A04_Attachment_A_PWS_for_Maximum_Carp_Removal_MNWR__3_15_2023.docx

PWS for contract for Maximum Carp Removal at Mattamuskeet NWR

POP: 5/1/2023 – 12/31/26

Contact: Wendy Stanton, Acting Refuge Manager Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge 205 South Ludington Drive Columbia, NC 27925

*The proposal will be evaluated on Low Price and Technically Acceptable.

Statement of Objectives:

1)Remove large numbers and weight of invasive common carp from Lake Mattamuskeet. Bidders should provide specific details on how they will remove common carp and dispose of them.

2) Establish an array of bait traps and or pound nets to remove carp at strategic locations on a semi-regular basis and so that the density of carp in the lake can be monitored by catch rates Important note: All the above measures will need to be done in compliance with rules and regulations and in close consultation with USFWS, NCWRC, and NC Marine Fisheries and apply to the duration of the two-year contract. The contractor is responsible for obtaining all permits. In addition, alternative gear must be coordinated with and approved by USFWS and NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

Location: The contract shall consist of the 40,000-acre Lake Mattamuskeet and four outlet canals on lake side of tide gates on refuge property. Lake Mattamuskeet is a fresh water and average water depths are 3 feet. The four outlet canals connecting the lake to the Pamlico Sound have tide gates to prevent brackish water from entering the lake. The Contractor shall coordinate with the Government to determine the date(s) and time(s) of carp removal to minimize impacts on migratory wintering waterfowl and other Government activities and so refuge staff has time to close areas in the lake prior to removal.

Terms of contract:

Contractor shall furnish all labor, materials, equipment, tools, transportation, supervision and supplies and perform all work necessary to remove invasive common carp from Lake Mattamuskeet and lake side of tide gates of four outlet canals (Please see attached map), report removal of carp in weight (pounds) and work in compliance with rules and regulations and in close consultation with the USFWS and NCWRC. No equipment or supplies will be furnished by the government. Contractor assumes all liability for work operating in or adjacent to public road right of ways.

The Contractor shall clean and wash equipment in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency and refuge guidelines to prevent introduction of invasive flora and fauna onto the refuge. Refuge guidelines requires all equipment to be pressure washed and cleaned prior to entering the lake. Prior to leaving the worksite for the day, with the exception of gear installed in the lake for carp removal, the Contractor shall remove all equipment and materials associated with contract activities on government property unless approval has been granted by the refuge manager, COR or GR and/or storage site has been identified. At the end of the POP, Contractor must removal all gear from the lake prior to last payment.

The Contracting Officer reserves the right to substitute at the contract price the same type and amount of work in other areas in the lake or outlet canals within the refuge boundaries shown on the maps in lieu of the original areas when it is determined by the Contracting Officer that the original areas or portions thereof are unsuitable or unavailable for performance of the specified work. The Contracting Officer reserves the right to reduce total acreage to encompass allocated funds for the project contract. Bids are to be received for total removal of common carp.

Frequency of payments will be monthly or at a longer interval based on a certified weight ticket for the carp removed by a transport vehicle(s).

Only invasive common carp can be removed from the lake and four outlet canals. All other non-target species must be returned to the lake alive.

A disposal site (Figure 2) exists on the refuge if contractor desires to use to dispose of the common carp on the refuge.

Will obtain all required permits and conditions including but not limited: Refuge Special Use Permits, permits/ licenses for transporting live and refrigerated fish, transportation permit, manifest (licensed dealer, poundage of carp, official signature), State Permits and others. Be familiar with requirements across state lines according to Lacey Act.

Please provide a bid for each item below:

Submit with your bid the type of equipment to be used and the number of each piece of equipment to be used. All the below items should be conducted in a manner intended to remove the maximum amount of carp possible to eliminate the destruction of native submerged grass in the lake. Sub-contracts are permitted by utilizing the funding of the initial contract. No additional costs can be conferred by the USFWS. Submit a bid for each of these items to remove invasive common carp from Lake Mattamuskeet and the four outlet canals on lake side of the tide gates and if desired, dispose the carp on site on the refuge. Must include bid for 450,000 pounds.

CLIN 00010- Remove 450,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00020 –Option 1: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00030 – Option 2: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00040 –Option 3: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00050 – Option 4: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00060 – Option 5: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00070 – Option 6: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00080 – Option 7: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00090 – Option 8: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00100 – Option 9: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00110 – Option 10: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp CLIN 00120 – Option 11: Remove an additional 50,000 pounds of invasive common carp

Minimum technical requirements:

1) Must submit two similar projects you have conducted in the past of large scale fish removal.

2) Gill nets must be six-inch stretch or larger.

3) Mattamuskeet Lake averages three feet deep, a large shallow lake, that will require equipment and gear to operate in shallow water conditions. Provide types of equipment and quantity of equipment to be used.

4) Please provide the size of the five swim-in-traps.

Preferred Methods:

Below are the preferred methods to remove invasive common carp from the lake, however, we are open to other methods, but vendor must explain how to do it.

During the large-scale carp removal in the 1940s and 1950s, large haul seines, baited traps and pound nets were used successfully.

The Modified unified method (MUM) which utilizes large seines and herding methods to move carp into the nets is successfully used to remove invasive common carp from other lakes across the country.

A minimum of five baited swim in traps around the lake.

Baited pound nets placed in canals and at the five Hwy 94 culverts.

Gillnets sized with at least six-inch stretch in spawning locations and other locations within the lake and outlet canals.

Performance Tasks:

Within first six months:

Deploy various trapping and capture gear in the west and east basins of Lake Mattamuskeet.

Provide first quarterly report on progress detailing successes and failures.

Within the first year:

Provide second quarterly report on progress detailing successes and failures Within the first 18 months:

Provide third quarterly report on progress detailing successes and failures.

The last six months of the contract:

Provide the refuge with a final summary report of all trapping and capture gear used, estimates of carp and non-target species captured and recommendations on successful trapping and capture methods.

Invasive Species Prevention:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission requires active steps to prevent or limit the introduction, establishment, and spread of invasive species during contracted work. The Contractor shall prevent invasive species from entering or spreading within a project site by cleaning equipment, boats, trailers, waders, etc.… prior to arriving at the project site.

The Contractor shall use the following inspection and removal procedures for decontamination prior to entering the water body:

Figure 1. This map shows the location of Mattamuskeet NWR in the USDOI Southeast Regions, in relation to the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds (estuaries) and the four outlet canals that convey water to the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound.

Figure 2. This map shows the four tide gates on the outlet canals, five culverts on the Hwy 94 Causeway, and approximate location of the carp compost sites.

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