NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2015-2004202 FFO Report.pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research, Fiscal Year 2015

National Competitive HAB Programs

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NOS-NCCOS-2015-2004202

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 11.478, Center for Sponsored Coastal

Ocean Research - Coastal Ocean Program

Dates: The deadline for receipt of full proposals at the NCCOS/CSCOR office is 3 p.m., Eastern

Time on December 15, 2014. The required letters of intent (LOI) for all programs, must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on September 30, 2014. LOIs should be submitted by email to Mary.Payne@noaa.gov. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be accepted. Please note: Validation or rejection of your application by Grants.gov may take up to

2 business days after submission. Please consider this process in developing your submission timeline.

Funding Opportunity Description: The purpose of this document is to advise the public that

NOAA/NOS/NCCOS/CSCOR is soliciting proposals for the Ecology and Oceanography of

Harmful Algal Blooms Program, the Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms

Program and the Prevention, Control and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms Program.

Funding is contingent upon the availability of Fiscal Year 2015 Federal appropriations. It is anticipated that projects funded under this announcement will have a September 1, 2015 start date. Total funding for this research: It is anticipated that up to $2,000,000 may be available in

FY 15 for the first year of all HAB projects combined. Awards are expected to last 2 to 5 years.

Approximately 6 to 8 projects are expected to be funded at the level of approximately $100,000.

to $600,000. per year per proposal.

Background information about the NCCOS/CSCOR efforts can be found at http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/about/centers/cscor. Proposals should be submitted through

Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov.)

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

1. Growing Problem of Harmful Algal Bloom Occurrence and Impacts

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are caused by diverse organisms, including toxic and noxious phytoplankton, some protists, cyanobacteria, benthic algae, and macroalgae. Blooms can extend over large geographic areas, be composed of more than one harmful or toxic species, and cause significant impacts on fisheries, recreation, human health, and the ecology of both marine and fresh water bodies. HABs are now a recurrent and serious problem in many areas of the US and evidence suggests that the frequency and distribution of HABs is also increasing globally, impacting many countries that have commercial and recreational activities in coastal areas.

HAB impacts on public health and local/regional economies are also dramatic and increasing. Costs are attributable to maintenance of toxin monitoring programs; closures of shellfish beds; marine mammal stranding networks; collapse of some fisheries; mortality of fish, shellfish, turtles, birds, and mammals; disruptions in tourism; threats to public and coastal resource health; publication of watershed, health, and seafood advisories; and medical treatments (7). Despite greater public awareness and advisories of bloom events, human illnesses and even fatalities continue to be reported. Additionally, some toxins may cause only a few documented illnesses but result in serious public reaction and temporary aversion to local seafood products and activities [e.g., $46 million in lost revenue from the

1997 Maryland fish health/Pfiesteria events (1)]. These deleterious impacts have increased public awareness and demand for intervention to reduce or eliminate bloom impacts on coastal resources, local economies, and threats to public health. Over the course of the last decade, numerous reports have described the magnitude of the HAB problem and outlined research plans to systematically address the issue (1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,15).

2. Federal Legislation and Programs to Address HAB Problems

The 1998 Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Control Act (HABHRCA) and the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Amendments Act of 2004 (2004 HABHRCA

Reauthorization) authorized the establishment of three national programs on HABs. The

Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2014 (2014

HABHRCA Reauthorization) requires these existing competitive programs be maintained and enhanced:

1) ECOHAB: Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABHRCA Sec.

605 (2));

2) MERHAB: "Monitoring and analysis activities for HABs" (renamed Monitoring and

Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms) (HABHRCA Sec. 605 (4)); and

3) PCMHAB: "A peer-reviewed research project on management measures that can be taken to prevent, reduce, control, and mitigate HABs" (HABHRCA Sec. 605 (3)).

A Federal Register Notice (FRN), published 5/04/2009

(http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-10187.htm), describes each national competitive program in more detail. These HAB programs address the goals and objectives of the NOAA

Next Generation Strategic plan (http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/NOAA_NGSP.pdf). The NOAA plan recognizes HABs as a significant contributor to declining coastal water quality, degraded ecosystem services, limited access to safe, clean water and increased incidence of human health concerns. The plan outlines strategies to tackle these issues by developing early warning and monitoring networks that identify, analyze, and predict threats to human and ecosystem health and deliver information to state, tribal, Federal partners to implement effective and timely management efforts.

The 2014 Reauthorization of HABHRCA emphasizes the need to coordinate HAB research and response within NOAA and across federal agencies. Coordination of

ECOHAB, MERHAB, and PCMHAB within NOAA and across other federal agencies, as demonstrated by development of co-funding or partnerships with other NOS offices, other

NOAA offices, other Federal agencies, state governments and the private sector is strongly encouraged.

3. Establishment of Regional Rotation of HAB Programs and Guidance for Applying by

Regions

The 5/04/2009 FRN also announced that funding for the core national competitive HAB programs, ECOHAB, MERHAB, and PCMHAB will be implemented on a rotating regional basis in order to address programmatic needs and make more efficient use of resources. The need for a regional approach to addressing marine problems was emphasized in An Ocean

Blueprint for the 21st Century (16) and America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea

Change (4). In response, Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the

Next Decade: An Ocean Research Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy (13), Advancing NOAA's Priorities through Regional Collaboration (12), and Changing Oceans, Changing World (17) recommend that federal agencies and NOAA take a regional approach.

The 2004 and 2014 Reauthorization of HABHRCA also acknowledges the need for a regional approach to HAB research and response. Further, regional coastal and ocean governance bodies like the West Coast Governor's Agreement on Ocean Health and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance and regional research bodies like the North Pacific Research Board have identified HABs as an issue of priority in their respective regions (18, 19, 20). Also the

Chesapeake EO Action Plan for FY2011 to implement Executive Order 13508 of May 12, 2009, Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration, has identified HAB forecast development and state HAB monitoring support as NOAA priorities (22). In addition the regional rotation will make more efficient use of the funding available for the large, regional ecosystem-scale studies frequently funded by these programs and facilitate the proposal review process.

Each year institutions in every region will be eligible to submit funding proposals to any one of the three HAB programs. However, the regional focus for each program rotates annually on a three-year cycle. Table 1 provides the regional focus for each program for

2015, continuing the plan established in the FRN (http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-

10187.htm).

Table 1. Regional focus of programs for 2015.

Regional Group Region 2015

1 Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Pacific Islands PCMHAB

2 West Coast, Alaska, Great Lakes MERHAB

3 South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, Gulf of Maine ECOHAB

The regional focus for FY’15 proposals signifies the geographic location where the HAB occurs, where the field work will be conducted, and/or where the benefit of the research will accrue. The location of the investigator(s) or institution(s) is not a determining factor. In cases where the choice of region is ambiguous, investigators are advised to consult with a

HAB Program Manager prior to submitting a letter of intent. Both regional-scale and targeted ECOHAB and MERHAB proposals will be accepted in the funding competitions held for each geographic region. Regional-scale proposals can extend across Geographic

Regions in the same Regional Group (e.g. a regional-scale proposal can extend between the

South Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic - both Group 3), but not across different Groups (e.g. the

South Atlantic - Group 3, and Gulf of Mexico - Group 1) without permission of a HAB

Program Manager.

Most of the boundaries between regions listed in the table are self-evident. However, the boundary between the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic is set at Jupiter, FL in order to group together HABs associated with coral reefs that occur in both the Gulf of Mexico and the southeast coast of Florida.

The NOAA HAB programs do not fund research on inland or freshwater HABs except in the Great Lakes and coastal waters, which, as defined in the Coastal Zone Management

Act (16 U.S.C. 1453 (3)), contain a measurable quantity or percentage of sea water.

Proposals for some projects may be submitted in any year regardless of the regional rotation based on the following criteria, but only with permission of a HAB Program

Manager:

1) Not all research readily fits into a regional context. For example, a project may compare regions, involve many species, have a national scope, or be independent of a particular region. Projects that compare regions or are national in scope must include a substantial effort in the currently eligible region for the program for which they are being submitted.

2) Some HAB events are so significant and urgent that research cannot wait for the regional rotation. Events that fall into this category would involve newly emerging species or expansion in time or space of a known HAB species and represent an immediate and unusual or severe threat to ecosystems and/or human health.

Proposals for projects that do not clearly fit into the regional focus designated for each program in Table 1 must have permission of a HAB Program Manager prior to submitting a

LOI or they will be rejected without review. Instructions for obtaining Program Manager permission are given in Section III.C.

4. ECOHAB Objectives

The ECOHAB Program is authorized as an applied research program designed to increase the understanding of the fundamental processes underlying the causes and impacts of HABs. Such understanding is required in order to develop appropriate HAB management and response strategies. Three major research themes, encompassing the priorities of national importance on the HAB phenomenon, were identified in the original ECOHAB Plan

(1): 1) Organisms - with a goal towards determining the physiological, biochemical, and behavioral features that influence bloom dynamics; 2) Environmental regulation - with a goal toward determining and parameterizing the factors that govern the initiation, growth, and maintenance of these blooms; and 3) Food-web and community interactions - with a goal toward determining the extent to which food webs and trophic structure affect and are affected by the dynamics of HABs. Information in these areas, in turn, support a critical goal of the ECOHAB program, the development of reliable models to forecast bloom development, persistence, and toxicity. Research results will be used directly to guide management of coastal resources to reduce HAB development, impacts, and future threats and will feed into other HAB programs for development of tools to improve HAB management and response. Numerous additional reports and plans have provided more information about the magnitude of the HAB problem and outlined research plans to systematically address this issue (1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,15). While considerable progress has been made toward understanding and predicting bloom events and their impacts, the complexity of the problem has also become more apparent and new HAB problems have emerged with alarming frequency (6,8,9,10).

