NFFM73202202984 SOW.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

for

PROTECTED SPECIES AERIAL SURVEYS OFF THE COAST OF VIRGINIA,

DELAWARE, AND NEW JERSEY

1.0 Background. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) is the research arm of NOAA Fisheries in the region. The Center plans, develops, and manages a multidisciplinary program of basic and applied research.

Aerial surveys are required to assess the effects of commercial fishing, vessel traffic, and wind energy development on right whales along the east coast of the United States. Potential effects of these activities include entanglement, collision, and for wind energy development displacement, behavior disruption, and stress (Kraus et al., 2019). Surveys are needed to identify areas of overlap and associated risk with fishing and shipping, and to assess distribution of right whales before, during and after wind energy construction. The results of this work will inform regulations to mitigate impacts of these activities on right whales.

2.0 General Requirements

2.1 Scope of Work. Non-Personal Service. Contractor shall provide all equipment, material, trained labor, equipment, materials, supervision, transportation, permits, insurance, and quality control necessary to describe whale species abundance and distribution patterns in prescribed areas off the coasts of Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey. Performance under this contract is known as “Work”. Contractor shall be fully knowledgeable of all contract requirements and shall ensure Work is accomplished in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract in a manner that will promote and maintain a safe environment. The Government is requesting one month of aerial surveys which consist of the following tasks:

Task One. Meet with NOAA representatives

The Contractor shall meet with NMFS representatives at a mutually agreed upon time and location prior to the survey season to coordinate on the effort to be executed under this contract and to review protocols. Aircraft vendor selection and safety protocols shall follow all applicable policies provided in the compliance document section.

Task Two. Line transects

The Contractor shall collect line-transect sightings from systematic, broad-scale surveys that can be used to map the distribution of large whales (right, sei, humpback, fin, and minke whales) and estimate their relative abundance in the areas described below. Relative abundance is defined as abundance calculated using distance sampling methods and assuming g(0)=1. The right angle sighting distance for each sighting shall be recorded.

Survey methods shall conform to the research protocols followed by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium (NARWC) and NEFSC. When sighted whales are either identified as right whales or potentially identified as right whales (e.g., no dorsal fin seen), the aircraft shall leave the trackline at a right angle to the sighting and circle the sighting to confirm species, and if a right whale, collect photographs for individual identification. Any transect break and circle time will be recorded consistently to ensure this effort can be analyzed appropriately.

Survey track lines shall cover the areas identified in Figure 1. The lines shall go offshore roughly perpendicular to the coast and be spaced four nautical miles apart. The area east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance will have 10 east/west tracklines, the southernmost line starting at 36-40N on the coast and extending out to the 100 fathom contour at roughly 36-40N 074-41W; the northmost line will start at the coast at 37-16N and extend offshore to the 100 fathom contour at roughly 37-16N 074-30W. The area east of the Delaware Bay entrance will have 20 east-southeast/west-northwest lines, the southernmost line starting at 38-27N on the coast and extending out to the 100 fathom contour at roughly 37-59N 073-57W; the northernmost line will start at the coast at 39-33N and extend to the 100-fathom contour at roughly 38-57N 072-51W. The Delaware Bay entrance transect lines shall be flown at least twice each month during the contract period, contingent on favorable survey conditions (winds 12 knots or less and visibility greater than five nautical miles).

The Contractor shall provide an aerial survey summary report with a map after each flight and submit raw survey files for display on WhaleMap. The Contractor shall also provide a final summary report of survey sightings and effort for flights flown during the contract period.

Task Three. General aerial support

The Contractor shall, if requested by a NMFS representative, provide aerial support for other teams conducting right whale research. This may include relaying right whale sighting positions or scouting for right whales for photographic identification, genetic sampling, or tagging operations. Aerial survey support may also be requested for right whale disentanglement support.

