NOAA-NMFS-FHQ-2022-2007151 NOFO.pdf

2022 BREP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 3

A. Program Objective 3 B. Program Priorities 3 C. Program Authority 5

II. Award Information 5 A. Funding Availability 5 B. Project/Award Period 6 C. Type of Funding Instrument 6

III. Eligibility Information 6 A. Eligible Applicants 6 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 7 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 7

IV. Application and Submission Information 7 A. Address to Request Application Package 7 B. Content and Form of Application 8 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 15 D. Submission Dates and Times 15 E. Intergovernmental Review 16 F. Funding Restrictions 16 G. Other Submission Requirements 16

V. Application Review Information 20 A. Evaluation Criteria 20 B. Review and Selection Process 22 C. Selection Factors 24 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 25

VI. Award Administration Information 25 A. Award Notices 25 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 26 C. Reporting 29

VII. Agency Contacts 31 VIII. Other Information 31

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 32

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: 2022 BREP

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-FHQ-2022-2007151

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.472, Unallied Science Program

Dates: Required Pre-proposals must be received by electronic mail to the BREP National Program Coordinator (NMFS.HQ.BREP@noaa.gov) by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 20, 2022.

Full proposals must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on April 4, 2022.

Funding Opportunity Description: The mission of the National Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP) is to support the development of technological solutions and changes in fishing practices designed to minimize bycatch of fish and protected species (including Endangered Species Act-listed fish, marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles) and to reduce impacts to invertebrates (including sponges, deep-sea corals, and shallow (tropical) corals.) In addition, BREP may support projects that quantify post-release mortality and identify ways to minimize mortality and injury of bycaught species (including post-release injury and mortality). Projects should produce outcomes that can directly influence management needs of federally managed living marine resources.

For Fiscal Year 2022, NMFS anticipates that approximately $2,500,000 could be made available for approximately 10-15 projects that address bycatch research as identified in the Program Priority Section (I.B.1 - I.B.5).

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 32

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

This grant program provides competitive grants to non-Federal researchers working to benefit U.S. fishermen and fisheries, including aquaculture, by the development of improved fishing practices and innovative gear technologies. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended (MSA), 16 U.S.C. 1865, requires that NOAA’s conservation and management measures minimize bycatch to the extent practicable and established the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP) to support the development of technological devices and other conservation engineering changes to minimize bycatch and reduce post-release mortality of non-target species in our nation’s fisheries.

Bycatch reduction is a priority for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), as outlined in the NMFS National Bycatch Reduction Strategy (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/bycatch/national-bycatch-reduction-strategy).

Fisheries bycatch can contribute to overfishing, population declines for threatened and endangered species, and can result in commercial fishery closures. This Program seeks to support the development and testing of fishing gears and approaches that can be applied in commercial and recreational fisheries to reduce bycatch and post-release mortality and address the MSA requirements to minimize bycatch and habitat impacts.

B. Program Priorities

The NMFS Office of Sustainable Fisheries (OSF) proposes to fund applied management projects in the five high-priority areas identified below. Proposals must address one of the priorities listed below, and the priority that most closely matches your project must be identified in your proposal. Competitive proposals under the BREP should also address bycatch research and science and management priorities of Fishery Management Councils, NMFS Regions and Science Centers, Interstate Marine Fisheries Commissions, Marine Mammal Take Reduction Teams, etc.

1. Developing innovative and effective technologies, gear modifications, avoidance programs and techniques, and/or improved fishing practices in commercial and recreational fisheries or aquaculture to reduce bycatch impacts. Proposals that specifically reduce impacts to the following are encouraged:

a. Catch share fisheries (e.g. Northeast groundfish, Pacific halibut) – catch share programs

Notice of Federal Funding Page 3 of 32 are designed to improve the ecological and economic sustainability of fisheries by extending seasons, reducing market gluts, improving safety, and ensuring annual catch limits are not exceeded. In some programs, bycatch of some species is deducted from the allocations provided to individual fishers limiting their ability to harvest other species. Proposals in this sub-priority should seek to facilitate fuller utilization of quotas within a catch share program while minimizing negative impacts on the bycatch species.

b. Protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) or the Endangered Species Act (ESA) – in particular North Atlantic right whales, other large whales (humpback, gray, fin, and blue), bottlenose dolphins, and leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles that interact with trap and pot fisheries; North Atlantic right whales, humpback whales, harbor porpoise and bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, Atlantic sturgeon, and smalltooth sawfish that interact with gillnet fisheries; and leatherback, loggerhead, olive ridley sea turtles, false killer whales and pilot whales, and Giant manta rays, scalloped hammerhead sharks, and oceanic whitetip sharks that interact with pelagic longline fisheries.

c. Highly migratory species (in particular, but not limited to tuna, shark, swordfish, and billfish); in particular, but not limited to, stocks where Program Priority 1(d) also applies;

d. Fish stocks that are overfished, where overfishing is occurring, or that are limiting the ability to harvest due to bycatch constraints -- i.e. under prohibited species catch limits (in particular but not limited to bigeye tuna, Pacific halibut, Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod, silky shark, and striped marlin];

e. Seabirds (in particular, but not limited to, short-tailed, black-footed, or Laysan albatrosses)

2. Further testing and/or development of technologies or gear modifications that have already been piloted, have been shown to successfully reduce bycatch, and that would encourage adoption at the fleet or fishery scale either voluntarily or by regulation.

3. Improving understanding and reduction of post-release and other indirect mortality, including barotrauma, decompression sickness, predation, depredation, and unaccounted mortality associated with commercial and recreational fisheries, including target and non-target species of fish or protected species. Proposals addressing this priority may include, but are not limited to, projects that specifically test descending devices to increase functionality and ease of use, as well as proposals that identify high priority release and discard mortality needs and provide baseline information (e.g. depth of capture, effects of air exposure, gear type, temperature) for species that are overfished, where overfishing is occurring, or that are limiting the ability to harvest due to bycatch constraints.

4. Developing techniques to reduce interactions between fishing gears and corals, sponges, and other structure-forming invertebrates. Proposals that specifically reduce impacts to the

Notice of Federal Funding Page 4 of 32 following are encouraged:

a. Essential fish habitats identified and described pursuant to the MSA, 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

b. Deep-sea coral sites identified by the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program pursuant to the MSA, 16 U.S.C. 1889.

c. Tropical corals listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

5. Conducting comprehensive international bycatch analyses or research that will inform conservation engineering in U.S. commercial, recreational and aquaculture fisheries.

C. Program Authority

The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended (MSA) (16 U.S.C. 1865) requires the Secretary of Commerce, in cooperation with the Councils and other affected interests, and based upon the best scientific information available, to establish a Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP), including grants, to develop technological devices and other conservation engineering changes designed to minimize bycatch, seabird interactions, bycatch mortality and post-release mortality in federally managed fisheries.

The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C 661) authorizes the Secretary to provide assistance to, and cooperate with, Federal, State, and public or private agencies and organizations in the development, protection, rearing, and stocking of all species of wildlife, resources thereof, and their habitat, in controlling losses of the same from disease or other causes, and in minimizing damages from overabundant species.

The National Fisheries Research and Development Program (15 U.S.C. 713c-3(c) et seq.)

requires the Secretary to carry out a national program of research and development addressed to such aspects of United States fisheries (including, but not limited to, harvesting, processing, marketing, and associated infrastructures).

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

This solicitation announces approximately $2,500,000 in federal funds that may be available in FY 2022 to provide support for 10 to 15 projects at approximately $50,000 to $200,000 per project. NOAA does not anticipate funding project proposals requesting greater than $250,000 in federal funding. Most projects will be up to one year, as described

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 32 in Section II.B. of this announcement. It is expected that the majority of funding will be towards projects that address the highest Program Priorities, 1.B.1 and 1.B.2.

There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all qualified projects. The exact amount of funds that may be awarded will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA representatives. Publication of this notice does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. If applicants incur any costs prior to an award being made, they do so at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the government. Notwithstanding verbal or written assurance that may have been received, there is no obligation on the part of NOAA to cover pre-award costs unless approved by the Grants Officer as part of the terms when the award is made, or the award is for research, per 2 C.F.R. 200.308.

B. Project/Award Period

Applicants should propose a one year (12-month) period of performance but NOAA will accept applications for projects with up to an 18-month period of performance. Proposals should clearly identify objectives and products to be completed during that period of activity.