Since its inception, the ECOHAB Program has sponsored more than 125 projects with topics ranging from molecular aspects of HAB detection to large-scale, multi-disciplinary regional studies of bloom formation, maintenance, and dissipation. Project summaries may be viewed at http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/page.do?pid=15115. Projects cover a wide spatial spectrum along the U.S. coastline and its territories. In the past, ECOHAB-sponsored projects also addressed the detection, prevention, control, and mitigation of HABs and their impacts, as well as economic assessments of these recurring events. However, with the addition of the PCMHAB program in 2010, ECOHAB is retaining the focus on understanding the causes and impacts of HABs that was established in the original

ECOHAB Plan (1), as updated by HARRNESS 2005 (6).

5. MERHAB Objectives

Currently, the most effective way to mitigate HAB impacts on U.S. coastal communities and coastal resources is with enhanced monitoring and forecasting combined with rapid response to HAB events (4, 8,9,10,11). Resource management agencies, water quality agencies, public health departments and national seafood safety systems routinely prevent outbreaks of HAB-toxin related illness and death. Monitoring programs are under increasing pressures to detect more toxins impacting more organisms over larger areas; expand water quality and shellfish programs to track and respond to high biomass and toxic bloom events;

enhance public health surveillance to improve diagnosis and treatment of HAB-related illnesses; and protect our recreational and drinking water from HAB toxins. These agencies need access to proven technologies and advances in understanding of fundamental processes underlying the impacts and population dynamics of HABs to keep pace with the growing national HAB problem. Further, agencies need to be confident that the technologies they are considering adopting have been validated and will improve upon existing methods (21).

Finally, agencies often need training to ensure successful adoption of these technologies and monitoring strategies (5).

Recognizing the need to assist managers of coastal resources, water quality, public health, seafood safety, and drinking water systems to develop enhanced monitoring and response capabilities, the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS)

Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research (CSCOR) initiated the MERHAB program

(6). The principal objective of MERHAB is to build capacity of local, state, and tribal governments, and the private sector, for less costly and more precise and comprehensive monitoring of HAB cells and toxins, and for responding to HAB events. Improved monitoring and event response capability will be achieved through applications that meet management needs including:

1) The adoption of faster, less expensive and more reliable detection methods for HAB cells and toxins in routine monitoring programs;

2) The adoption of instrumentation for low-cost, long-term observations of conditions that influence HAB dynamics;

3) Improved monitoring strategies and forecast models to enhance early warning capability, foster improved response to HAB events, and demonstrate operational capabilities;

4) Enhanced response capabilities to ensure trained and equipped personnel are able to mobilize quickly, conduct appropriate sampling and testing, and communicate effectively during HAB events.

Since 1999, MERHAB has sponsored more than 30 projects nationwide with topics ranging from low cost HAB detection methods to large-scale, multi-disciplinary regional efforts to develop enhanced HAB monitoring programs. Project summaries may be viewed at: http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/extremeevents/hab/current/fact-merhab.aspx

MERHAB projects are enhancing coastal monitoring programs and assisting resource and public health risk managers in their response to growing threats from HABs. This will make existing monitoring programs more efficient while providing for better coverage in time and space. MERHAB projects are demonstrating the value of adding HAB cell and toxin data from offshore sensors and shore-based monitoring to create operational HAB early warning and forecast systems. MERHAB advances are enabling state and federal agencies to take preventative actions (e.g. increase monitoring efforts, close shellfish beds, warn affected communities) to safeguard public health, local economies, and fisheries.

Further advancements will assist the wildlife health communities respond to HAB-related mortalities. As a result of the MERHAB Program, managers will be able to mitigate the expanding HAB problems in their coastal regions and be better positioned, especially during difficult fiscal climates, to request long-term support from local, state, regional or Federal funding sources.

6. PCMHAB Objectives

ECOHAB and MERHAB have produced many proven methods and strategies to improve HAB management and response yet the number of these technologies that are widely available to or adopted by end users remains low. In addition, rapid technological advances over this same period have yielded novel conceptual detection methods that require further evaluation by the HAB community to determine whether research or monitoring applications are feasible. NOAA established the PCMHAB program in 2009

(http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-10187.htm) to foster the development, demonstration, and transition of existing and promising prevention, control, and mitigations technologies and strategies to end-users, as authorized in HABHRCA (1998, 2004, and

2014); the first competitively awarded projects were initiated in 2010.

Multiple interagency and HAB community reports and plans provide guidance for the

PCMHAB Program. The HAB Research, Development, Demonstration, and Technology

Workshop Report: A Plan for Reducing HABs and HAB Impacts (2008) (5) and the follow-up federal report, Harmful Algal Bloom Management and Response: Assessment and Plan

(2008) (8) provide recommendations to advance research on prevention, control and mitigation of HABs and form the basis for the PCMHAB program. Additional guidance is provided by Harmful Algal Research and Response: A Human Dimensions Strategy (3), Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms: A Research Plan (15), and

Harmful Algal Blooms in Coastal Waters: Options for Prevention, Control, and Mitigation

(4).

