Sponsor Deadline
Posted: 6/15/2023

ERDC -- Annual Recruitment and Survival of Juvenile Gulf Sturgeon in the Apalachicola River

ERDC seeks applications for a multi-year study on Gulf Sturgeon in the Apalachicola River to assess annual recruitment and survival of juvenile sturgeon.

Research supports year class strength of Gulf Sturgeon can be influenced by annual hydrologic patterns. Randall and Sulak (2007) noted that recruitment in the Suwannee River was highly correlated with high monthly mean flows in September and December. High flows during these months were hypothesized to decrease salinity in estuarine zones therefore providing greater foraging area for young sturgeon near river mouths in December and reducing periods of low dissolved oxygen in lower river reaches during September. Assessing annual recruitment patterns in juvenile Gulf Sturgeon is critical in terms of promoting overall recovery objectives (USFWS and NMFS 2009) but requires long-term monitoring efforts coupled with quantified estimates of annual abundance of juvenile sturgeon. Within the Apalachicola River system, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Panama City Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (USFWS Panama City FWCO) has coordinated juvenile Gulf Sturgeon sampling since 2013 using targeted netting to monitor abundance and year class strength in addition to utilizing acoustic telemetry to address movement patterns of juvenile Gulf Sturgeon within the estuary. For this effort, year class abundance was estimated at Age 1 and cohort abundance has varied from about 50-200 fish per year (Marbury 2016).

Phase I announcement will be open to receive statements of interest continuously until 12:00pm Central Time (CT), 14 July 2023, at which point all statements of interest must be received. If invited to Phase II, full proposal applications will be due at 12:00pm Central Time (CT), 14 August 2023.

Eligibility Requirements

This opportunity is restricted to non-federal partners of the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU).

Amount Description

• The total amount of funding expected to be awarded through this announcement is $370,000.00

• The expected amount of funding for each award is $110,000.00 for Year 1, $65,000.00 for Year 2, $65,000 for Year 3, $65,000 for Year 4, and $65,000 for Year 5.

Funding Type
Eligibility
Posted
6/15/2023
Deadline
Sponsor: