be expanded to other trap and pot fisheries in the southeast U.S. and elsewhere within diving ranges. We will communicate our techniques through the distribution of pamphlets to recreational dive charter businesses. Additional audiences will include Fishery Management Council Meetings, hook and line recreational and commercial anglers (i.e. through NMFS, NGOs (i.e. Environmental Defense), North Carolina Fishermen?s Association, Angler tournaments like Big Rock Blue Marlin (by putting a ? page ad in their program)). The North Carolina Maritime Museum and North Carolina Aquariums have also agreed to work with us to create displays to educate the general public about these concerns and highlight the partnership efforts that are recovering the derelict gear. Some ideas we have include using recycled ghost traps for the displays, video kiosks with video loops from the ghost traps, and a request for a 10-15 minute film to show in the auditoriums. Deliverables Activity: Start Date: End Date: Outcome: Milestone: Survey with camera and divers 1 Aug 07 31 Oct 07 Distribution of traps mapped 2 Trap recovery 2 Aug 07 1 Nov 07 Traps within survey area out of water, underwater video ghost trap documentation completed 3 Trap assessment 3 Aug 07 1 Dec 07 Qualitative and quantitative data recorded 4 The performance time is August 1, 2007 through December 1, 2007. In order to comply with the debt collection improvement act of 1966, all contractors must be registered in the central contractor registration (CCR) to be considered for an award of a federal contract. For information regarding registration in CCR contact the CCR website at www.ccr.gov/index.cfm. Authority: 41 USC 253(c)(1). The FSC for this is AP51 and the NAICS Code is 483112, small business size standard is 500 employees. The government intends to award a firm-fixed price purchase order for this requirement. Olympic Dive Center is the only known source capable of providing the required service. Olympus has been traversing the area of Onslow Bay approximately 160 days per year en route from one dive site to another and has observed Black Sea Bass (BSB) traps in concentrated areas of known locations. Olympus has formed an action plan to search these sites with divers equipped with Nitrox, Diver Propulsion Vehicles, Underwater Communication Equipment, the proper lift bags and marking buoys to achieve the goals in the most efficient way possible. Olympus has many years of experience and knowledge of Onslow Bay and the derelict fishing gear. The proposed contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302(c)(1). Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit a proposal. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all proposals received by 2:00 P.M. July 10, 2007 will be considered by the government. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in the future. Evidence must be provided of ability to perform the required analysis. Responses to this notice, if any, must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the government. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to Linda.Mullen@noaa.gov.
- Place of Performance
- Address: 101 Pivers Island Road/Beaufort/NC
- Zip Code: 28516
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 28516
- Record
- SN01335000-W 20070707/070705220407 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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