The PCMHAB program moves promising HAB technologies through three phases

(development, demonstration and transfer) that culminates with the expectation of widespread stakeholder use. The technologies may arise from HAB research conducted by the two existing national HAB programs or from other research programs. Summaries of recently funded PCMHAB projects and some past ECOHAB and MERHAB projects that fit the PCM program are provided at http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/extremeevents/hab/current/PCM_projects.aspx .

The PCMHAB program also supports socio-economic research that assesses the societal impacts of HAB events at local scales and the costs and benefits of mitigation strategies. The recent increase in number, frequency, and type of HABs are resulting in more impacts that have increased society's concerns about the safety of our seafood, drinking water, the health of endangered species, fish, and other animals, the sustainability of beach and lakeside communities, losses to aquaculture enterprises, increased strain on shrinking state and local resources and long-term aquatic ecosystem changes. The economic costs associated with

HAB impacts to public health, fisheries, recreation, and tourism, as well as the use of scarce funds to monitoring and management, can be significant for local communities (7). The research needed to understand the socioeconomic effects of HABs has been the focus of national level planning efforts that include HARRNESS (6), and HARR-HD (3), and more recently the HAB RDDTT Workshop Report (5) Chapter 2 Section 2.B.3.c..

B. Program Priorities

1. ECOHAB Priorities

This ECOHAB solicitation provides an opportunity for investigators to propose applied research projects for HABs in the South Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, and Gulf of Maine as described in Section I.A.3.

The major subjects of interest, as outlined in the ECOHAB Plan (1) and reiterated in

HARRNESS (6), can generally be broken down as follows: Bloom Ecology and Dynamics, Toxins and their Effects, and Food Webs and Fisheries. The goals of ECOHAB are to develop:

1) Quantitative understanding of HABs and, where applicable, their toxins in relation to the surrounding environment with the intent of developing new information and tools, predictive models and forecasts, and prevention strategies to aid managers in coastal environments; and

2) Understanding leading to models of trophic transfer of toxins, knowledge of biosynthesis and metabolism of toxins, and assessment of impacts of toxins on higher trophic levels.

The ECOHAB program will consider support of studies ranging from relatively small, targeted laboratory or field studies by individual investigators or small teams, to regional-scale studies involving larger teams of investigators conducting coordinated, well-integrated, multi-disciplinary field programs. Details for each type of project are provided below:

1) Targeted studies are individual studies or small interdisciplinary efforts investigating fundamental ecological and oceanographic questions related to HAB events. Support for targeted studies may be requested for up to 3 years duration.

2) Regional studies are large, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional projects that take an ecosystem approach to determining the linkages between HAB species and their environment, including the ecology, physiology, behavior, and toxin production of the HAB species and the chemistry, physics, bathymetry, and meteorology of the surrounding ecosystem. They may also include cross-regional comparison of a particular HAB problem.

These studies may be 3 to 5 years in duration with a team of collaborating investigators.

Projects are expected to lead to development of mathematical models to synthesize complex information for management purposes. Research proposals must describe specific plans for sharing information and research products with end-users and the community in a timely manner, for example by proposing workshops and public outreach activities. Participation of potential users of the results during the course of the research is encouraged. Prior to submitting a LOI investigators must obtain permission to submit a regional or cross-regional study from the HAB Program Manager, identified in this solicitation. Instructions for obtaining Program Manager permission are given in Section III. C

HABs and related biotoxin risk must be managed if we are to ensure public health, build viable and valuable sustainable fisheries, protect living marine resources including threatened and endangered species and their habitats, and effectively manage coastal activities and resources. In order to meet the goals stated above, NOAA is soliciting proposals for regional and targeted projects in the following areas:

1) Understanding the factors controlling HAB growth and toxicity by focusing on harmful algal genetics, physiology, and toxin production;

2) Understanding community ecology and ecosystem dynamics, including top-down and bottom-up control of HABs;

3) Delineating the biosynthetic pathways and metabolism of toxins;

4) Determining the trophic transfer of toxins within food webs and the impacts of toxins on individual organisms and food webs;

5) Determining the effects of environmental changes, such as eutrophication or climate change, on HABs and their impacts.

Multi-disciplinary regional ecosystem investigations, addressing several of these five research topics and leading to development of ecological forecasting capabilities in geographic areas with severe, recurrent blooms along the US coast will continue to be a major priority (http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/observations/ecoforecast/). These can be either in new areas, areas that have been studied previously but where new or unanswered questions remain, or involve comparisons between ecosystems. Where ECOHAB or other funding has already established a foundation of knowledge, the need for additional research to support model/forecast development must be clearly articulated.

Projects to be funded by NOAA must demonstrate a clear link to management issues and specify outcomes that will provide managers and the public with sound scientific information for making decisions. Articulation of outcome-based management goals is required in proposals (see Section I.B.6.2)).

2. MERHAB Priorities

This MERHAB solicitation provides an opportunity for investigators to propose research projects for HABs in the West Coast, Alaska, and the Great Lakes, as defined in Section

I.A.2.