Task Four. Right whale identification

Photographs of right whales for individual identification shall be taken during all aerial surveys conducted by the Contractor. Photographs of individual right whales shall be taken with handheld digital cameras equipped with telephoto lenses and rapid sequence photographic capabilities. Photographers shall obtain the high quality photographs required to identify individual animals. This identification requires photographs of the entire rostral callosity pattern of a right whale and any visible scars or markings. The data recorder will keep record of the time and location of each individual right whale photographed during the surveys. Approaches to right whales for photographic identification shall be limited to the minimum amount of time necessary to obtain photographs and complete the survey.

The Contractor shall identify and catalog individual right whales photographed during the surveys, following methods described by Kraus et al. (1986). The Contractor shall process the photographic sightings data for submission into the DIGITS (Digital Image Gathering and Information Tracking System) data management program curated by NEAq (Hamilton et al., 2007). These sightings will be confirmed in DIGITS by NEAq (under a different contract) and integrated into the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium (NARWC)

Identification Database. Preliminary identification data on individual right whales will be included in the summary report.

2.1.1 Contractor shall be fully trained and shall be fully knowledgeable of all contract requirements.

Contractor shall at all times ensure Work is accomplished in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract in a safe and professional manner.

2.1.2 Special Qualifications and Permits. Contractor shall ensure all required skill sets, and permits are obtained and maintained for performance under this contract. Aviation standards should comply with:

● IAW 41 CFR 102-33.140

● Appendix A to Part 102-33 - Disclosure Statement for Crewmembers and Qualified Non-

Crewmembers Flying on Board Government Aircraft Operated as Public Aircraft

2.1.3 Quality Control. Quality Control is the responsibility of the Contractor

2.2 Place of Performance. Vendor facility.

2.3 Period of Performance/Delivery:

CLIN 0001 – Base Year Date of award -05/04/2023

3.0 Security Requirements. Security Clearances are not required.

3.1 Contractor employees and associated subcontractors performing under this contract MUST be U.S.

citizens or MUST have established and maintain legal residence in the U.S., and be authorized by the US Government to work in the United States (i.e. Green card, worker authorization, etc.).

4.0 Safety, Security, Fire Protection, Environmental Controls, Conservation of Utilities, and Compliance with Laws and Regulations.

4.1 Safety Requirements. Contractor shall take all necessary precautions to meet proper safety standards, and regulations of all local, state and federal codes and regulations.

4.2 Security. There are no specific security requirements for performance under this contract.

5.0 Government Roles.

5.1 The Contracting Officer (CO) is the only individual with the authority to authorize changes within this contract that will have an effect on the scope, and monetary values (increase or decrease) of the contract.

5.2 The Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) is the individual designated by the CO at contract award to perform administrative functions on the contract. The key role of the TPOC is to monitor the performance of the contract. The TPOC will observe, document, and communicate Contractor performance to the CO.

TPOC and alternate TPOC (if applicable) will be responsible for the inspection and acceptance of performance and any deliverables under the contract. The TPOC does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract. When in the opinion of the Contractor, the TPOC requests efforts https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qZi7WJK0Qjw72G5JXNKJlWT8jA8t4w60 outside the existing scope of the contract, the Contractor shall promptly notify the CO in writing.

Contractor under such direction shall take no action until the CO has resolved the issue or has otherwise issued a modification to the contract. TPOC information will be determined at the time of award.

6.0 Government Responsibilities:

6.1 The Government shall inspect the Work performed under this contract. Any corrective action required as a result of the inspection will be accomplished prior to final monthly billing. Government will document instances of deficiencies.

6.2 Contractor may be notified of deficiencies in performance in writing by the CO. Oral deficiency notifications will be confirmed in writing by the CO. Contractor shall take prompt corrective action upon notice of deficiency. Prompt is defined as within 24 hours of notification.

6.3 Government Furnished Property, Materials, Equipment and Services (GFP/M/E/S). NOT

APPLICABLE

7.0 Contractor Responsibilities.

7.1 Contractor Furnished Property, Materials, Equipment and Services (GFP/M/E/S). Contractor shall provide all assets, equipment, trained labor, materials, supervision, transportation, permits, insurance, and quality control necessary to achieve the quality performance standards of the Work in this contract.