The requested start date must begin on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month. The earliest start date for projects will be August 1, 2022.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Under this solicitation, NMFS/OSF will fund BREP Projects as cooperative agreements.

The cooperative agreement has been determined to be the appropriate funding instrument because of the substantial involvement by NOAA. Substantial involvement means that, after award, NOAA scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, collaborate, or participate in project activities in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. The dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the awardee for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the awardees and NOAA. The exact amount of funds, the scope of work, and terms and conditions of a successful award will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA/NMFS representatives.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are individuals, institutions of higher education, other nonprofits, for-profit organizations, foreign public entities or foreign organizations, and state, local and Indian tribal governments. Federal agencies or instrumentalities are not eligible to receive

Notice of Federal Funding Page 6 of 32

Federal assistance under this notice.

The Department of Commerce/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (DOC/NOAA) is strongly committed to broadening the participation of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and institutions that work in underserved areas.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

Applicants may include cost sharing, but it is not required and is not part of the evaluation criteria for this program.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

To facilitate the interest of BREP in addressing bycatch research and science and management priorities of Fishery Management Councils, NMFS Regions and Science Centers, Commissions, etc., applicants are encouraged to engage with partners by subaward, contract, unfunded partnerships, or other collaborations. Applicants should consider research and science and management priorities of Fishery Management Councils, NMFS Regions and Science Centers, Interstate Marine Fisheries Commissions, Marine Mammal Take Reduction Teams, etc. when developing proposals. Federal agencies and their personnel are not permitted to receive funding under this competition; however federal scientists can serve as uncompensated partners on proposals. Should you wish to partner with a particular NMFS employee, who will act as a partner in the proposed project, a written agreement of this participation must be provided, detailing their involvement, signed by the employee’s supervisor. NMFS involvement could include planning, scheduling, conducting, and analyzing proposed project activities and frequent contact with the Applicant to help solve technical problems/situations as they arise during performance of the award. NOAA will implement appropriate mechanisms regarding any potential conflict of interest in the review process. While proposing partnerships is encouraged, proposing a specific NOAA or Federal partner is not required. If a specific NOAA collaboration is not proposed, NOAA still expects to become substantially involved as described in Section II.C. of this Announcement.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

No application package is required to submit a pre-proposal.

Electronic application packages for full applications are strongly encouraged and are

Notice of Federal Funding Page 7 of 32 available at: http://www.grants.gov.

If the applicant has difficulty accessing Grants.gov or downloading the required forms from the NMFS/OSF website (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/bycatch/bycatch-reduction-engineering-program), they should contact:

Kathryn Frens Office of Sustainable Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-427-8523 NMFS.HQ.BREP@noaa.gov

B. Content and Form of Application

Format requirements for both pre-proposals and full proposals All application materials should be submitted in Adobe PDF or a common word processing format, and when printed out should meet all format requirements. All pages must be single- (pre-proposal) or double-(full proposal) spaced, printed or typed in at least 12-point font, and printable on 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper, with 1-inch margins.

Pre-proposal Format:

Pre-proposals are required. The pre-proposal process is intended to provide an indication to potential applicants of the technical merit and the relevancy of the proposed project to BREP before preparing a full proposal. The intent is to reduce the burden of preparing full proposals that do not have a high probability for being funded. When drafting a pre-proposal, applicants should clearly convey the management impact and applicability of their proposed research for the priority area to which they are applying. Late or incomplete pre-proposals, as well as those that deviate from content or format requirements, will not be reviewed by

NOAA.

Each pre-proposal may not exceed two pages, single-spaced (though may be formatted using double spacing), using the format described above and should provide:

a. Title of project;

b. Background section that sets the stage for the work and identifies which one of the priorities in Section I.B that the pre-proposal addresses directly;

c. Rationale of why the work should be conducted and how it is relevant to the BREP priorities.

d. Explanation of proposed project’s applicability to research and management priorities

Notice of Federal Funding Page 8 of 32 and outline any industry involvement;

e. Clear statement of research objectives and general methodology to be used;

f. Identification of required permits (i.e. ESA, MMPA) and permit numbers, if applicable;

and

g. Estimated budget amount;

In addition, and not counted towards the two page limit, the applicant must provide:

h. Cover page that includes the title of the project, the name, affiliation, and address of the primary investigators with e-mail and phone contact information, the estimated total budget requested, and duration of the project (start and end dates).