MERHAB Program priorities were developed initially to meet needs in HABs in Coastal

Waters (4) and a National Assessment of HAB in U.S. Waters (11) and reiterated in

HARRNESS (6) and other sources (8-10) and can generally be described as:

1) to mitigate HAB impacts by incorporating research products into monitoring applications and encouraging their adoption into routine operation.

2) to support validation of HAB applications, comparison to existing technologies, and training needed to effectively utilize and support their adoption.

3) to demonstrate the value of using HAB technologies to increase utility of enhanced monitoring and regional observing system for HAB early warning and forecasting.

MERHAB is not intended to provide long-term support for routine monitoring efforts.

MERHAB does support sustainable regional partnerships using proven HAB technologies developed via ECOHAB, Sea Grant, National Science Foundation, National Institute of

Institute for Environmental Health Science, the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System and

Regional Associations, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or other programs provide managers with crucial information in time for critical decisions needed to mitigate HAB impacts.

The MERHAB program will consider support of projects ranging from relatively small, targeted laboratory or field studies by individual investigators or small teams, to regional-scale studies involving larger teams of investigators conducting coordinated, well-integrated, multi-disciplinary field programs. Priorities, characteristics and expected outputs for each type of project are provided below:

1) MERHAB-Targeted Research Projects:

a) Priorities:

i) Demonstrate management application of a technology that will enhance HAB monitoring activities in U.S. coastal waters;

ii) Incorporate technology into existing HAB monitoring programs;

iii) Enhance HAB monitoring and response capacity through methods validation, comparison, and\or training.

b) Characteristics:

i) From 1 to 3 years in duration;

ii) Should rigorously field-test, not develop, new technologies to detect algal species, toxin, or toxicity and/or monitor the environmental conditions that support HABs.

Technologies may include, but are not limited to, rapid field assays for shellfish toxicity, improved diagnostic techniques for in situ detection of HAB cells, remote sensing technology to help target sampling efforts, instruments to observe coastal ocean conditions and mathematical models useful in predicting or forecasting HABs;

iii) Must include efforts specified in work plans to build support for the incorporation of technology into one or more existing state or regional HAB monitoring and/or forecasting programs;

iv) May be conducted either by an individual or small investigative team; and

v) Must address specific needs of the HAB management community.

c) Examples of expected outputs include but are not limited to

i) New management applications to rapidly detect HABs and their toxins; to monitor and track HABs and key HAB-related ecosystem conditions; and to predict or forecast

HABs;

ii) Enhanced HAB monitoring programs;

iii) Enhanced capacity for HAB event Response; and

iv) Enhanced HAB forecasting to inform monitoring programs.

2) MERHAB-Regional, intensive HAB monitoring projects

a) Priorities

i) Develop new or increase existing regional capabilities for HAB monitoring;

ii) Incorporate tools for HAB measurement into existing monitoring efforts;

iii) Include local, state, regional, Federal, or non-governmental entities as active partners;

iv) Determine need and work to secure long-term local, state, regional, or other funding that will support enhancements in HAB monitoring when MERHAB project funding ends;

v) Develop local and/or regional capabilities to respond to HAB events; and

vi) Develop partnerships to test and utilize models for forecasting as part of specific monitoring programs.

b) Characteristics

i) From 3 to 5 years in duration;

ii) Include a suite of annual studies and involve a multi-disciplinary, collaborative team of investigators. The team should represent groups with strong interests in mitigating the impacts of HABs, including, but not limited to, the natural and social science research community, existing monitoring programs, communities dependent upon affected resources, business and industry associations, and non-profit organizations;

iii) Include in the team of investigators representatives of appropriate local, state, tribal, regional, and Federal agencies that have responsibility for the economic, regulatory, and management issues being addressed;

iv) Include a plan for continued interaction with these and other representatives of management agencies to facilitate the incorporation of research results into existing monitoring programs and to identify means to continue HAB monitoring efforts after

MERHAB project funding has ended; and

v) Form a management team with a designated chairperson serving as the main point of contact with the Program Manager.

c) Examples of expected outputs include but are not limited to the following:

i) Include regional stakeholder input and participation through means that may include, but are not limited to, annual workshops, management and technical advisory committees that involve a broad spectrum of regional interests and training on the use of adopted technology;

ii) Provide recommendations to management of the parameters to be measured in a region and the types of instruments that should be developed or adapted into existing monitoring programs; which can include the results of methods validation or comparison studies;

iii) Deploy HAB monitoring tools in existing monitoring programs;

iv) Provide training on the use of monitoring technologies;

v) Enhanced HAB forecasting to inform monitoring;

vi) Develop commitments from one or more local, state, tribal, regional, or Federal agencies, governing bodies or non-profit regional observing associations for continued, long-term support of expanding HAB monitoring capabilities;

vii) Develop real-time, scientific response capability during HAB outbreaks for the region that includes, but is not limited to, the use of local experts, establishing partnerships with universities, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, non-profit associations, and the private sector, to provide immediate analytical and sampling capacities, and expanding local abilities for transferring samples to analytical services outside the region; and

viii) Conduct outreach to improve awareness of HAB outbreaks and their environmental and societal costs, and to mitigate their impact on vital natural resources, public health and local/regional economies.