7.1.1 Contractor shall immediately notify the CO if discrepancies are discovered between the existing property conditions and those noted on the SOW.

7.1.2. Contractor shall notify the CO immediately when it is discovered that the deliverable schedule will not be met to work together to revise the schedule as necessary. Contractor shall communicate with the CO and revise the schedule as necessary. Contractor shall not deviate from schedule without prior approval from the CO.

7.1.3 Contractor shall be fully knowledgeable of all requirements of the contract documents and shall make themselves aware of all job site conditions that will affect their performance.

7.1.4 Contractor shall maintain an adequate workforce trained to safely and satisfactorily perform under this contract.

7.1.5 Contractor shall ensure all employees and subcontractors are fully trained and have a full understanding of the statement of work task requirements; the government will not provide instruction or oversight.

7.1.6 Contractor shall ensure all Contractor employees, and all associated subcontractor(s) are experienced in the type of work involved and familiar with the specifications of this contract. Contractor is responsible for damage to any Government equipment and supplies caused by Contractor personnel.

7.1.7 Contractor shall comply with all applicable interstate, local, state, and federal codes and laws.

7.1.8 Contractor shall perform in accordance with professional industry standards.

7.1.9 Contractor shall accomplish all tasks to meet the requirements of the SOW.

9.0 Deliverables. Contractor shall provide the identified deliverables in the manner and time frame identified.

The Contractor shall complete all survey lines east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance four times and all survey lines east of the Delaware Bay entrance two times, contingent on favorable survey conditions (winds 12 knots or less and visibility greater than five nautical miles), between January 30 and March 3, 2022. Funding permitting, additional surveys may be conducted to support right whale management efforts (e.g., to support disentanglement efforts). The budget to complete these surveys is approximately $175,000.

After each flight, the contractor shall submit a summary report to the TPOC and NOAA Project Lead that includes a map summarizing the survey effort (tracklines) and sightings information (date, location, number of calves, behavior, and number of animals). Raw survey data shall be loaded onto a Google drive for display on WhaleMap.

The Contractor shall report any right whale sightings in near real-time directly to any research or disentanglement teams working in the area, as requested by NEFSC. Reports of sightings should include time, location, number of right whales, behavior, number of calves, and preliminary whale identification if known.

This information should be provided to Whalemap as soon as possible, and then submitted to the NARWC consortium for QA/QC and inclusion in their database.

Photographs of right whales for individual identification shall be taken during all aerial surveys conducted by the Contractor. The Contractor shall identify and catalog individual right whales photographed during the surveys, following methods described by Kraus et al. (1986). The Contractor shall process the photographic sightings data for submission into the DIGITS (Digital Image Gathering and Information Tracking System) data management program curated by NEAq (Hamilton et al., 2007).

The Contractor shall submit a final report and summary data file that provides a detailed summary of all survey sightings, including sightings of other whale species, and effort.

The contractor shall provide a project schedule showing the estimated survey and report dates to be received by

NOAA:

Deliverable Schedule

1 Large whale surveys

Complete all survey lines east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance four times and all survey lines east of the Delaware Bay entrance two times, contingent on favorable survey conditions (winds 12 knots or less and visibility greater than five nautical miles), between January 30 and March 3, 2022.

2 Daily summary report Within 24 hours of each survey.

3 NARW sightings Reported to research or disentanglement teams in real time, as requested by NEFSC.

4 QA/QC survey data

Submitted to the NARWC two months after completing the final survey.

5 Final survey report

Four months after completing the final survey – this report will provide a detailed summary of survey sightings and effort.

Time allocation among tasks:

Task Percentage of time allocation

1 Meet with NOAA representatives 1

2 Line transects 80

3 General aerial support

4. Right whale identification 15

10.0 IT Security. Not applicable. Requirements of 48 CFR 1352.239-73 do not apply and a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

11.0 Section 508. Not applicable. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) as amended by P.L. 105-220 under Title IV (Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998) is not required.

Figure 1. Areas to be covered by aerial surveys indicated by the green boxes.