Unallied Science Program (11.472)

Program

11.472 Unallied Science Program

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Commerce
Office: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Authorization

Fish and Wildlife Act, 16 U.S.C 753a; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1956,, 16 U.S.C 661.

Program Number

11.472

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To provide grants and cooperative agreements of biological, socio-economic and physical science research on the stocks of fishery and protected resources of the United States and their environment that will contribute to their optimal management for the benefit of the Nation; also, to award grants and cooperative agreements to develop innovative approaches and methods for marine and estuarine science.

Types of Assistance

PROJECT GRANTS

Uses and Use Restrictions

Funds can be used by recipients to support a wide variety of research on high-priority marine and estuarine resource issues, especially for resources 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/or 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 applications and conduct. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is eligible for coverage 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 more 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

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. Proposals are submitted through Grants.Gov. Applicants will need to enter the Funding Opportunity Number and/or CFDA number to access the application package and instructions. Application package will then be submitted directly to the (Name of your Office - Example Coastal Services Center). Proposals are subject to the requirements of 15 CFR Parts 14 and 24, as applicable.

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

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Approval time is expected to range from 90 to 150 days, which includes processing of the award through the NMFS, NOAA, and DOC financial assistance procedures.

Appeals

Not Applicable.

Renewals

Renewal of an award to increase funding and/or extend the period of an award is at the sole discretion of the Department.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has no statutory formula.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this program.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

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 in accordance with DOC/NOAA finance and reporting procedures. Funds are released in advance or by reimbursement, as agreed to in the Standard Terms and Conditions document required for each grant. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Funds are released in advance or by reimbursement, as agreed to in the Standard Terms and Conditions document required for each grant.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Program reports are not applicable. Cash reports are not applicable. 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. 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. Performance monitoring is not applicable.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), 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 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.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: Protected Resources: Recovery of protected marine and anadromous species in states and territories. Alaska Region: Carry out marine research activities in the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Arctic Ocean. Southwest Region: Investigating the efficacy of using cultured juvenile marine fish to complement wild stock to speed recovery of depleted populations. Northeast Region: Contributions to enhance data collection for the American lobster resource along the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and to provide improved information for stock assessments and management; and an ocean haul seine survey for striped bass in coastal New York State was conducted. Southeast Region: Development of genetic tools to assess the population structures of major commercial and recreational species, such as swordfish, tunas and sharks. Conservation and management of threatened and endangered marine species in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina including development of an early warning system to reduce right whale/vessel collisions; U.S. Gulf of Mexico marine stock enhancement program; Contributions to the biology of the red drum in South Carolina; funded research to examine the biological and hydrographic characteristics of the Charleston Bump; provided support for research into pathogens affecting shrimp in the southeastern United States; developed an index of sea turtle abundance along the southern U.S. Atlantic coast. Completed a sea turtle abundance index for the Southeastern United States. NOS: The goal of FISHTEC is to develop, test and apply new technologies in molecular biology to enhance fisheries management policies and actions. This long term project was focused initially on the development of genetic tools to determine population structures of major commercial and recreational species such as swordfish, tunas and sharks. Emphasis has now been shifted to deal with broader issues of management such as multi-species assemblages or habitats, and detection of pathogens and/or diseases affecting marine organisms. Ongoing research is organized into two major components dealing with molecular genetics of pelagic fish populations, and stock structure of coastal marine fisheries of the southeastern U.S. The results of FISHTEC research may be found in numerous peer reviewed publications. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

13-1450-0-1-306.

Obligations

(Cooperative Agreements) FY 08 $15,540,052; FY 09 est $0; FY 10 est $0 - No estimate for future funding is currently available.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

No Data Available.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

Allowable cost will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular A-87 for State and local governments and Indian Tribes; OMB Circular A-122 for nonprofit and for-profit organizations; OMB Circular A-21 for institutions of higher education; and 48 CFR Part 31 for commercial organizations. Financial assistance management will be in accordance with 15 CFR Part 14 for institutions of higher education, hospitals, and other non-profit and commercial organizations, and with 15 CFR Part 24 for State and local governments.

Related Programs

Not Applicable.

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. Regional or Local Office: Alaska: Shawn Carey, Alaska Regional Office, NMFS, P.O. Box 21668, Juneau,AK 99802-1668. Telephone: (907) 586-7845, Fax: (907) 586-7255. Use the same numbers for FTS. Email: peter.d.jones@noaa.gov Northeast: Harold C. Mears, State, Federal and Constituent Programs Office; Northeast Region, 55 Great Republic Dr., Gloucester, MA 01930-2276. Telephone: (978) 281-9243. Fax: (978) 281- 9117. Telephone: (978) 281-9243. Fax: (978) 281- 9117.
Email: Grants.Information@noaa.gov. Northwest: Kevin Ford, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Region, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115. Telephone: (206) 526-6115. Fax: (206) 526- 4461. Email:
Kevin.Ford@noaa.gov. Northwest Center: Dr. Robert Iwamoto, OMI Director, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112-2097. Telephone: (206) 860-3200. Fax: (206) 860-3442. Email:
Bob.Iwamoto@noaa.gov. Southeast: Jeffrey Brown, State/Federal Liaison Staff, Southeast Regional Office, 9721 Executive Center Drive, North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702-2432. Telephone: (727) 570-5324. Fax: (727) 570-5364. Email:
jeff.brown@noaa.gov. Southwest Region: Patricia Culver, 501 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach, CA. 90802. Telephone: (562) 980-4239. Email: trisha.culver@noaa.gov.

Headquarters Office

Dan Namur National Marine Fisheries Services, Office of Management and Budget, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 Email: dan.namur@noaa.gov Phone: 301) 713-1364 Fax: (301) 713- 2258

Web Site Address

AAlaska: http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/omi/grants/default.htm. Southeast Region: http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2008: Alaska: Cooperative Fisheries Research in Alaska. Northeast: Maine Lobster Resource Assessment, Monitoring of New Hampshire's Fishery for Shell Disease in the American Lobster, Post Stratification and Calibration of a Random
Stratified Lobster Ventless Trap Survey in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, A Study of the Striped Bass in the Marine District of New York State - Ocean Haul Seine Survey. Northeast Center: The Northeast Consortium is used encourage
and fund collaborative research and monitoring projects within the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank, which involve effective, equal partnerships among fishermen, scientists, and other stakeholders. Examine the population biology
and dynamics of the multispecies fishery of the Northeast USA, with specific focus on the groundfish assemblage and American lobster, in support of the development of a fisheries management decision support system. Examine the
population biology and dynamics of the sea scallop, from Virginia to the Hague line, USA in support of the development of a decision support system. A
research and monitoring program to provide information required to sustainably manage the horseshoe crab resource for the benefit of all resource users. North Atlantic Right Whale Research Grant Program (RWRGP) is used for funding research or other activities that can provide information useful to management of
North Atlantic right whales, with emphasis on understanding or mitigating factors inhibiting the species recovery. Southeast Region: Funded a cooperative program that investigated the technical, economic and commercial feasibility of
farm raising marine finfish in cages in the northern Gulf of Mexico utilizing oil and gas production platforms as operation centers. Provided funds to refine, field-test and demonstrate a successful marine fisheries stock management
program for the Gulf of Mexico that blends aquaculture technology with traditional fishery management practices. Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina were funded for their endangered species programs on sea turtles.
Funded research in red drum biology to better understand survival rates in the wild. South Carolina was funded to create a taxonomic center to identify and archive marine specimens. Cooperative Institute for Fisheries Molecular Biology
(FISHTEC). Northwest region: Ballard High School Maritime Academy/Seattle Public Schools. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

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.