Full Application Format:

The full application includes required Federal forms, a Project Summary (one page limit), Project Narrative (15 page limit), Appendices or Attachments (15 page limit, including a Data Management Plan of up to two pages), and Budget Narrative (no page limit).

Applicants must submit the following forms during initial submission of the application:

• Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424),

• Budget Information, Non-construction Programs (SF-424A),

• Assurances, Non-construction Programs (SF424B),

• Certification Regarding Lobbying (CD511)

Applicants may submit the information typically included on these documents through the http://www.grants.gov/ website.

Proposal format should be in at least a 12 point font and double-spaced. Brevity will assist reviewers and program staff in dealing effectively with proposals. Therefore, the Project Narrative may not exceed 15 pages double-spaced. Tables and visual materials, including charts, graphs, maps, photographs and other pictorial presentations are included in the 15-page limit. Budget justification, project summary, indirect cost rate documentation, and previous, current and pending support sections do not count towards the 15-page limit.

Appendices may be included but must not exceed a total of 15 pages in length. Appendices or attachments may be combined into a single file and include information such as resumes, and/or letters of support. Additional informational material beyond the page limits will be disregarded.

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In addition to the Federal Forms listed above, proposals must include the following information in the format outlined below.

a. Project summary (1-page limit):

(1) Organization title.

(2) Principal Investigator(s) (PI).

(3) Address, telephone number, and email address of Principal Investigator(s).

(4) Area of interest for which you are applying (see section I. B.).

(5) Project title.

(6) Project objectives for the project period.

(7) Summary of work to be performed within the project period.

(8) Budget Information - Total Federal funds requested for federal fiscal year 2022 and federal fiscal year 2023 (if applicable).

b. Project Narrative (15 page limit): Each project must be completely and accurately described. The main body of the proposal should be a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and should include: specific objectives and performance measures for the period of the proposed work and the expected significance; relation to longer-term goals of the PI’s work; and relation to other work planned, anticipated, or underway through Federal assistance.

Each project must be described as follows:

(1) Identification of problem(s): Describe the specific problem(s) or area(s) of interest to be addressed. Specify the Program Priority (or Priorities) in section I.B. that most closely relates to the proposal.

(2) Project objectives: Objectives should be simple and understandable; as specific and quantitative as possible; clear as to the "what and when," but should avoid the "how and why" (which is fully addressed in the project description), and; attainable within the time, money and human resources available. Projects should be accomplishment oriented and identify specific performance measures.

(3) Project description: The project description is the scientific or technical action plan of activities that are to be accomplished during each budget period of the project. This description must include the specific methodologies, by project job activity, proposed for accomplishing the proposal's objective(s).

Investigators submitting proposals in response to this announcement are strongly encouraged

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 32 to develop inter-institutional, inter-disciplinary research teams in the form of single, integrated proposals or as individual proposals that are clearly linked together. The project description must include a milestone table that summarizes the procedures/objectives that are to be attained in each project month covered. Table format should follow sequential month rather than calendar month (i.e. Project period Month 1, Month 2... versus October, November...).

(4) Permitting: The proposal must describe any Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, or other permit requirements related to the proposed research. The proposal also must describe whether the investigators have the necessary permits in hand, or what steps the investigators have taken to obtain the necessary permits. All proposals must respond to this required element whether or not permits are required. If no permits are required, this section must indicate “no permits are required.”

See also Section IV.G.1. of this Announcement regarding permits. Permit information may be submitted as appendices or attachments.

(5) Impacts, benefits or results expected: Identify and document the results or benefits to be derived from the proposed activities. Specifically identify management applicability of the work being proposed.

(6) Need for Government financial assistance: Demonstrate the need for assistance. Explain why other funding sources cannot fund all the proposed work. List all other sources of funding that are or have been sought for the project.

(7) Federal, state and local government activities: List any programs (Federal, state, or local government or activities, including Sea Grant, state Coastal Zone Management Programs, etc.) this project would affect and describe the relationship between the project and those plans or activities. Describe any coordination with other agency programs or on-going research efforts. Describe any other proposals or outside activities that are essential to the success of this proposal.

