SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- PERFORM MONITORING OF FISH COMMUNITY
- Notice Date
- 2/10/2011
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Region Acquisition Division-KC, 601 East 12th Street, Room 1756, Kansas City, Missouri, 64106, United States
- ZIP Code
- 64106
- Solicitation Number
- NFFN7600-11-02986SLW
- Point of Contact
- Sharon L. Walker, Phone: (816)426-7470
- E-Mail Address
-
sharon.walker@noaa.gov
(sharon.walker@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries, located in Miami, FL intends to acquire services to perform monitoring of the fish community of the coastal wetlands of Biscayne Bay. DESC: This is a notice to acquire services to perform monitoring of the fish community of the coastal wetlands of Biscayne Bay. Introduction This project will develop and refine performance measures to evaluate the success of ecosystem restoration efforts in the Biscayne Bay coastal area, establish pre-CERP reference conditions and variability for the performance measures and related physical parameters, determine the status and trends of performance measures, determine cause and effect relationships, acquire information to interpret unexpected responses of the ecosystem to changes resulting from CERPs activities, and increase understanding of the ecosystem. The project that will monitor the fish community to document the changes in the demersal fish community that will be associated with restoration activities. A conceptual model suggests that freshwater flow to the coastal wetlands will result in lower and more stable salinity regimes which will increase wetland production and ultimate will result in increased nesting of wading birds (specifically the project examines roseate spoonbills which have been demonstrated to be an indicator for numerous other species—see Lorenz et al 2009a). Since 2002, dwarf mangrove wetlands that line the mainland of Southern Biscayne Bay have been monitored by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration/National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS) in collaboration with the Dr. Jerome Lorenz of Tavernier Science Center, (Lorenz et al. 2006) to evaluate the demersal prey base fish community in reference to salinity and water levels that fluctuate on inter-annual and seasonal cycles. Sampling will be conducted in the southern Biscayne Bay mainland coastal wetlands at four locations: Manatee Bay, Barnes Sound, Card Sound, and Turkey Point. Sampling will be conducted at least once at each location within the following periods for a complete year. Sampling results will be examined in relation to results from previous work at four other coastal wetland sites that have been sampled since the early 1990s (Lorenz et al. 1997, Lorenz 1999). Work plan requirements: Tasks associated with this project include development of a work plan (including provision for quality assurance and control (QA/QC)), sampling according to a schedule consistent with sampling at these sites in previous years and in the wetlands of northeastern Florida Bay, analysis of the data, quarterly progress reports, annual reports, and a final summary report at the project end if the project is not continued. With the annual report should be spreadsheets of all data collections following QSAR standards. The work plan and sampling must include, at a minimum, the following activities, applied in time and space. -A 9-m2 drop net method developed for sampling fish in the coastal creek/open wetland flats type of habitat will be used to sample small demersal fish effectively and without bias. -Nets will be set up, left in place overnight, and deployed the following day within 2 hrs after sunrise. Each net will surround an individual dwarf mangrove tree, thereby sampling both prop-root habitat and the open area between trees. -Trees for sampling will be selected so that each site has a similar array of tree sizes with roughly equivalent prop-root density sampled between sites. -Six nets will be used during each sampling trip, three in each sub-habitat (flats and creek). -Samples will be collected at each site eight times per hydrologic year (defined as June 1 to May 31) in June, September and monthly from November through April. -Fish will be cleared from the net using rotenone, a fish toxicant. As described by Lorenz et al. (1997), measures will be taken to avoid or minimize bi-kill. Fish missed in the initial collection day will be collected the following day when they float to the surface. -Net clearing efficiencies will be estimated using mark and recapture techniques. Previous studies indicate that efficiency ranged from 78% to 90% for the most common fish species and averaged 86% for all marked and recaptured fish (Lorenz et al. 1997). -All fish collected will be identified, weighed, and measured. Weights for specimens collected during the second collection day will be calculated from length-weight regressions generated from the first day’s collection. -Water level (stage) and salinity will be recorded in order to relate changes in the fish community to changes in hydrology (Lorenz 1999). Dissolved oxygen, rainfall, and pH are other critical parameters to fish that will be monitored. Data will be received daily from the Hydrolab stations and will be maintained for analysis. The data acquired from the above tasks will be entered into a database and files will be prepared for analysis. Analytical methods will include community analysis and ordination, multivariate analysis, ANOVA, and general linear modeling. Results of these analyses will be used to describe baseline characteristics and variability, identify plausible cause and effect relationships, and develop performance measures. The contract period is one year after contract award. Minimum Qualifications Required: Experience working with combination of 3 x 3 meter drop nets and rotenone. Experience working in ecotone between mangroves and freshwater wetlands Demonstrated ability to determine fish abundance in areas of fluctuating water levels. Integration with ongoing sampling that uses the same method in the southern Everglades. Experience in the operation, maintenance, and collection of data from established Hydrolabs at the study sites. Demonstrated ability to relate fish dynamics to the dynamics of reproduction in roseate spoonbills. Familiarity with reporting needs for system status reports for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project. The government knows of only one source Tavernier Science Center (TSC) of Audubon of Florida, Dr. Jerome Lorenz capable of providing this service: Dr. Lorenz has been conducting research in south Florida on coastal fish communities in relation to water and salinity patterns since 1989 and has a dissertation and several scientific papers on the topic. Dr. Lorenz established 8 sampling stations in coastal wetlands of southeastern Florida, developed a sampling protocol, and has been applying is since 1990 at 5 stations. The sampling protocol that is required is unique and particularly applicable to coastal wetlands of south Florida, where sampling and analysis of the samples collected is extremely difficult due to the soft, highly fragile terrain and the fluctuating water levels that affect the estimation of faunal density. Dr. Lorenz is the only known researcher applying this protocol, which is logistically complex. The National Marine Fisheries Service is obligated to provide sampling results for a System Status Report early in calendar 2012, followed by a full report. Failure to complete this project on schedule would erode the NOAA relationship with other agencies participating in the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration effort and reduce NOAA’s prestige in the south Florida Ecosystem Restoration community. Failure to complete the project on schedule could prevent NOAA from providing information to Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project in time for the information to be used. This could jeopardize the ability to define and protect Biscayne Bay’s fresh water needs and allow further degradation of the Biscayne Bay ecosystem. To be considered, firms must furnish detailed information concerning their capability to provide the services and satisfy or exceed the Government’s needs. Such information shall include, at a minimum, name, telephone number and address of concerns for whom you have furnished this type of services previously, and detailed narrative that described your facility and ability to provide this service, along with the individual work knowledge and experience. Interested parties must respond within (10) days after publication of this notice. The government knows of only one source. The government invites firms that believe they have the capability to meet the requirement to response, providing specific information that will enable the government to determine whether or not to compete the requirement. Faxed information can be sent to 816-274-6983 or physically sent Department of Commerce, Attn: Sharon Walker, 601 E. 12th St, Room 1756, Kansas City, MO 64106. Email responses can be sent to Sharon.walker@noaa.gov.
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