3) Shared Characteristics of MERHAB Targeted and Regional, Intensive Projects.

Projects will result in the deployment of HAB monitoring technologies and strategies that are incorporated into state and/or regional monitoring and forecasting operations to provide a higher level of protection for public health and economic interests. Project results will be distributed to stakeholders via scientific, peer-reviewed articles, synthesis documents, briefings, presentations, electronic web sites, and any other means defined by the applicants.

Project proposals should also clearly identify a timetable of accomplishments and major program elements that will lead to specific interim and final assessments of applicability and effectiveness of a number of monitoring approaches. Explicit identification of the end user group(s) is required and must include evidence of linkages between the scientific questions and management needs.

3. PCMHAB Priorities

This PCMHAB solicitation provides an opportunity for investigators to propose research projects for HABs in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and Pacific Islands, as described in

Section I.A.2. PCMHAB funds research in two main areas: PCM research, development, demonstration, and technology transfer (PCM RDDTT) and socioeconomic impacts.

1) PCM RDDTT

The focus of PCM RDDTT is to develop, demonstrate, and make widely available new socially and environmentally acceptable strategies and methods for preventing, controlling, and mitigating HABs and their impacts. The following list provides examples of possible topics in this focus area derived from recent reports (5,8), but additional related topics will also be considered.

a) Prevent HABs by:

i) Using and modifying existing models to identify strategies to prevent HABs, for example by nutrient reductions or hydrodynamic modifications

ii) Minimizing or preventing introductions of invasive HAB species, their cysts, and/or organisms that facilitate the success of HAB species

b) Control HABs and their impacts by:

i) Eliminating or reducing the levels of HAB organisms through biological, chemical, or physical removal mechanisms, and/or

ii) Eliminating or reducing the levels of HAB toxins through biological, chemical or physical removal mechanisms

c) Mitigate HABs and their impacts by developing or improving methods for:

i) HAB cell and toxin detection

ii) Relocating or modifying aquaculture and wild-capture resources

iii) Making decisions on harvesting bans and closures

iv) Fishing and processing practices

v) Education and outreach

vi) Enhancing community capacity to respond to social and economic impacts

vii) Intervening to reduce wildlife mortality

PCM RDDTT projects will usually be conducted in three phases, as described below.

Research in the Development phase (phase 1) will advance and evaluate unproven but promising PCM technologies and strategies. The Demonstration phase (phase 2) will test, validate and evaluate promising technologies in the field across a broad temporal and spatial scale. The Technology Transfer phase (phase 3) will facilitate the transition of technologies and strategies to end-user application.

PCM RDDTT projects will be typically 3 years in duration. A single proposal can cover one or more phases, depending on the magnitude of the project. In general, however, it is anticipated that projects will not combine all three phases in one proposal. . Proposals can be submitted for any phase (i.e., a project does not have to start in the first phase). All projects must specify the phase or phases of the research to be conducted for the project period. If all three phases are not covered by the proposal, the proposal must outline how additional phases will be conducted.

End-users, including local, state, and Federal resource and public health managers, nonprofit organizations, and a variety of businesses, must be identified and will normally be involved in all three stages (see Section I.B.4.c. for exceptions). Projects in the Technology

Transfer phase will also need to demonstrate end-user support secured either for long-term operations or the application of the developed tool or technology. Examples of end-user support include, but are not limited to, matching funds or demonstrated commitment of in-kind support for the technology transfer. Projects in the Technology Transfer phase focused on the commercialization of technologies or techniques should also, to the extent possible, outline the anticipated market and/or costs of purchase and ownership.

PCM RDDTT projects must have a Transition Advisory Committee (TAC) whose purpose is to provide advice to the investigator team to assist with project design and insure technology/information transfer to appropriate management entities. The structure, size, and activities of the TAC will be designed by the investigators and described in the proposal, including a plan for how the TAC will provide advice to the investigators. Members of the

TAC must be named and letters included in the proposal indicating that they have agreed to serve on the TAC; these letters do not count against the page limits. The TAC must include some members that are independent of the project (not funded investigators), who will typically have expertise in the research area and/or be potential end users. CSCOR employees cannot be TAC members. Projects that are national in scope or involve multiple regions (see Section I.A.3.), should include TAC members that are representative of the scale of the proposed effort, with TAC representation from each region for multi-regional proposals and national representation for proposals not focused on a specific region or that are national in scope. Funding can be requested for TAC activities such as participation in project investigator meetings, observation of field tests, or participation in technology/information transfer events. Travel funds for the TAC should be included within the budget. If the TAC member is a Federal employee approval must be received from their agency before travel funds can be provided. The HAB Program Manager may request additional members during the project negotiation stage.

2) PCM Socioeconomic

The second focal area of PCMHAB is to assess the social and economic costs of HAB events as well as the costs and benefits of prevention, control, and mitigation to guide future research and aid in the selection of the most appropriate management strategies and methods.