(8) Project management: Describe how the project will be organized and managed. Include resumes of principal investigators, which may be appendices or attachments. List all persons directly employed by the applicant who will be involved with the project. If a consultant and/or subcontractor is selected prior to application submission, include the name and qualifications of the consultant and/or subcontractor and the process used for selection.

Describe who will monitor project performance. Also include participation by persons or groups other than the applicant. Describe how Federal, state, and non-governmental entities, Notice of Federal Funding Page 11 of 32 particularly members of fishing communities, will participate in the project, and the nature of their participation.

(9) Results from prior NOAA/NMFS support (not included in the 15-page limitation; can be submitted as an appendix.): If any PI or co-PI identified on the project has received support from the NOAA/NMFS in the past 5 years, information on the prior award(s) is required.

The following information should be provided and may be placed in the Project Narrative or in an Appendix:

(a) The NOAA award number, amount and period of support;

(b) The title of the project;

(c) Summary of the results of the completed work, including, for a research project, any contribution to the development of human resources in science/biology;

(d) Publications resulting from the award (Reprints may be submitted, and are requested, for documentation if applicable);

(e) Brief description of available data, samples, physical collections and other related research products not described elsewhere; and

(f) If the proposal is for renewed support, a description of how the completed work relates to the proposed work.

(10) Project impacts: Describe how these products or services will be made available to the fisheries and management communities. Describe how the development and facilitation of innovative fishing practices and gear technologies is an identified NMFS management priority (please refer to Council research priorities, etc.) and will be transitioned from research to fisheries management.

(11) Education and outreach: How will this project provide a focused and effective education and outreach strategy regarding NOAA’s mission to protect the Nation’s natural resources?

This includes the degree to which the potential users of the results, i.e., industry or state resource managers, have been involved in the planning of the activity, will be involved in the execution of the activity and/or are providing funds, and whether there is a plan to disseminate the results to user groups (including Regional Fishery Management Councils and, if applicable, marine mammal take reduction teams) and the public.

(12) Evaluation of project: The applicant is required to provide a description of project accomplishments and progress towards the project objectives and performance measures at the end of each funding period and in the final report. The application must describe the methodology or procedures to be followed to quantify the results of the project.

(13) Data Management Plan (not included in the 15-page limitation; can be submitted as an

Notice of Federal Funding Page 12 of 32 appendix.)

a) Environmental data and information collected or created under NOAA grants or cooperative agreements must be made discoverable by and accessible to the general public, in a timely fashion (typically within two years), free of charge or at no more than the cost of reproduction, unless an exemption is granted by the NOAA Program. Data should be available in at least one machine-readable format, preferably a widely-used or open-standard format, and should also be accompanied by machine-readable documentation (metadata), preferably based on widely-used or international standards.

b) Proposals submitted in response to this Announcement must include a Data Management Plan of up to two pages describing how these requirements will be satisfied.

The Data Management Plan should be aligned with the Data Management Guidance provided by NOAA in the Announcement.

The contents of the Data Management Plan (or absence thereof), and past performance regarding such plans, will be considered as part of proposal review.

A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project; the tentative date by which data will be shared; the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content;

methods for providing data access; approximate total volume of data to be collected; and prior experience in making such data accessible.

Data Accessibility. The NOAA Program recommends that public access to grant/contract-produced data be enabled through one or more of the following means:

• Submission of data to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/), which will provide public access and permanent archiving.

• Submission of data to an existing publicly accessible online data server described in Data Management Plan.

• Establishment of applicant’s own data hosting capability as described in Data Management Plan.

• Request permission not to make data publicly accessible. (Proposal must explain rationale for lack of public access, and if funded, approval from Responsible NOAA Official (listed below) must be received).

Technical recommendations. Use of open-standard data formats and methods is encouraged.

The Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program is not requiring any specific data format. Data Management Plans are to describe their proposed approach.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 32

Resources. Proposals are permitted to include the costs of data sharing or archiving in their budgets.

For questions regarding this guidance and for verifying accessibility of data produced by funding recipients, please contact: Kathryn Frens, 301-427-8523, NMFS.HQ.BREP@noaa.gov

The costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget unless otherwise stated in the Guidance.

Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is one way to satisfy data sharing requirements; however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets.

c) NOAA may, at its own discretion, make publicly visible the Data Management Plan from funded proposals, or use information from the Data Management Plan to produce a formal metadata record and include that metadata in a Catalog to indicate the pending availability of new data.

d) Proposal submitters are hereby advised that the final pre-publication manuscripts of scholarly articles produced entirely or primarily with NOAA funding will be required to be submitted to NOAA Institutional Repository after acceptance, and no later than upon publication. Such manuscripts shall be made publicly available by NOAA one year after publication by the journal.

c. Total project costs and Budget Narrative: Total project costs are the amount of funds required to accomplish what is proposed in the Project Description.

Provide a detailed table with Budget Narrative (as an attachment not included in the page limits for the Project Narrative or Appendices) to support the requested items or activities (personnel/salaries, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contract costs (such as vessel charters), and indirect costs.) Supplies (<$5,000/item) and equipment (>= $5,000/item) should be broken out in as much detail as possible. The budget table and narrative submitted with the application should match the dollar amounts on the SF-424 and SF-424A forms. If indirect costs are proposed, include a copy of the current Federally approved rate if applicable; see also Section IV.F.1. below. Additional cost detail may be required prior to a final analysis of overall cost allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

Please note the following restrictions for salaries and fringe benefits:

Funds for salaries and fringe benefits may be requested only for those personnel who are

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 32 directly involved in implementing the proposed project and whose salaries and fringe benefits are directly related to specific products or outcomes of the proposed project. Hourly rates and projected hours worked on the project and/or percentage of time and yearly salary should be included for all salary requests. Applicants are strongly encouraged to request reasonable amounts of funding for salaries and fringe benefits to ensure the proposal is competitive.

C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

Unless excepted under 2 C.F.R. 25.110, each applicant is required to: (1) be registered in the Federal System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting its application; (2) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

NOAA may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time NOAA is ready to make a Federal award, NOAA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

D. Submission Dates and Times

Pre-proposals must be received via e-mail (to NMFS.HQ.BREP@noaa.gov) by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 20, 2022. By February 24, 2021, NOAA will inform applicants, based upon their pre proposal, if the BREP encourages or discourages submission of a full proposal. All those who submit complete and timely pre-proposals and meet all requirements are eligible to submit a full proposal.

Full proposals must adhere to the following provisions and requirements and must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 4, 2022. Failure to follow these requirements will result in proposals being returned without review.

Important: All applicants, both electronic and paper, should be aware that adequate time must be factored into applicant schedules for delivery of the application. Electronic applicants are advised that volume on Grants.gov may be extremely heavy, and if Grants.gov is unable to accept applications electronically in a timely fashion, applicants are encouraged to exercise their option to submit applications in paper format. Paper applicants should allow adequate time to ensure a paper application will be received on time, taking into account that guaranteed overnight carriers are not always able to fulfill their guarantees.

Notice of Federal Funding Page 15 of 32

Applications must follow the format described in this document and must be complete.

Applicants must identify the specific research priority or priorities to which they are responding. If the proposal addresses more than one priority, it should list first on the application the priority that most closely reflects the objective of the proposals. For applications containing more than one project, each project must be identified individually using the format specified in this section. If an application is not in response to any of the priorities listed in this Announcement, it should so state. Applicants should not assume prior knowledge on the part of NMFS as to the relative merits of the project described in the application.

E. Intergovernmental Review

Applications submitted by state and local governments are subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." Any applicant submitting an application for funding is required to complete item 16 on SF-424 regarding clearance by the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) established as a result of EO 12372.

To find out about and comply with a State's process under EO 12372, the names, addresses and phone numbers of participating SPOC's are listed in the Office of Management and Budget's home page at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4- 13-20.pdf.

F. Funding Restrictions

1. Indirect Cost Rates If the applicant does not have a current negotiated rate and plans to seek reimbursement for indirect costs, documentation necessary to establish a rate must be submitted within 90 days of receiving an award to Lamar Revis, Grants Officer, NOAA Grants Management Division, 1325 East West Highway, 9th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910. In accordance with 2 C.F.R.

§ 200.414(f), a recipient that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC).

2. Allowable Costs Funds awarded cannot necessarily pay for all the costs that the recipient might incur in the course of carrying out the project. Allowable costs are determined by reference to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements, codified at 2 C.F.R. Part 200. Generally, costs that are allowable include salaries, equipment, supplies, and training, as long as these are "necessary and reasonable."

