PWS Albion 1 Coral Restoration.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Restoring Deep-sea Coral Communities with Translocated Corals in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

NC-NM 6200-23-00504

1. SUMMARY

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS or sanctuary) requires the services of a contractor who can assist sanctuary research with collection and translocation of deep-sea corals in the southeast section of Sur Ridge Sanctuary Ecologically Significant Area (SESA;

https://montereybay.noaa.gov/research/techreports/trmbnms2016.html), and to build upon existing documentation of proven restoration techniques.

2. BACKGROUND

The southeast section of Sur Ridge was denuded of corals by bottom trawl fishing gear until 2006 when NOAA Fisheries designated Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for groundfish through Amendment 19 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. Deep-sea corals can take hundreds of years to recover, even if young propagules are available to naturally recruit into the disturbed area. A diverse assemblage of invertebrates and fishes grows on and around these corals. Restoration of deep-sea corals (e.g., Isidella, Swiftia, Corallium, Keratoisis) will replace lost benthic habitat of slow-growing species with associated fauna.

Through this restoration project, previously disturbed habitat will be restored by translocating corals to immediately serve as habitat, and to provide regional propagules that will grow additional corals. In addition to the immediate habitat benefit, the restoration technique will be described in detail so it can be used by other ecologists. The sanctuary will support a project to collect and translocate deep-sea corals at Sur Ridge (or similar area) using proven techniques as described by Boch et al. (2019, 2020), and continue to document this restoration technique.

3. REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Provision of Research Vessel and Remotely Operated Vehicle

A research vessel and remotely operated vehicle are needed to collect and translocate deep-sea corals in the southeast section of the Sur Ridge Sanctuary Ecologically Significant Area, southwest of Monterey Bay.

The contractor shall arrange for, and acquire, ship time on a vessel with requirements outlined below along with a remotely operated vehicle; and provide operational support for a single-day operation in MBNMS to include safe round trip transport from the Monterey region (e.g., Monterey Harbor or Moss Landing, CA) to the study area (Sur Ridge, an underwater ridge that lies just southwest of Monterey Bay at approximately 1,100 meters depth). The research survey shall last no more than 1 day at sea (DAS).

Research Vessel and ROV requirements include the following:

A. Research vessel shall hold personnel composed of ship crew, ROV operators, navigator(s), and 10 or more scientists.

B. Work space for up to 3 NOAA/MBNMS personnel.

C. Clean, safe work space and lavatory facilities for all personnel on board.

D. Lavatory facilities with working Type II Marine Sanitation Device.

E. Galley access for meal preparation, water, and other beverages for all personnel on board.

F. First aid, CPR, and automated external defibrillator (AED); and standby medical care.

G. Dry lab including a dry covered space inside a cabin with large tables (~5 x 3 feet) to serve as workspace, with electrical outlets (including uninterruptible power supply).

H. Wet lab including chilled seawater, ambient seawater, cold room, -80C freezer, fume hood, wet table, sinks, lab work benches, and storage.

I. ROV shall be capable of operating at depths between 200 - 4,000 meters.

J. ROV shall include a benthic toolsled, sample drawer, suction sampler with bucket carousel, temperature-controlled storage containers (bioboxes), manipulator arms (2), sediment push-cores (>five; 7.5 cm in diameter and 30 cm long), and an HD camera.

K. Navigation capabilities for the ROV to relocate study sites at the scale of meters.

L. Provision of at least a one-hour per day of internet access sufficient for email. At a minimum the vessel will supply internet access to the NOAA/MBNMS personnel to submit operational updates to shoreside leadership.

M. Compliance with all sanctuary permit conditions and regulations (i.e., a sanctuary permit is required).

Deliverables:

3.1.1: Arrange for, and acquire, ship time on a research vessel in the 2023-2025 time frame that meets the requirements outlined above.

3.1.2: Provide ships crew, ROV operators (>3), and science support staff (>4) during the

2023-2025 time frame.

3.1.3: Arrangements for 1 to 3 NOAA/MBNMS science personnel to be aboard the research vessel during collection and translocation of coral work.

In addition, the contractor must submit documentation of the vessel and ROV including:

vessel size, tonnage, endurance, age, intended service, licensing of personnel and qualifications of crew members, stability information, inspection and classification requirements, and firefighting and lifesaving capabilities of the vessel.