The following topics are examples called from recent reports (5, 8), but additional related topics will also be considered.

a) Measuring social and economic costs of HABs and their impacts and the costs and benefits of HAB PCM

b) Improving communication strategies and approaches for facilitating changes in human behavior/attitudes

c) Improving coordination of researchers, decision-makers, and stakeholders in implementing PCM research.

Proposals for research on socioeconomic impacts can be submitted either as stand-alone proposals or as part of a larger PCM RDDTT proposal. For stand-alone socioeconomic proposals, a TAC is not required. Where socioeconomics research is part of a larger PCM

RDDTT proposal, it should be structured as outlined above for PCM RDDTT and include a

TAC.

4. Further information about Program Criteria

The following guidance clarifies the scope of ECOHAB, MERHAB and PCMHAB in relation to three specific research topics:

1) Developing methods of measuring and monitoring HAB cells and toxins.

a) ECOHAB will fund method development only when it is necessary to conduct research.

b) MERHAB will not fund the development of new methods, only the improvement or testing of an existing method to facilitate its use in monitoring HAB cells or toxins or environmental conditions that foster HABs.

c) PCMHAB RDDTT Development phase will fund novel method development where the concept is so new to the HAB community that it is unknown whether it will be suitable for research or monitoring.

d) PCMHAB RDDTT will also fund efforts to sufficiently develop proven HAB methods to translate them into products that are widely available to potential end-users.

2) Use of models for forecasting and prediction.

a) HAB forecasting and prediction through the development of models, is covered by

ECOHAB.

b) Development of partnerships to test and utilize models for forecasting as part of specific monitoring programs is under the purview of MERHAB.

c) Transfer of models for HAB forecasting and prediction to end users will be covered by PCMHAB RDDTT.

d) Modification or use of models to develop prevention strategies will be funded by

PCMHAB RDDTT.

3) HAB-related human dimensions research will be conducted as part of the PCMHAB

RDDTT program, including socio-economic impacts of HABs. However, an ECOHAB or a

MERHAB proposal may have a socio-economic component as part of a larger study.

5. Examples of Non-Applicable Research Topics

Some HAB research is conducted by other programs within NOAA or within other state or federal agencies. The priorities of those programs are described in several recent reports

(8,9,10). To avoid duplication of effort, ECOHAB, MERHAB, and PCMHAB will not fund research in the following areas:

1) Prevention of HABs by implementation of nutrient reductions or hydrodynamic modifications is a possible strategy, but numerous other programs in other agencies address implementation issues. PCMHAB will not fund, for example, research to develop new methods of nutrient removal or develop land use practices that may reduce nutrient inputs.

However, if actual nutrient reductions or hydrodynamic changes are implemented, PCMHAB may fund research to monitor and model the consequences of those activities if they will be transferable to other situations;

2) Direct human health impacts of HABs, such as disease surveillance, clinical characterization, and therapeutic guidance in humans, are the purview of other agencies, such as NSF/NIEHS COHH, CDC and FDA;

3) Freshwater bodies (e.g. ponds, lakes, and reservoirs) other than the Great Lakes (see

Section I.A. 3 for specific definition);

4) Routine monitoring for HABs, HAB toxins, and water quality.

6. HAB Program Project Requirements

1) All the HAB programs support the needs of federal, state, local, and tribal resource and public health managers and other end users, but the degree of management focus and end user involvement varies. Investigators are urged to confer with Program Managers to insure that they have included the appropriate level of end user participation.

a) ECOHAB projects must have clearly articulated management relevance and a long range plan describing the transition to applications. Participation in the research of potential end users is encouraged, especially for regional-scale projects.

b) MERHAB targeted projects must have clearly articulated management relevance and a general plan describing the transition to management application. MERHAB regional-scale projects must include monitoring program partners as part of the research team and proposals must contain a specific plan to transition the project to management application.

c) PCMHAB projects in the demonstration and technology transfer phases must involve end users in the project and include a specific plan to transition the project to applications.

While most projects in the development phase will also include end users, it is possible that some developmental projects may be too exploratory to include end users. In that case, end users must still be identified and a plan to transition the project to applications must be outlined. Permission of a HABprogram manager is required to submit a proposal without end user involvement, and proposals should explain why end users are not involved in the project. Instructions for obtaining Program Manager permission are given in Section III.C.

2) Articulation of outcome-based goals is required in all proposals and recipients will be expected to report progress toward achieving outcome-based goals annually. NOAA definitions and examples of outputs and outcomes can be accessed at http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/funding/recipients/outcomes .

3) All proposals, but especially PCMHAB RDDTT proposals, must consider the implications under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; see Section VI. B.). A

Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the PCMHAB program is nearing completion and a draft can be found at http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/research/habs/pcmhab.

