1305M324Q0036_Trap_and_Camera_Survey_SOW.pdf

NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICES

SOUTHEAST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

POPULATION AND ECOSYSTEM MONITORING DIVISION

STATEMENT OF WORK

CHARTER VESSEL FOR TRAP AND CAMERA SURVEY

1.0 GENERAL

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), located in Beaufort, NC, is responsible for fishery-independent surveys between NC and FL. This Statement of Work is for a vessel charter to support fishery-independent sampling cruises (Southeast Fishery-Independent Survey; hereafter, “SEFIS”) in southeast US continental shelf and shelf-break waters, with a focus on continental shelf waters of North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida (hereafter referred to as SEUS waters). The purpose of the charter involves the catching, taking, harvesting and releasing of fish. The cruises will involve intensive gear deployment (e.g., traps, cameras, conductivity-temperature-depth arrays) to provide fishery-independent data for more than 150 snapper-grouper, highly migratory, and coastal pelagic fish species on the southeast U.S. Atlantic continental shelf, including provision of data to support recent stock assessments for red snapper, red grouper, black sea bass, gray triggerfish, red porgy, greater amberjack, and vermilion snapper. Typically conducted in the late spring and summer, SEFIS samples approximately 1,000 hardbottom stations annually in the region

1.1 BACKGROUND

Recently enacted and pending management actions by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council have resulted in considerable reductions in availability of fishery-dependent data for many fish species in the snapper-grouper complex, resulting in an increased need for fishery-independent data from hardbottom habitats. As a result, the NOAA-NMFS-SEFSC initiated fishery-independent trap-video survey efforts in SEUS waters in FY10. Since 2010, 30–60 days at sea per fiscal year have been accomplished by SEFIS in SEUS waters using a contracted vessel, and these data have been critical to the management of reef-associated fish species in the region.

1.2 OBJECTIVE

The goal of this contract effort is to identify a vessel upon which SEFIS can conduct their long-term trap-video survey. Data collected from SEFIS surveys on a contract vessel will improve fisheries management by providing indices of abundance and size, age, and reproductive data of reef fishes for use in stock assessments.

The objectives for SEFIS sampling on a contracted vessel are to: (1) increase the spatial footprint and sample sizes of fishery-independent sampling in southeast US waters; (2) add video cameras as a survey gear to address trap selectivity issues and to develop annual indices off abundance for species that avoid traps; (3) map hardbottom habitats using multibeam sonar to improve survey design; (4) use remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) to visually assess broad- and fine-scale habitat and red snapper densities and sizes in continental shelf-break waters; (5) perform research to inform survey methods and to address critical management issues, including an ongoing assessment of fisheries (split-beam) sonar as a fishery-independent survey tool, and longline surveys to assess patterns in red snapper distribution and abundance.

1.3 SCOPE

The Contractor shall provide a vessel capable of carrying out SEFIS trap-video sampling in continental shelf waters between the North Carolina-Virginia state line and the Florida Keys each year. Contract cruise operations in 2024–2028 shall require 30 days at-sea each year. Contingent upon funding, additional day’s at-sea may be required each year.

1.4 OPERATIONS SCHEDULE

Three or more research cruises occurring each year between 25 April and 31 October. Preferred dates in 2024 are 7-16 May 2024, 4-13 June 2024, and 2-11 July 2024. Cruises in future years similar to 2024.

2.0 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS/TASKS

The Contractor shall provide charter services of a research vessel for multiple cruises totaling 30 days at-sea with 30 Optional Days (if funds become available) in SEUS waters, with a focus on areas offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

The Contractor shall provide vessel charter services to support the following at-sea tasks:

• Conduct stationary camera surveys of reef fish resources

• Collect reef fish using chevron fish traps, with ice / cold storage available

• Conduct total water column CTD profiles

• Process and store fish samples for transport to on-shore laboratories (wet lab operations, with frozen storage available)

• At-sea sensor data collection and manual data entry (dry lab operations, supported by a marine / survey technician)

• Deploy and retrieve sampling gears as needed (e.g., longline gear, autonomous underwater vehicles, portable sonars, acoustic receiver hydrophones)

The Contractor shall port in Savannah, GA, for embarkation and disembarkation, where science personnel and equipment will on-load/off-load. The Government anticipates one (1) paid loading day for each research cruise each year.

