SPECIAL NOTICE
R -- ALASKA OBSERVER PROGRAM & ELECTRONIC MONITORING - PWS Observer Contract - Electronic Monitoring PWS - PWS Comment Sheet
- Notice Date
- 8/18/2017
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Western Acquisition Division - Seattle, 7600 Sand Point Way, Northeast, Seattle, Washington, 98115-6349, United States
- ZIP Code
- 98115-6349
- Solicitation Number
- ALASKAOBSERVER
- Archive Date
- 9/30/2017
- Point of Contact
- Noah N. Nielsen, Phone: 2065266034, Kate R. Steff, Phone: 2065266370
- E-Mail Address
-
noah.nielsen@noaa.gov, kate.r.steff@noaa.gov
(noah.nielsen@noaa.gov, kate.r.steff@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- PWS Comment Sheet EM PWS PWS Disclaimer: This is not a solicitation. This is not a request for quote (RFQ), invitation for bid (IFB), request for proposal (RFP), or an announcement of a solicitation, and does not assume the Government will award a contract or proceed with any of the above solicitation efforts in the near future. This Special Notice is for information purposes only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued or awarded. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect cost or charges by the Government will arise as a result of the submission of information. All information considered proprietary shall be marked accordingly. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for improperly identified proprietary information. Properly identified proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with federal regulation. The purpose of this announcement is solely to gather information from the marketplace, and any responses received will neither be considered an offer by the responding party nor returned to the responding party. No telephone inquiries will be accepted, and requests for solicitation packages will not be honored since no solicitation has been prepared. Background: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for research on living marine resources in the coastal oceans off Alaska. The mission of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center is to plan, develop, and manage scientific research programs which generate the best scientific data available for understanding, managing, and conserving the region's living marine resources. AFSC scientists compile and analyze broad databases on fishery, oceanography, marine mammal, and environmental research. These data are used to develop policies and strategies for fisheries management within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, monitor and assess the health of the region's marine mammal populations, and develop the scientific understanding and predictive methodologies needed to implement NOAA Fisheries' ecosystem approach to management. Research programs at the AFSC are managed and conducted through the Resource Assessment and Conservation Engineering Division (RACE), Resource Ecology and Fisheries Management Division (REFM), National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML), Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis Division (FMA), and Auke Bay Laboratory. AFSC scientists work aboard NOAA vessels and commercial fishing vessels that are chartered to conduct the survey operations. During any given year, RACE deploys science crew aboard a combination of as many as six NOAA and charter vessels simultaneously during the survey season. All fishing operations conform to established AFSC standard operating protocols to ensure (1) scientific consistency and (2) statistical continuity of the time series used to reliably monitor the status and forecast the trends of fish and crab populations. In 2013 NMFS restructured the North Pacific Observer Program (Observer Program) thereby expanding the vessels subject to observer coverage to include groundfish vessels less than 60 ft in length overall (LOA) and halibut vessels that had not been previously required to carry an observer. Expanding observer coverage to the approximately 950 previously unobserved vessels improved NMFS' ability to estimate total catch in all Federal fisheries in the North Pacific. Many vessel owners and operators are opposed to carrying an observer. Vessel owners and operators have voiced their concerns to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and NMFS stating that with the expanded observer program, there is limited space on board for an additional person or limited space in the vessel's life raft. Some vessel owners, operators, and industry representatives, particularly those active in fixed gear fisheries (i.e., hook-and-line and pot fisheries) have advocated for the use of electronic monitoring (EM) of fishing activity instead of having an observer on board their vessels. To address these concerns, the Council and NMFS have been actively engaged in developing EM as a tool to collect imagery and sensor information that would be processed to extract data necessary to estimate total catch in the fixed gear fisheries. Over the past several years, NMFS and industry participants have undertaken cooperative research to test the applicability and reliability of readily available "off-the-shelf" EM systems. An EM system uses cameras, video storage devices, and associated sensors to record and monitor fishing activities. Through a final rule published in September 2017 (final rule citation when available), NMFS intends to integrate EM into the Observer Program beginning January 1, 2018 and to begin collecting data for catch accounting using EM. Requirements: NOAA/NMFS is seeking public comment on the two draft Performance Work Statements (PWS) that are attached to this notice. A comment sheet has been provided to submit comments. These comments will be considered as NOAA/NMFS further refines its requirements. NOAA/NMFS has not decided whether or not these two requirements will be made into one requirement or kept as two separate requirements. Feedback on this particular issue is also being sought at this time. Submittal Requirements: Please submit your response via email with the excel document to the attention of Noah Nielsen, Contracting Officer, (noah.nielsen@noaa.gov) no later than September 15, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NOAA/WASC/ALASKAOBSERVER/listing.html)
- Record
- SN04636610-W 20170820/170818232045-b8bb4c5bf25c05e6c5e8bf48763a93fb (fbodaily.com)
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