G. Other Submission Requirements

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1. Permits and Approvals It is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain all necessary Federal, State, and local government permits and approvals where necessary for the proposed work to be conducted.

If applicable, documentation of requests or approvals of permits must be included in the proposal package as attachments or appendices.

Most projects involving directed or incidental impacts (i.e., introducing sound into an animal’s environment or employing gear that may entangle or injure) affecting marine mammals and species listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA may require permits or authorizations under section 101 or 104 of the MMPA and/or section 10 of the ESA (50 CFR 222.307 and 222.308). If an ESA permit covering the proposed activities has already been issued, the permit number must be provided in the application. Issuance of the necessary ESA and/or MMPA permit(s) or authorization(s) or evidence that the applicant has submitted a permit application is required in order for a proposal to be considered for funding. If the grant applicant is not the Principal Investigator (PI) or the permit holder, a copy of the authorization to work under the permit and/or a letter of support from the permit holder is required.

Timelines for processing ESA and MMPA permit applications can take upwards of 1 year.

Please consider this timing when putting together your application for funding. For further information on ESA and MMPA permit requirements and application procedures, contact the NMFS Office of Protected Resources Permits Division (301-427-8401) or see https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permits-and-forms#protected-resources.

Applicants are expected to design their proposals so that they minimize potential adverse impacts on the environment. Applications will be reviewed to ensure that they have sufficient environmental documentation to allow program staff to determine whether the proposal is categorically excluded from further analysis, covered under an existing programmatic analysis, or whether additional analysis is necessary in conformance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). See Section VI.B. of this Announcement for more information about NEPA. For those applications needing further analysis, affected applicants will be informed after the merit review stage and asked to assist by providing any information necessary to complete a draft Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement.

Pursuant to Title 46 U.S.C. Chapter 45, all commercial fishing vessels chartered for NMFS-sponsored research are subject to inspection in accordance with 46 C.F.R. Parts 24, 25, 26, and 28 (as applicable). NMFS financial assistance recipients are responsible for observing all laws and regulations applicable to their funded projects. Award recipients are encouraged to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 32 verify inclusion under valid agreements with the United States Coast Guard and seek any required permits or Letters of Designation to safely conduct research aboard a commercial fishing vessel. Obtaining the proper authorizations may prevent work interruptions resulting from enforcement inquiries.

Failure to obtain other Federal, State, and local permits, approvals, letters of agreement, or failure to provide information necessary to complete environmental analyses where necessary (i.e., NEPA environmental assessments or documentation) may delay the award of funds if a project is otherwise selected for funding.

2. Pre-Proposals All pre-proposals must be submitted via electronic mail to the BREP Program Coordinator (NMFS.HQ.BREP@noaa.gov). You will receive acknowledgement of your pre-proposal submission via email within 48 hours. If you do not receive such an acknowledgement, please contact the BREP Program Coordinator to assure successful receipt.

3. Application Submission Only applicants that submit complete and timely pre-proposals AND complete and timely full proposals will have their proposals reviewed and evaluated. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications electronically (through http://www.grants.gov/). Facsimile transmissions of proposals will not be accepted. For additional information on application requirements or submission procedures, contact:

Kathryn Frens Office of Sustainable Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-427-8523 NMFS.HQ.BREP@noaa.gov

Please refer to important information in submission dates and times above (Section IV.C) to help ensure your application is received on time.

If for any reason applicants are unable to submit their full application through Grants.gov or are concerned about possible problems associated with the Grants.gov system, they may provide a paper copy of their full application by mail. Signed hard copies of applications may be submitted to the contact information above. Applications submitted by mail must include all relevant application elements described in this funding announcement must include a SF-424 form with original ink or valid electronic signature and date from an

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 32 authorized recipient organization representative, and must be stamped with an official U.S.

Postal Service postmark or provided to a commercial carrier with tracking number and receipt on or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on the deadline day; private metered postmarks are not acceptable. Regardless of the method of transmission of a paper application (i.e., mailed in or delivery services), applications received more than five business days after the deadline will not be reviewed or considered for funding. Applicants who submit applications by paper are responsible for tracking their application and should notify the NOAA Contact Official in Section VI. of this announcement by email that the application is forthcoming.