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Cruises shall be prepared to depart by 0001 hours on the first day of the cruise and return by 2359 hours on the last day of the cruise, although the time of departure and return will be at the discretion of the chief scientist for the cruise. The vessel must be available at the port of embarkation at least twelve (12) hours prior to the first day of each cruise and allow twelve (12) hours upon returning for science personnel to on-load/off-load equipment and personal gear.

To complete the tasks described above, the following vessel requirements shall be provided:

A. General vessel specifications

1. Overall vessel length must not be less than ninety (90) feet.

2. Maximum cruising speed must not be less than nine (9) knots (9-10 knots is preferred).

3. Vessel must have 600 square feet of unobstructed back deck space to accommodate traps, lines, buoys, coolers, and other sampling gear. Power (120 volt AC) is required on back deck.

4. Vessel crew, including United States Coast Guard licensed captain (capable of speaking English), experienced in at-sea scientific research operations in SEUS waters, who shall be responsible for operation and maintenance of all equipment owned, leased, operated, or otherwise under the control of the Vendor.

5. Vessel must be fully founded. Founded requirement includes, but is not necessarily limited to:

a. Accommodations and personal gear storage space for up to 12 science personnel, not including crew.

b. Provision of three meals daily plus snacks and drinks for scientific personnel.

c. Liability insurance protection for vessel operations and vessel personnel while conducting gear deployment operations.

d. Docking, harbor, pilot fees, etc.

e. Taxes, duties, etc.

f. All crew expenses.

g. Fuel and oil charges.

h. All expenses associated with maintaining or upgrading the vessel or any other equipment required to comply with these specifications.

6. Climate controlled (72ºF ± 5º) berthing for a minimum of 12 scientific personnel.

7. Vessel documentation/certification.

B. Operational Equipment Requirements

In addition to the primary systems (fully operational surface vessel), certain required items are mission-essential, i.e., necessary to accomplish the scientific objectives of this mission. Either entire replacements or the necessary spare parts should be available onboard the vessel to ensure that repairs can be made on site, as opposed to returning to port to conduct repairs. The following items are mission-essential:

1. Crane: The vessel shall possess a crane (minimum load requirement = 2000 pounds) to load gear, mobilize gear on deck at sea, and aid in gear recovery at sea.

2. Pot-hauler: A hydraulic pot hauler is required for retrieving bottom-deployed gear.

3. Ice machine: The vessel shall have the capacity to provide a daily minimum supply of 500 pounds of ice while at sea to store fish samples during cruise durations.

4. Shipboard data acquisition system: The vessel shall provide a data acquisition system to log and display data (to include ship position, wind speed, air and surface water temperature, and salinity) in ship laboratory spaces. A local wireless network connecting scientific computers and ship computers is required.

The vessel shall additionally provide GPS and depth data via serial ports in both dry and wet lab areas, as well as real-time viewing for ship position via vessel navigation software.

5. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler instrumentation to measure current speed and direction in waters from 15–120 m in depth.

6. Conductivity, Temperature and Depth instrumentation capable of measuring temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, backscatter, beam transmission, and fluorescence.

C. Laboratory Space – Three hundred (300) square feet of sheltered (dry) laboratory space is required for computers, video downloading, and equipment storage, and one hundred and fifty (150) square feet of wet laboratory space is required for fish workup.

D. Navigational equipment

1. Standard navigational equipment including compass, radar, and global positioning system.

2. Fathometer capable of sounding to a depth of 120 meters and compensated for vessel motion.

E. Communication equipment

1. VHF radio for standard marine communications. Vessel shall be capable of communicating with the US Coast Guard from all research sites.

2. Satellite connections for phone, Internet, and email. 24-hr broadband internet access (minimum download speed 400 kb / sec) and broadband satellite phone (minimum speed 4 kb / sec) are required.

3. A back-up / secondary satellite communication system is required.

F. Hazardous materials - The Government will be bringing formalin on board to store reproductive samples during each research cruise; formalin is stored in containers with waterproof lids, each held in leak-proof coolers. The Government will also bring a formalin spill kit on each cruise.

