19-01417_Net_Repair_SOW.pdf

Statement of Work for Net Repair National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Fisheries Resource Analysis and Monitoring Division February 13, 2019

The Fishery Analysis Resource and Monitoring (FRAM) Division of the Northwest Fisheries

Science Center (NWFSC)

1.0 OVERVIEW

1.1 The FRAM Division of the NWFSC requires net mending expertise, consultation and trawl net certification by a net fabricator, as well as potential emergency transport capability. This will be defined as trawl net support services.

2.0 ORGANIZATION

2.1 Organization: The Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC), is a government agency charged with the mission of stewardship for living marine resources.

2.2 Background: The NWFSC provides scientific and technical support to National

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for the management, conservation, and wise use of the west coast’s marine and anadromous resources. The FRAM Division of the NWFSC is charged with conducting research and scientific analysis on the groundfish fisheries within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Washington, Oregon and California, Southeast Alaska and British Columbia.

3.0 GENERAL

3.1 The FRAM Division of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, annually provides stock assessment managers and researchers with data concerning the abundance, distribution and health of West Coast Fisheries stocks.

Fundamental to the acquisition of this data, are the surveys and research that provide the foundation of almost all fisheries management. Since 1998, FRAM has exponentially increased its survey and research capacity by progressively increasing survey durations and geographical locations. FRAM currently uses several surveys to cover the entire West Coast of the Continental United States from the Alaskan to the Mexican border. FRAM completes approximately 950 tows (trawls) per year to annually index commercially harvested species to set allocation and by-catch limits on harvested and endangered fish species. FRAM conducts these surveys on 4 to 6 chartered commercial fishing vessels, NOAA and University research vessels, and has in its stockpile approximately 30 trawl nets. Each trawl net has approximately 1/2 million meshes and associated rigging and hardware that need to be maintained through a very dynamic and rigorous field season. FRAM does not have staff or facilities to accommodate the maintenance of this gear, and must contract with a local net repair “loft” (i.e. a manufacturing and repair facility especially concerned with trawl nets, rigging, and hardware). Consistency between sampling trawls is paramount to the survey mission. All FRAM’s current sampling trawls need to be certified by a trained technical representative from the FRAM Division (i.e. reviewed by the appropriate survey team) prior to deployment.

FRAM is required to adhere to extremely strict national trawl standardization requirements (NOAA Protocols for Groundfish Bottom Trawl Surveys of the Nation’s Fishery Resources., Stauffer, Gary, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SPO-65 October 2004) FRAM needs a contractor that has experience with national requirements so as to provide FRAM with the appropriate equipment in a timely fashion. FRAM does not have a net loft like the Alaska or Northeast Fisheries Science Center or many of the other Fisheries Science Centers, but is required to carry out equivalent sampling frequency and standards.

Due to National Trawl Standardization Rules, all nets are required to be “certified” prior to deployment. This includes measuring all rigging and framing lines in the trawl.

Measuring all seizings, benzels, lacings, and floats. It also includes counting every panel and a check of every mesh in the trawl (estimate is approximately 500,000 meshes per trawl). An estimate of 12 hours of shop time per net in the certification of each trawl after it has been repaired and any discrepancies will be fixed, then recertified.

4.0 NET LOFT TECHNICAL PYSCIAL REQIREMENTS

4.1 The net loft (fabricator) shall have covered open space with winching capabilities to open a four panel Aberdeen trawl net with an 85-foot headrope and a 104-foot footrope, a four seam double bridle high rise bottom trawl with an 89-foot head rope and a 121-foot footrope and a 24/20 Aleutian Wing Trawl (AWT) which has a maximum width at the transducer of 149 feet and a height of 82 feet to work on.

4.2 The net loft shall have open covered work space of no less than 60’ X 160’ (9600 ft2) to unfurl and open a net inside the net loft.

4.3 The net loft shall have a minimum of three five-ton overhead winches for net stacking and lifting in the net loft.

4.4 The net loft shall have a minimum of one five-ton capstans (i.e. a type of horizontal planed winch) for pulling a net open in the net loft.

4.5 The net loft shall be able to pull up to 10,000 pounds of tension (measured) on riblines

(seam line) or like manufacturing capability inside the net loft.

4.6 The net loft shall have a codend jig (a machine to open, stretch, and pull mesh netting to order to place components together in a stretched configuration) and the ability to place up to 10,000 pounds of tension on a codend while under construction or testing.

4.7 The net loft shall have additional covered space to cut web of approximately 40’ X 60’

(2400 ft2).

4.8 The net loft shall have a swedging machine (a device which is used to change the shape of a metal tube or pipe. Common usage is to attach fittings on the ends of wire-rope) to fabricate wire rope thimble eyes with swedged ends.

4.9 The net loft shall have a footrope disk packing machine to compact rubber disks onto wire rope or chain footropes.

4.10 The net loft shall have a wire rope and mud gear coiling machine capable of coiling 90 feet of 4-inch disk wire rope mud gear.

4.11 The net loft shall have the material and expertise for making necessary TS2 Spectra rigging elements for a 24/20 AWT midwater trawl.

4.12 The net loft shall have the ability to keep a significant inventory of net mending material specific to the NWFSC FRAM Aberdeen trawl, Poly trawl, and AWT trawl so turn-around time of 30-day repair can be realized.

4.13 The net loft shall have some ability to provide steel fabrication services facility on site, including but not limited to: arc welding, MIG welding, TIG welding, plasma cutting, torch cutting, steel and aluminum drilling.

4.14 The net loft shall have a minimum of two forklifts with one forklift having the reach and lifting power to maneuver 8,000 pounds at to 20 feet at a 5-foot extension. Two forklifts are necessary for applying the necessary force required to stretch mud gear, bridles and footropes. The twenty-thousand-pound capacity is required for loading and unloading trawl gear.

4.15 The net loft shall provide covered outdoor storage a minimum of 25’ X 50’ for up to

25 trawl nets stored in 8’ X 10’ X 5’ bundle/net.

4.16 The net loft shall have the ability to deliver an emergency trawl net on short (24 hour) notice to any port of call from San Diego California to Cape Flattery Washington.

5.0 PROJECT SUMMARY

5.1 FRAM anticipates approximately 12net repairs (certification following repair), 3 net deliveries, and certification.

5.2 Protocols for net certification include removing the footrope from the fishing line to analyze each unit individually.

5.3 Protocols for certifying rigging and bridles include putting 400 to 600 pounds of tension on the load carrying member to ensure a proper measurement.

6.0 REVIEW SPECIFICATIONS

6.1 Trawl nets will be repaired according to detailed net diagrams and descriptions which are provided upon request. No exceptions in material or method will be made.

6.1 Nets will be examined by a NWFSC/FRAM net specialist prior to acceptance of delivery, to assure quality and to ensure consistency with specified plan.

6.3 Net Certification check lists shall be strictly adhered to and are included with the

Statement of Work.

7.0 SCHEDULING, SHIPPING, STORAGE

7.1 Scheduling: All trawl nets are to be repaired upon arrival and maintained in a manner that is consistent with the net diagrams, descriptions and certification sheets. Nets shall be repaired and delivered back to NOAA by April 30, 2019. Certifications will be scheduled by Victor Simon, whose contact information can be found below, and will be as requested in order to meet the schedule for planned fieldwork on chartered research vessels. See task list for due delivery work completed dates.

7.2 Shipping: Shipping trawl gear to and from 7600 Sand Point Way, Seattle Washington

98112; Building 32 shall be included in the proposed price

7.3 Storage: Net repair loft/fabricator shall store up to 25 nets on site.