PWS CESU 17-29 WAKE ISLAND FISHERIES 10AUG2017 (GO comments).pdf

Department of the Air Force Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center

611 Civil Engineer Squadron Natural Resource Program

WAKE ATOLL FISHERY SURVEYS

Wake Island Airfield

CESU 17-29

In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 7.503(e), projects for execution under this Cooperative Agreement (CA) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) do not include any functions to be performed that are inherently governmental. This determination is made with the assessment that places emphasis on the degree to which conditions and facts restrict the discretionary authority, decision-making responsibility, or accountability of Government officials using Non-Federal Entity (NFE) services or work products.

In accordance with FAR 37.104, this CA shall not be used for performance of personal services.

These tasks provided by the customer for execution under this CA by USACE do not include functions to be performed that are personal services.

Any modifications to Cooperative Agreement activities as outlined by this SOW must be channeled through the Grants Officer’s Technical Representative (GOTR) and Grants Officer (GO) prior to NFE implementation.

NFE personnel shall also wear a distinctive NFE furnished security (ID) badge/lanyard readily identifying the individual as a NFE employee. The badge shall be worn in a conspicuous place at all times when performing work under the Cooperative Agreement including attendance at Government meetings and conferences that take place outside of the Government facility.

NFE personnel shall identify themselves as an NFE employee when answering or placing calls on a Government telephone and when leaving outgoing or incoming messages on voice mail.

Use of acronyms in this identification is insufficient to meet this requirement.

All NFE email signatures shall identify them as such and will include their employer’s name.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 18-months from date of award.

GOVERNMENT POCS:

1. USACE Omaha District POC: Ms. Sarah Miller PM, (402) 995-2625, sarah.miller@usace.army.mil

2. USACE Omaha District POC: Ms. Kali Evans, GOTR, (402) 995-2295, kali.l.evans@usace.army.mil

3. USACE Omaha District POC: Ms. Stephanie Rostermundt, Grants Officer, (402) 995- 2083, stephanie.a.rostermundt@usace.army.mil mailto:sarah.miller@usace.army.mil mailto:kali.l.evans@usace.army.mil mailto:stephanie.a.rostermundt@usace.army.mil

This scope of work addresses the following projects:

PROJECT

NUMBER

TITLE LOCATION

YGFZOS173456 WAKE ATOLL FISHERY SURVEYS Wake Island Airfield (WIA)

1.0 Introduction

This SOW describes multiple deliverables and associated fishery survey tasks that will be created and conducted by the NFE.The field surveys shall be broken out over the course of two

(2) weeks periods at WIA. The primary focus of surveys is to develop a baseline dataset for commonly caught target and non-target species fish which shall allow the 611 CES and its partnering agencies to monitor the impacts of recreational fishing on these selected stocks in future years. Target species is the term used to reference the subset of species the current island residents enjoy seeking for sport or consumption, while non target species are those species incidentally caught while seeking the targets. The NFE’s target species assessment shall focus on the following species bonefish (Albula sp.), bluefin trevally (Caranx melampgygus), goatfish species (Mullidae sp.), and commonly eaten snapper species (Lutjanidae sp.). The non target species selected by the NFE to evaluate during this project shall include wrasse and parrotfish species, with an emphasis placed on humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus), bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum); other species to include for evaluations shall be deemed as valuable representatives of other feeding guilds and selected by the NFE. The NFE’s final proposed selection of target and non target species to evaluate shall be depicted within their work plan for USAF approval.

2.0 Objective

This SOW details the tasks which shall be implemented and accomplished during this period of performance. The NFE shall utilize funds from the USAF’s Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request (MIPR) to execute a two week long investigation aimed at creating a baseline dataset which can be used in the future to understand if commonly encountered fish stocks, which are pursued by recreational fishers on the atoll, are impacted by recreational fishing or are not impacted by such human use. In 2017, the tripartite approved the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) for Wake Atoll (and Kokee and Mt Kaala installations as well) and it serves as the installation planning guide for project implementation. Within this approved planning document the PRSC lists this project and its tasks under Objective FWM-4 (Employ a systematic approach to managing wildlife resources, using a process that includes inventory, monitoring, modeling, management and assessment) and Objective OR-2 (Implement a fishing permit system to track fishing pressure on Wake Atoll).

3.0 Tasks

In order to develop an understanding of how recreational fishing impacts commonly harvested stocks, the NFE will develop baseline data sets which will establish a starting point for future comparisons, when surveys are repeated. This project shall focus on both target and “non target” species or those species which may be caught when targeting the species identified within the 2017 INRMP. Prior to implementing work, the NFE shall obtain all permits required by the US Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), US Department of Commerce, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), as well as the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in order to conduct these field activities and surveys at WIA and the waters surrounding the atoll.

3.1 Task 1: Fisheries Survey Work Plan

The NFE shall develop a work plan prior to the deployment of field staff. The work plan will detail the methods used to collect each species identified within this SOW. Methods of collection shall be selected based on successful applications of collection in other tropical environments. Collection methods may include net, hook and line, traps, acoustic recorders, etc;

a bias towards non-lethal capture methods shall be deployed if possible for each species.

Historical data and reports from similar atolls documented in peer reviewed literature shall be referenced in order to validate methods and analysis chose for the project. A gantt chart depicting timing of project tasks and deliverable submission dates shall be portrayed within the work plan.