3.0 CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

Crew requirements:

1. The contractor must provide a Captain, appropriately licensed by the USCG for the gross tonnage of the vessel, for the duration of the charter. The Captain shall be competent in the use of navigation and safety equipment. The Captain shall have experience launching and recovering oceanography or fisheries sampling gear, navigating unmarked channels, and operating in the near shore environment. The Captain must have the ability to compute and monitor the vessel’s trim and stability to make certain the vessel always remains within trim and stability guidelines. It is desired, but not required, that the Captain have experience conducting scientific operations in the SEUS.

Additional consideration may be given during technical evaluation for quotes offering this experience.

2. The contractor must provide adequate crew to meet USCG safe manning levels and provide appropriate crew to safely conduct the required operations. The contractor must provide skilled individuals on the vessel capable of crane operations and line handling for launch and recovery of all sampling gear and cargo. Additional tasks shall not interfere with mandatory rest periods as stipulated in 46 CFR 15.705.

3. Captain and crew must have all required and necessary qualifications, licenses, and certifications appropriate to their position. The contractor will provide the COR with the captain and crew qualifications for those individuals that will be sailing on the charter at the pre-charter meeting or no less than 14 days prior to departure.

4. It is highly preferred that one of the crew be a certified medical professional

3.1 QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

The Contractor shall provide qualified personnel to perform all requirements specified in this SOW.

3.2 CONTINUITY OF SUPPORT

The Contractor shall ensure that the contractually required level of support for this requirement is maintained at all times. The Contractor shall ensure that all contract support personnel are present for all hours of the workday. If for any reason the Contractor staffing levels are not maintained due to vacation, leave, appointments, etc., and replacement personnel will not be provided, the Contractor shall provide e-mail notification to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) prior to employee absence. Otherwise, the Contractor shall provide a fully qualified replacement.

3.3 GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL:

1. The Government personnel may consist of Government employees and/or employees of corporations, academic institutions, contractors, or other entities.

2. The COR is the primary point of contact for contract management issues, including contract performance and invoicing. On each charter, one of the Government’s personnel will be designated Chief Scientist. The Chief Scientist will be on-board and responsible for implementation of the Project Instructions, reporting compliance of vessel and crew with the contract terms, all scientific operations, and the conduct and performance of Government personnel aboard the vessel for the duration of the charter. The Chief Scientist and the Captain shall work together to achieve the goals of the Project Instructions in a safe and cost-effective manner. Any problems that cannot be resolved by the Chief Scientist and the Captain shall be referred to the COR, who will consult with and advise the Contracting Officer to determine a resolution.

3. Government personnel will not be involved in responsibilities typical of the vessel’s crew, such as standing watch, cooking meals, cleaning, or operating mechanical or non-Government equipment.

3.4 POST AWARD CONFERENCE

The Contractor shall attend a Post Award Conference with the Contracting Officer and the COR no later than 20 business days after the date of award. The purpose of the Post Award Conference, which will be chaired by the Contracting Officer, is to discuss technical and contracting objectives of this contract and review the Contractor's draft project plan. The Post Award Conference will be held via teleconference.

3.5 PROGRESS MEETINGS

The Project Manager shall be available to meet with the COR upon request to present deliverables, discuss progress, exchange information and resolve emergent technical problems and issues. These meetings shall take place via teleconference.

3.6 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED RESOURCES

The Government will not furnish any resources to the Contractor in support of this contract.

3.7 CONTRACTOR FURNISHED PROPERTY

The Contractor shall furnish all facilities, materials, equipment and services necessary to fulfill the requirements of this contract.

4.0 ATTACHMENTS

Attachment No. 1 – Map of Sampling Locations Attachment No. 2 – Vessel Characteristics Attachment No. 3 – Master/Crew Work Experience Attachment No. 4 – Vessel's Commercial Fishing History (if applicable) Attachment No. 5 – Code of Conduct Attachment No. 6 – Past Performance Questionnaire Attachment No. 7 – Referenced US Government electronic Code of Federal Regulations

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