To
maintain a cooperative State and Federal partnership to provide
a continuing source of fisheries dependent statistics to support
fishery management in the States' Territorial Sea and the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Funds
are to support cooperative State and Federal programs to collect
statistics on commercial and recreational fisheries in support of
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Eligible applicants are the Marine
Fisheries Conservation agencies of the States of Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and the Gulf States Marine
Fisheries Commission.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: This program benefits Federal,
State and interstate marine resource conservation and management
agencies; U.S. and foreign commercial and recreational fishing
industries; conservation organizations; academic institutions;
international and Indian Tribal treaties; private and public research
groups; consumers; and the general public.
Credentials/Documentation:
Applicants are required to satisfy all DOC/NOAA standards and
regulations, including routine and special terms and conditions
for financial assistance programs application and conduct. Applicants
may be required to show proof that they are mandated by their
own State to monitor fishery resources and to manage or participate
in the management of these resources.
Pre-application
Coordination: The standard application forms
as furnished by the agency. This program is covered under E.O. 12372,
"Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should
consult the office or official designated as the single point of
contact in his or her State for information on the process the State
requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State
has selected the program for review.
Application
Procedure: Cooperative activities and funding
amounts are determined by consultation between the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the State agency. Submission of an
application on Standard Form 424, including all required certifications,
is made to the appropriate National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
Regional Director, Science and Research Director, or Office Director.
This program is subject to the provisions of 15 CFR 24 (Uniform
Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements
to State and Local Governments), and OMB Circulars No. A-110 and
A87. NOAA reserves the right to withhold the awarding of a grant
or cooperative agreement to any individual or organization delinquent
on a debt to the Federal government until payment is made or satisfactory
arrangements are made with the agency to whom the debt is owed.
Award
Procedure: Proposals are initially evaluated
by the pertinent NMFS Office/Region/Science Center, and are subject
to review for technical merit, soundness of design, competency
of the applicant to perform the proposed work, potential contribution
of the project to national or regional goals, and appropriateness
and reasonableness of proposed costs. Projects approved for funding
will be submitted to the NOAA Grants Management Division and the
Department of Commerce's Office of Federal Assistance for review
and approval.
Deadlines:
Completed application packages must be received at the following
address at least 90 days before the requested start date of the
project. Applications are submitted to: National Marine Fisheries
Service, State/Federal Liaison Office, 9721 Executive Center Drive
N., St. Petersburg, Florida 33702. Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Information
Network (GulfFIN) grants should be submitted to: National Marine
Fisheries Service, Office of Science and Technology, 1315 East-West
Highway, SSMC3, Room 12427, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: Approval time
is expected to range from 90 to 120 days, which includes processing
of the award through the NMFS, NOAA, and DOC financial assistance
procedures.
Appeals:
None.
Renewals:
Multiple year awards of up to three years may be approved. Once
awarded, recipients apply for continuation awards for each successive
yearly budget period. Funding for multi year projects beyond the
first year is contingent upon the availability of program funds
in subsequent fiscal years, and the extent to which the recipient
meets project objectives and reporting requirements.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: This program has
no statutory formula. Projects are funded at up to 100 percent of
the Federal share. Grantee matching contributions are not required,
but are encouraged.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Awards are
normally for a 12 month period but in some instances, award periods
may extend beyond 12 months, or may be completed in less than
12 months. Award funds must be spent in the indicated budget period
and are to be expended in accordance with DOC/NOAA finance and
reporting procedures. Funds are released to the recipient upon
request from NOAA Vendor Express, Financial Assistance Disbursement
System, FADS.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Reporting requirements are outlined in the Terms and Conditions
of the Financial Assistance Award. Progress reports summarize work
accomplished and explain situations where expected work has not
been completed. Financial reports indicate use of funds during the
financial reporting period designated.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance
of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted
in Circular No. A-133.
Records:
All financial and programmatic records, supporting documents,
statistical reports, and other records of grantees or subgrantees
are required to be retained for 3 years from the date of the final
financial status report for each award.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 13-1450-0-1-306.
Obligations:
(Cooperative Agreements) FY 01 $4,102,000; FY 02 est $4,472,300;
and FY 03 est $0.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
$59,417 to $124,167; Average: $79,735. (One award to GulfFIN
for $3,304,789, is not included.)
Data on the activities of commercial and recreational fishermen
in the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic and Caribbean were collected.
These data are used by States, Interstate Fisheries Commissions
and Fishery Management Councils to develop, implement and evaluate
the results of fishery management plans. State and Federal commercial
fisheries trip ticket and license systems have been upgraded in
some States and implemented in others. A cooperative State-Federal
data management system to provide integrated commercial and recreational
fisheries-dependent statistics is being developed. Research on a
better method for collecting effort data for the charter boat fishery
was completed and the improved method was implemented from Florida
through Louisiana in 2001. Research on methodologies for surveying
recreational fishing at night will be conducted in 2002.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
For cost principles see OMB Circular No. A-87. For Grants Management
principles see OMB Circular Nos. A-102 (15 CFR - Part 24). Application
guidelines are provided by the NMFS Regional Office, address listed
below.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Cynthia Pierce, State/Federal
Liaison Office, National Marine Fisheries Service, 9721 Executive
Center Drive, N., St. Petersburg, FL 33702. Telephone: (727) 570-5324.
Use the same number for FTS. E-mail: Cynthia.Pierce@noaa.gov.
Headquarters
Office: For GulfFIN - Terri Delloyd, Fisheries
Statistics and Economics Division, Office of Science and Technology,
National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Science and Technology,
1315 East West Highway, SSMC3, Room 12427, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Telephone: (301)713-2328. FAX: (301)713-4137. E-mail: Terri.Delloyd@noaa.gov.
Web
Site Address: http://caldera.sero.nmfs.gov/grants/programs/csp.htm http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
All projects are NMFS/State (U.S. territory/commonwealth) cooperative
fisheries statistics, agreements, for the collection, analysis and
distribution of statistical information and for research into better
methods for those tasks.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Proposals are selected based on the results of Cooperative Statistics
and Fisheries Information Network (FIN) committee activities and
on negotiations between NMFS and cooperators. The nature and scope
of cooperative activities are based on the needs of the cooperating
agencies. Funding is allocated by NMFS based on Cooperative Statistics
and Fisheries Information Network (FIN) committee recommendations
and on the level of activities that are planned for accomplishment.
Regardless of source, proposals must under go rigorous technical
review and comply with all OMB, DOC, and NOAA grants policies and
procedures.