All project team members, inclusive of logistic support and sub-NFEs shall be depicted within the work plan, alongside their respective role. The full names of each project participant shall be included. The NFE shall submit the draft and final versions of this sampling plan for approval to the 611 CES prior to deployment of field personnel. The NFE shall submit the work plan to the 611 CES within 90 calendar days of the project award. The 611 CES, will have 28 days to review and provide comments on the Draft Work Plan. These comments will be provided to the NFE in a comment matrix, which the NFE will respond to in the comment matrix and submit back to the 611 CES with the Final Work Plan. The 611 CES, Natural Resources Team will host a project kick off meeting to further discuss expectations, schedules, and deliverables. The draft work plan shall be defined as “Deliverable A”, while the final work plan and associated populated comment matrix, deemed “Deliverable A1, and A2” respectively.

3.2 Task 2: Fish Surveys

The NFE shall collect the fish species identified in Section 1.0 in addition to the host of non target species NFE establishes within their work plan and deems representative of other feeding guilds. Methods used to accomplish this task shall be in accordance with the approved work plan.

A coast guard certified captain shall be required for outer reef sampling, along with one committed deckhand. The captain and deckhand shall have prior experience operating fishing vessels in the pelagic waters. The captain and deckhand shall complete safety briefings every morning in order to acquaint the team with safety measures and emergency operations in the event of a potential accident.

The NFE shall be responsible for procuring supplies and getting them to WIA. The NFE is responsible to obtain rental vehicles, vehicle fuel, hotel, boat fuel, meals, flights, shipping, logistics support, and on island freezer usage. It is recommended that NFE utilizes a sub-NFE for on island transportation, vessel rental, tank fills, and shore-side labor if the NFE lacks such team members and logistical expertise. Please contact the GOV POC listed on Grants.Gov for WIA POCs. The survey methods shall ensure that future biological surveys can compare data amongst years, thus replication and objectivity are important themes for the methods to encompass. A detailed description of the methods used to capture fish, index or census their population, and evaluate the health of the species communities shall be documented in a draft and final project report. The methods and analysis of choice, shall afford the 611th the ability to compare future years data against the data collected under this effort. The data generated from this effort shall be used to evaluate whether a non target group is experiencing a population decline or other form of impact due to fishing or other stressor. This theme should be considered during the development of each stage of the project so as to ensure the data streams started can persist through the years.

All field survey work shall be accomplished during a 14 day stay on island. This time limitation shall be considered when evaluating how many species can be surveyed and the spatial distribution of sampling sites across the atoll’s waters.

3.3 Task 3: Draft Project Report

All information gathered shall be analyzed to provide a quantitative assessment of the population status and condition of fish species. The NFE shall also integrate comparisons to other tropical locations so as to give the reader an understanding as to how the data collected at WIA does or does not differ from data collected elsewhere on similar species or the same species. The draft reports shall utilize the Journal of Wildlife Management format for article submissions. An Executive Summary shall also be created and submitted as part of the draft and final report.

Recommendations for future teams who will sample fish populations in future years shall be included in the draft report. GIS generated maps shall be included in the report depicting locations of sampling.

Level of effort shall be quantified using time (hours) so as to give the reader an understanding of what level of effort yielding the sample sizes depicted in the report. The methods section of the draft report shall grant a reader the ability to track how the biologists collected their data in an unbiased fashion.

The NFE shall submit a draft project report no later than 18 months after the award date. The installation shall be granted 14 calendar days to provide the NFE with comments on their respective draft project report. The draft project report shall be deemed “Deliverable B”.

3.4 Task 4: Final Project Report

The NFE shall address the 611 CES comments and alter their project report within 14 calendar days of receipt of 611th CES comment and return a final project Report to the 611th CES, alongside a response to comment matrix displaying how each comment was addressed in the Final Project Report. The Project Report shall be defined as final, once accepted by the 611th CES. The final report shall be deemed “Deliverable B1”, while the populated comment matrix deemed “Deliverable B2”.

4.0 Supplies and Materials

All supplies and materials required to complete the tasks associated with this SOW must be purchased by the NFE. Shipping of any materials necessary for the project shall be done so at the cost of the NFE and will be done via barge or air cargo movements to Wake Island. The airlift CIC that will be obtained by the NFE will be utilized for air cargo shipping payments.

Please contact the GOV POC listed on Grants.Gov for WIA POCs. This reservation does not relieve the NFE from demobilization and clean up after completion of tasks and site visits.

5.0 Logistics

The 611 CES, Project Manager will support the NFE in securing approval to WIA provided that the NFE and all NFE staff have appropriate identification and documentation (i.e. government issued identification). All persons wishing to be granted access to Wake Island will obtain Entry Authorizations and Orders from the 611 CES. The NFE is responsible for filling out forms issued to them by the 611 CES Project Manager. All visitors to WIA shall fill out personal medical information forms to be housed by the contracted doctor or paramedic who serves as the islands medical support lead. The establishment of a sub-NFE may be used for base access when traveling from the Air Mobility Terminal on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam to Wake Atoll, as well as other logistical needs such as equipment staging, shipping, and vehicle rental when on island. The 611 CES Project manager shall populate letter of introduction (LOI) for each NFE team member depicted on the Work plan roster.

6.0 Deliverables

Deliverable Submission Schedule Draft Work Plan (Deliverable A) Within 90 calendar days of Project award Final Work Plan (Deliverable A1) Within 14 calendar days of receiving comments from the Installation and

GOTR.

Response to Comment Matrix (Deliverable A2)

Within 14 calendar days of receiving comments from the Installation and

GOTR.

Draft Project Report (Deliverable B) Deliverable B: Within 14 months of award.

Final Project Report (Deliverable B1)

Deliverables B1 and B2: Within 14 calendar days of receiving comments from the installation.

Response to Comment Matrix (Deliverable B2) Deliverables B1 and B2: Within 14 calendar days of receiving comments from the installation.