3.2 Collect, Process and Translocate Deep-sea Corals at Sur Ridge Sanctuary

Ecologically Significant Area

A research survey to collect, process, and translocate approximately 50 deep-sea corals is needed to restore deep-sea corals at Sur Ridge SESA (or similar area). The contractor shall collect small branches of corals from one or more healthy colonies from the vicinity of Sur Ridge using proven techniques as described by Boch et al. (2019, 2020). Deep-sea coral collections will follow best practices as prescribed by MBNMS permit. The corals will be https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00540 https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/conservation/conservation_reports.html prepared for translocation in a ship board temperature-controlled cold room or equivalent capabilities (approximately 4 degrees Celsius) and placed in “coral pots”. Roughly 10 “Coral pots” will be constructed of cardboard and weighted with cement. These “coral pots” will be delivered to the seafloor using temperature-controlled storage containers (bioboxes). The remaining corals (~ 40) will be placed in natural rocks and delivered to the seafloor by dropping them from the ship without exposing them to air. The translocation site will be an area roughly 30 x 30 meters.

The science support personnel are required to be internationally recognized deep-sea biologists with a strong track record of scientific publications (evaluation based on résumé and publications). They must have previous experience in collecting, processing, and translocating deep-sea corals off of central California. They must also have a proven track record demonstrating collection and annotation of video of deep-sea corals to document the restoration technique.

Research survey shall include the following:

A. A written cruise plan.

B. Use of a temperature-controlled storage containers (bioboxes) for ROV transport.

C. Collection and processing of healthy deep-sea corals (e.g., Isidella, Swiftia, Corallium, Keratoisis).

D. Translocation of roughly 50 deep-sea corals.

Deliverables

3.2.1: Completed research survey (components above) 3.2.2: Annotated mission video 3.2.3: Provision of HD video and frame grabs 3.2.4: Approximately 50 translocated deep-sea corals, creating associated habitat for invertebrates and fishes, located in Sur Ridge Sanctuary Ecologically Significant Area.

3.2.5 Quarternly progress reports and invoices

3.3 Write Technical Report

A final report documenting the coral restoration technique. Information from previous cruises will be made available to the contractor.

Deliverables:

3.3.1: Analyze data and write MBNMS Technical Report, in the format of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Marine Conservation Series (https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/conservation/), including continuation of coral restoration technique.

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/conservation/

4. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

A. Research vessel that can hold 10 or more scientists, including 1 – 3 NOAA/MBNMS personnel; operate 1 DAS without returning to shore; and operate an ROV at depths between 200 - 4,000 meters.

B. Internationally recognized deep-sea biologists with a strong track record of scientific publications (evaluation based on résumé and publications).

C. Experience in collecting, processing, and translocating deep-sea corals off of central California, and annotating video collections of deep sea survey.

5. PROGRAM COORDINATION

The Contractor shall provide overall management pertaining to all contractor technical and contractual support, including state and local requirements, insurance, and liability coverage for its employees. The Contractor shall be responsible for adherence to all federal, state, local, and site-specific safety regulations including first aid and survival/emergency/training for seagoing scientists when required.

6. GOVERNMENT VEHICLES

None will be provided.

7. GOVERNMENT-PROVIDED PROPERTY

8. TRAVEL AND OTHER DIRECT COSTS

9. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Base Period: 24 Months from the date of contract issuance.

Timeline: Year 1: Complete cruise planning process: arrange for ship time and personnel.

Construct a temperature-controlled storage container (biobox).

Year 1 or 2: Complete research cruise with annotated video; provide HD video/frame grabs of the study; and complete a final report on the success of the effort and translocating coral lessons learned.

10. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Sur Ridge Sanctuary Ecologically Significant Area within MBNMS (southwest of Monterey Bay, east of the southern end of Sur Ridge at approximately 1,100 meters).

11. REFERENCES

Boch, C.A., A. DeVogelaere, E. Burton, C. King, J. Lord, C. Lovera, S.Y. Litvin, L. Kuhnz, J.P. Barry. 2019. Coral translocation as a method to restore impacted deep-sea coral communities. Frontiers in Marine Science 6:540.

Boch, C.A., A. DeVogelaere, E.J. Burton, C. King, C. Lovera, K. Buck, J. Lord, L. Kuhnz, M.

Kaiser, C. Reid-Rose, and J.P. Barry. 2020. Guide to translocating coral fragments for deep-sea restoration. Marine Sanctuaries Conservation Series ONMS-20-10. U.S Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Silver Spring, MD. 25pp.

https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/conservation/conservation_reports.html https://montereybay.noaa.gov/media/research/techreports/sesaquicklook/sesa11quicklook_2016.pdf https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/conservation/conservation_reports.html