Registration Process

1. Required registrations: You must complete and maintain the following registrations to be eligible to submit an application using the Grants.Gov website. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take between 3 days to 4 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible.

(a) Grants.Gov: The first step in submitting an application online is to complete a onetime registration process. Individuals wishing to submit a grant application, using Grants.Gov, are required to complete this one time registration process. Neither a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number nor the System for Award Management (SAM) registration is necessary for Individual Registration.

(b) Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All Applicant Organizations (optional for Individual Applicants) must be issued a DUNS number. A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit identification number provided by Dun and Brad Street. It will be used as the Universal Identifier when applying for federal awards or cooperative agreements. You may request a DUNS umber by calling 1-866-705-5711 (toll free) or through the internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Your DUNS Number assignment is free.

The DUNS number remains the official identifier until April 04, 2022. After April 04 2022, there will be a new Unique Entity Identifier number in place. More information is available at this link: https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systemsmanagement/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entityidentifier-update"

To enable the use of a universal identifier and to enhance the quality of information available to the public as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, 31

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 32

U.S.C. 6101 note , to the extent applicable, any proposal awarded in response to this announcement will be required to use the Central Contractor Registration and Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System and be subject to reporting requirements, as identified in Office of Management and Budget guidance published at 2 CFR Part 25.

(c) System for Award Management (SAM) – All applicants (optional for individual applicants) must (1) be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application or plan; (2) Maintain an active SAM registration with current information, including information on a recipient's immediate and highest level owner and subsidiaries, as well as on all predecessors that have been awarded a Federal contract or grant within the last three years, if applicable, at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency;

and (3) Provide its unique entity identifier in each application or plan it submits to the Federal awarding agency.

New registrations take an average of fourteen (14) business days for new registrations and may take longer. The annual renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE code. To register, go to http://SAM.gov.

You must renew and revalidate your entity’s registration at least every 12 months from the date you last certified to and submitted the registration in SAM - and sooner, if your entity’s information changes. The primary point of contact email address will receive a message alerting them to the entity’s/entities’ renewal requirements at 60 days, 30 days and 15 days prior to expiration. If you do not renew your registration, it will expire. You must have an active SAM registration in order to be eligible to receive contract awards or payments, submit assistance award applications via Grants.gov, or receive certain payments from some federal government agencies.

Kathryn Frens Office of Sustainable Fisheries 1315 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910

V. Application Review Information

A. Evaluation Criteria

Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 32

1. Importance/relevance and applicability of proposal to the program goals (35 points total) This ascertains whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and relevance to NOAA and NMFS. For the BREP, this includes the following questions: Is the project relevant to NOAA, NMFS Regional Offices and Science Centers, Regional Fishery Management Councils, Take Reduction Teams, Endangered Species Act (ESA) Recovery Plans, or requirements of a Biological Opinion on a U.S. Federal fishery (i.e. it relates directly to a Program Priority in Section B)(10 points)? Does the proposal address one of the species or fisheries specifically identified in the Program Priorities (5 points)? Does the proposal/application describe the management applicability (possible implementation and/or direct relevance to management) of the work being proposed (10 points)? Has the participation of U.S. fishermen or the use of research results by U.S. fishery managers been meaningfully incorporated into the project design (10 points)?

2. Technical merit (35 points) This assesses whether the approach is technically sound and innovative, if the methods are appropriate, and whether there are clear project goals and objectives. For the BREP, this includes the following questions: Does the applicant demonstrate that the objectives are realistic and can be reached within the proposed project period (15 points)? Is the project design appropriate for addressing the research question (10 points) and does the project design include a project evaluation that ensures that the goals and objectives of the project will be met? Does the project include collaboration with partners that help address bycatch research and science management priorities of FMCs, NMFS Regions and Science Centers, Commissions, etc., which may include NMFS Science Center / Regional staff (10 points)?

3. Project costs (10 points) This budget is evaluated to determine if it is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame. Is the budget request reasonable, and does the applicant justify the proposed budget request (7 points)? Are requested funds for salaries and fringe benefits only for those personnel who are directly involved in implementing the proposed project and/or are directly related to specific products or outcomes of the proposed project (3 points)?

4. Overall qualifications of applicants (10 points) Does the applicant have experience with this or a similar gear technology, and does the applicant show the capability and experience in successfully completing similar projects (5 points)?