Proposals to the PCMHAB program seeking to conduct field-based demonstration (phase 2) of PCM techniques and/or transition to application of field-based techniques or technologies will be required to address requirements outlined in the PEA. Applicants are encouraged to review the list of evaluated techniques (table 2.1) as well as section 5 “Mitigation and

Monitoring Requirements”. All field-based phase 2 or phase 3 PCMHAB projects must contact a HAB Program Manager prior to submitting a LOI to discuss potential NEPA issues. Prior to the award of successful proposals, supplemental information specific to the

PCM technique and geographic location of testing may be required to fully satisfy NEPA requirements.

7. References

(1) Anderson, D.M. 1995. ECOHAB, the Ecology and Oceanography of Harmful

Algal Blooms. Woods Hole, MA: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

http://www.whoi.edu/fileserver.do?id=24158&pt=10&p=19132

(2) Anderson, D.M., S.B. Galloway, and J.D. Joseph. 1993. Marine Biotoxins and

Harmful Algae: A National Plan. . WHOI Technical Report 93-02, Woods Hole

Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 44 pp.

http://www.whoi.edu/fileserver.do?id=24155&pt=10&p=19132

(3) Bauer, M.(ed.). 2006. Harmful Algal Research and Response: A Human

Dimensions Strategy. National Office for Marine Biotoxins and Harmful Algal Blooms.

Woods Hole, MA: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. 72 pp.

http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/stressors/extremeevents/hab/HDstrategy.pdf

(4) Boesch, D.F., Anderson, D.M., Horner, R.A., Shumway, S.E., Tester, P.A. and

Whitledge, T.E. 1997. Harmful Algal Blooms in Coastal Waters: Options for Prevention, Control, and Mitigation. NOAA/COP/Decision Analysis Series No.10. Silver Spring, MD:

NOAA Coastal Ocean Office, 61 pp. http://www.cop.noaa.gov/pubs/das/das10.pdf

(5) Dortch, Q., Anderson, D., Ayres, D., and Glibert, P., editors, 2008. Harmful Algal

BloBloom Research, Development, Demonstration and Technology Transfer: A National

Workshop Report. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole, MA.

http://www.whoi.edu/fileserver.do?id=43464&pt=10&p=19132

(6) HARRNESS, 2005. Harmful Algal Research and Response: A National

Environmental Science Strategy 2005-2015. Ramsdell, J.S., D.M. Anderson and P.M.

Glibert (Eds.), Ecological Society of America, Washington DC, 96 pp.

http://www.esa.org/HARRNESS/harrnessReport10032005.pdf

(7) Hoagland, P. and S. Scatasta. 2006. The economic effects of HABs. In Ecology of

Harmful Algae (E. Graneli and J. Turner, Eds), the Ecology Studies Series. Dordrecht, The

Netherlands: Springer-Verlag, pp. 391-402.

(8) Jewett, E.B., Lopez, C.B., Dortch, Q., Etheridge, S.M., Backer, L.C., 2008. Harmful

Algal Bloom Management and Response: Assessment and Plan. Interagency Working

Group on Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia and Human Health of the Joint Subcommittee on

Ocean Science and Technology. Washington, DC, 76 pp.

http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/extremeevents/hab/habhrca/HABMngmt_resp_9_08.pdf.

(9) Lopez, C.B., Dortch, Q., Jewett, E.B., Garrison, D. 2008. Scientific assessment of marine Harmful Algal Blooms. Interagency Working Group on Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Human Health of the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, Washington, D.C., 62 pp.

http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/extremeevents/hab/habhrca/assess_12-08.pdf

(10) Lopez, C.B., Jewett, E.B., Dortch, Q., Walton, B.T., Hudnell, H.K. 2008.

Scientific Assessment of Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms. Interagency Working Group on Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Human Health of the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean

Science and Technology, Washington, D.C., 65 pp.

http://www.cop.noaa.gov/stressors/extremeevents/hab/habhrca/FreshwaterReport_final_200

8.pdf

(11) National Assessment of Harmful Algal Blooms in U.S. Waters. 2000. National

Science and Technology Council Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources, 47

pp. http://www.cop.noaa.gov/pubs/habhrca/Nat_Assess_HABs.pdf (PDF) (47 pp, 2.07 MB)

(12) NOAA Program Planning & Integration, 2007. Advancing NOAA's Priorities through Regional Collaboration http://www.ppi.noaa.gov/Regional_Collaboration/Regional_Collaboration_Overview_04130

7.pdf

(13) NSTC Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology, 2007. Charting the

Course for Ocean Science in the United States for the Next Decade: An Ocean Research

Priorities Plan and Implementation Strategy http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/nstc-orppis.pdf

(14) Pew Oceans Commission, 2003. America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for

Sea Change. Summary Report. Pew Oceans Commission, Arlington, Virginia.

http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Protecting_ocean_life/P

OC_Summary.pdf

(15) Prevention, Control, and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms: A Research Plan.

2001. NOAA National Sea Grant College Program, 28pp.

http://www.whoi.edu/science/B/redtide/pertinentinfo/PCM_HAB_Research_Plan

(16) U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, 2004. An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st

Century. Final Report. Washington, DC, 2004 http://www.oceancommission.gov/documents/full_color_rpt/welcome.html

(17) Joint Ocean Commission Initiative. 2009.