17-02795_Tuna_Sampling_SOW.pdf

Onshore data and sample collections of bigeye tuna and opah

NOAA/NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE

SOUTHWEST FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER - Fisheries Resources Division

Statement of Work

Performance Period:

Base Year: August 1, 2017 through July 31, 2018 Option Year: August 1, 2018 through July 31, 2019

*Please provide a single quote that includes pricing for the base year and the option year.

The Option Year may or may not be exercised, at the government’s discretion.

I. Objectives

The principal goal of this project is to obtain data and biological samples from the San Diego-based longline tuna fishery in order to improve information on the life history and stock structure of bigeye tuna and opah.

II. Background

The Fisheries Resources Division (FRD) at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) monitors Highly Migratory Species (HMS) stocks off of the west coast of the United States as outlined by the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan (HMS-FMP) of the Pacific Fishery Management Council. This contract is for the collection of data and biological samples of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), the target of longline fisheries operating in subtropical waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and opah (Lampris guttatus), a valuable, marketable species caught incidentally in the bigeye tuna longline fisheries. With the recent relocation of tuna longliners to San Diego from Hawaii, the issue of stock structure for these two species has become particularly important.

Bigeye tuna (BET) in the Pacific Ocean were originally believed to be a single stock. More recent evidence indicates considerable longitudinal separation suggesting that there may be three putative stocks (eastern, central, and western) across the equatorial Pacific Ocean, between 10◦ N and 10◦ S with stock boundaries at about 120◦ W and 180◦, and that an additional three stocks may exist northward and three southward of the three equatorial stocks. Members of the California Pelagic Fisheries Association (CPFA) target BET from 200 miles off the West Coast out to about 140° W and north of about 15° N, an area north of the equatorial stocks where prior tagging has revealed stock structure. This proposal to collect morphometric data and samples for genetics on BET will contribute to a greater understanding of their biological and ecological attributes with an objective of improving their management under the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

Opah has become of greater importance in the catch portfolio of west coast pelagic harvesters as buyers and consumers are increasingly favoring this poorly understood complex of putative species. Opah is currently not actively managed domestically or internationally. A recent study provided clear evidence that L. guttatus is not a single, globally distributed species but rather is composed of five lineages and that two of these appear to be harvested by the U.S. Hawaii-based longline fishery. The catch composition by lineage of the San Diego fleet, which typically operates east of the Hawaii-based fleet, is unknown, as are growth rate, reproductive biology, habitat use and the role of opah in the ecosystem. These knowledge gaps underscore the need to study the distribution, habitat and life history of these lineages.

III. Description of Work and Services

The contract goal is to oversee collection of data and samples from BET and opah caught in the San Diego-based tuna longline fishery. The contractor will conduct, oversee and support data and sample collection efforts and provide data and samples regularly to NMFS personnel.

Task 1. The contractor will oversee all aspects of the data and sample collection, sample preservation and distribution to SWFSC staff.

Task 2. The contractor will monitor catch offloaded in San Diego prior to their processing at a local seafood distribution plant. Data and samples of BET and opah will be collected and stored as indicated in the table below.

Bigeye Tuna number storage Opah number storage

* location of capture (5° x

5° Marsden square) all * location of capture (5° x 5° Marsden square) 50/month

* straight fork length all * straight fork length 50/month

* gilled and gutted weight all * sex 50/month

* fin clip for DNA analysis 50/month in ethanol * fin clip for DNA analysis 50/month in ethanol

† complete reproductive tract 10-15/month refrigerated or on ice for up to 3 days

† stomach 10-15/month frozen † 3-4 vertebrae 10-15/month frozen

* can be collected from gilled and gutted fish † fin spines 10-15/month frozen † to be collected from whole fish † sample of white muscle 10-15/month frozen

For opah biological samples (10-15 per month), collections should be made from several trips within the month with the goal of obtaining 2-3 of the smallest and 2-3 of the largest fish landed each trip. Vertebrae should be collected from the first few vertebrae just posterior to the head.

Vials and ethanol for preservation of fin clips for DNA will be provided by the SWFSC. All other sampling supplies are to be provided by the contractor.

Task 3. The contractor will meet (or correspond by phone or email) with the NMFS Project Leaders on a quarterly basis to discuss progress and provide a brief written summary on data and samples collected to date.

IV. Deliverables

All deliverables will be submitted to the Government Project Leaders. The contract period will be August 1, 2017 through July 31, 2018, which includes one base year. There is also one option year, which may or may not be exercised, at the government’s discretion. If exercised, the Period of Performance for the Option Year is August 1, 2018 through July 31, 2019. Invoices may be submitted intermittently based on partial completion of the work.

1. Quarterly the contractor will prepare a written summary of the data and samples collected and distributed to the SWFSC. Data and samples to be provided are listed in the table above.

Progress, limitations and plans will be discussed with the Government Project Leaders.

2. At the end of the contract period the contractor will provide a summary of the data and samples collected and distributed to the SWFSC.

All data generated will be property of the U.S. Government. The C&A requirements of clause 73 do not apply and a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

V. Contractor Requirements

a. Must have access to the majority of landings of the San Diego-based tuna longline fleet and a cooperative relationship with vessel captains in order to obtain whole fish.

b. Must be located in close proximity to the port of San Diego where the longline vessels offload and close to the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Center in La Jolla, CA, or be willing to travel to those locations regularly in order to ensure timely transfer of fresh specimens.

c. Must have dedicated staff trained in fishery data and sample collection, specifically measuring straight fork length of fish, and collecting biological specimens including stomachs, reproductive tracts, vertebrae, white muscle, and fin spines.

d. Must have high quality control standards and attention to detail to ensure that the sampling plan is carried out as specified.

VI. Non-Personal Service Contract Statement

Contractor employees performing services under this order will be controlled, directed and supervised at all times by management personnel of the contractor. Contractor employees will perform independent of and without the supervision of any Government official. Actions of contractor employees may not be interpreted or implemented in any manner that results in any contractor employee creating or modifying Federal policy, obligating the appropriated funds of the U.S. Government, overseeing the work of Federal employees, providing direct personal services to any Federal employee or otherwise violating the prohibitions set forth in Parts 7.5 and

37.1 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations. The Government Project Leaders will perform the inspection and acceptance of the completed work.