NATIONAL
OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES
SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
AUTHORIZATION:
Fish
and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1956, 16 U.S.C. 661; Magnuson Fishery
Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1854(e); Department of
Commerce Appropriation Act of 1999.
Projects
provide economic, sociological, public policy, and other information
needed by Federal and State natural resource administrators for
conserving and managing fishery resources and protected species
and their environment in Federal, State, and U.S. territorial waters.
Information derived from project studies may consist of econometric
date, user profiles, sociological case studies, policy and systems
analyses, and other knowledge, and is used in such decisions as
resource allocations, total and zonal harvest determinations, and
initial apportionment of harvesting rights under controlled access
management regimes. Primary users of project information include
the National Marine Fisheries Service, Regional Fishery Management
Councils, Interstate Marine Fisheries Commissions, State, and other
Federal resource management agencies.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Funds
can be used by recipients to support a wide variety of management
activities for high-priority marine and estuarine resources, especially
for species and/or their habitat currently under or proposed for
future Federal or interjurisdictional management.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Eligible applicants for assistance
include: State and local governments, including their universities
and colleges; U.S. territorial agencies; federally and State recognized
Indian Tribal governments; private universities and colleges; private
profit and nonprofit research and conservation organizations and
individuals.
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.
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: Submission of an application on
Standard Form 424, including all required certifications, to the
appropriate National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Regional
Administrator, 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 Circular Nos. A-110 and
A-87. 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:
Project applications must be received by the receiving NMFS office
at least 90 days before the requested start date of the project.
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:
Grants and cooperative agreements are approved on an annual basis,
but may be continued beyond the first segment, subject to approved
time frame and scope of work, satisfactory progress, and availability
of funds.
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 is 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 on a semi-annual
schedule.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), recipients that are States, Local Governments,
Nonprofit Organizations (to include Hospitals), and Institutions
of Higher Learning shall be subject to the audit requirements
contained in the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 U.S.C.
7501-7507). Commercial organizations shall be subject to the audit
requirements as stipulated in the award document.
Records:
Generally, a recipient is required to retain records relating
to a particular grant for three (3) years from the date of submission
of the final financial report. In cases where litigation, claim
or an audit is initiated prior to expiration of the three-year
period, records must be retained until the action and resolution
of any issues associated with it are complete or until the end
of the three-year retention period; whichever is latest.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 13-1450-0-1-306.
Obligations:
(Grants and Cooperative Agreements) FY 01 $2,508,992; FY 02 est
$2,198,250; and FY 03 est $2,004,650.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
$146,500 to $1,225,000. Average: $539,250.
Alaska Region: Development of a program seeking to stabilize and
restore fisheries access to the Gulf of Alaska community-based small
boat fleets and assist in the creation of new fisheries opportunities.
Provide research assistance to aid in run forecasting and restoration
of Yukon River salmon. In fiscal year 2001 four awards were made
and it is anticipated that three awards will be made in fiscal years
2002 and 2003. Northeast Region: Conduct a study aimed at evaluating
the performance of a 4.0" ring scallop dredge in comparison to the
presently regulated 3.5" ring dredge in an effort to determine its
applicability as part of an area management strategy for Atlantic
sea scallops. To produce a series of maps of the sea floor in Georges
Bank Closed Area II containing high aggregations of scallops. Work
will entail conduct of a systematic video survey to document Atlantic
sea scallop abundance, distribution, densities, biomass estimates,
information on the associated benthos community, and sediment composition.
Southeast Region: Development of a program to better document fishing
effort in the southeastern U.S. shrimp fishery and to better define
parameters for the red snapper stock assessment. Funding for research
on State and Federal coordination in the management and conservation
of protected species.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
For cost principles, see OMB Circular Nos. A-21 (educational institutions),
A-87 (State and local governments) or A-122 (nonprofit organizations).
For grants management principles, see OMB A-102 (15 CFR 24) (States)
and OMB A-110 for other applicants.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Alaska: Peter Jones, Alaska
Regional Office, NMFS, P.O. Box 12668, Juneau, AK 99802- 1668. Telephone:
(907) 586-7280. Use the same numbers for FTS. Email: peter.d.jones@noaa.gov.
Northeast: Harold C. Mears, Director, State, Federal and Constituent
Programs Office, National Marine Fisheries Service; Northeast Regional
Office, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930-2298. Telephone:
(978) 281-9243. Fax: (978) 281-9117. Email: Grants.Information@noaa.gov.
Northwest: Kevin Ford, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest
Regional Office, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115. Telephone:
(206)526-6150. Fax: (206) 526-6426. Email: Joe.Scordino@noaa.gov.
Southeast: Jeffrey Brown, State/Federal Liaison Staff, Southeast
Region Office, 9721 Executive Center Drive, North, St. Petersburg,
FL 33702. Telephone: (727) 570-5324. Fax: (727) 570-5364. Email:
jeff.brown@noaa.gov. Southwest: Patricia J. Donley, Federal Program
Officer, Southwest Region Office, 501 West Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200,
Long Beach, CA 90802-4213. Telephone: (562) 980-4033. Fax: (562)
980-4047. Email: pat.donley@noaa..gov.
Web
Site Address: Alaska:
http://www.fakr.noaa.gov
Southeast:
http://caldera.sero.nmfs.gov/grants/programs/manage.htm
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Alaska: Alaska Coastal Communities Coalition; Support efforts to
stabilize and restore fisheries access to Gulf of Alaska Community-based
small-boat fleets. Create and activate plans to do run forecasting
and restoration of Yukon River salmon. Support program reports on
current events in the fisheries arena of the major fishing nations
of the Pacific Rim. Northeast: Performance Evaluation of a 4.0"
Ring Scallop Dredge in the Context of Area Management Strategy for
Sea Scallops; Examination of Population Biology and Dynamics of
the Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) in Discrete Areas of
Georges Bank. Evaluation of Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) to
Facilitate Summer Flounder Escapement from Sea Scallop Trawls. Southeast:
Development of a program to better document fishing effort in the
southeastern U.S. shrimp fishery and to better define parameters
for the red snapper stock assessments. Protection and management
of sea turtles in South Carolina.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Proposals are selected from several sources: Unsolicited proposals;
special solicitations in the Federal Register or Commerce Business
Daily; or Congressionally mandated projects. Regardless of source,
proposals must undergo rigorous technical review and comply with
all OMB, DOC, and NOAA grants policies and procedures.
