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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE

11.433: Marine Fisheries Initiative

Objectives: To provide financial assistance for research and development projects that will provide information for the full and wise use and enhancement of fishery resources in the Southeast U. S. Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic beginning with the State of North Carolina south to Florida. In addition, beginning in Fiscal Year 1998 similar assistance is provided for the coastal New England states.

PROGRAM AND AWARD FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS INFORMATION CONTACTS

RELATED PROGRAMS ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS

PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

11.433 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility: States or local governments, universities, private enterprise, individuals or any other entity, nonprofit or otherwise, if such entity is a citizen of the United States within the meaning of Section 2 of the Shipping Act, 1916, as amended, 46 U.S.C. 802.

Beneficiary Eligibility: Federal, State and local governments, universities, private enterprise, nonprofit or profit organizations, and the general public.

Credentials/Documentation: Applications must include resumes of qualifications and experience of the principal investigators. They are expected to demonstrate expertise in the proposed area of study.

11.433 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination: 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 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: A standard application Form (SF-424) should be submitted to the Southeast Regional Office or the Northeast Region, as appropriate. It should include a summary sheet, proposed statement of work, budget estimate on Form 88-205 (10-95), and detailed budget per line item listed on the Form. The solicitation published in the Federal Register will provide additional information and requirements.

Award Procedure: Proposals will be reviewed, evaluated and ranked by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The ranking is divided into two groups; (a) recommended; and (b) not recommended. They are then presented to a panel of fishery experts and to the MARFIN Panel. The Panel will individually submit their funding recommendations to the Regional Administrator of the appropriate Region. The Regional Administrator in consultation with the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries will determine funding availability and select the projects to be funded. The selected proposals will be reviewed and negotiated by the appropriate Regional Office and the assigned Technical Monitor. A complete application will be forwarded to the NOAA Grants Officer for approval and award.

Deadlines: Deadlines are published in the annual Federal Register or contact either the NMFS Southeast Regional Office or the NMFS Northeast Regional Office.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: Successful applicants will be selected generally within 180 days. Awards will be made normally within 240 days after the date of publication of the Federal Register.

Appeals: None.

Renewals: Multi-year awards of up to three years may be approved. Once awarded, multi-year projects will not compete for funding in subsequent years. 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.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals: Priority in program emphasis will be placed upon funding projects that have the greatest probability of recovering, maintaining, improving, or developing fisheries, improving our understanding of factors affecting recruitment success, generating increased values from fisheries, and generating increased recreational opportunity and harvest potential. Projects will be evaluated as to the likelihood of achieving these benefits through both short-term and long-term research projects with consideration of the magnitude of the eventual economic benefit that may be realized.

Examples of Funded Projects: Red drum population assessment; turtle excluder devices (Ted's); Reef fish age and growth; king and spanish mackerel population assessment; and bycatch, studies to reduce the catch of non-target species caught in shrimp trawls; development of fishing community profiles on the coastal New England states; development of an input- output model for social economic impact assessment of fisheries regulations in New England.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance: $21,185 to $374,372; $64,282.

11.433 RELATED PROGRAMS:

11.427 Fisheries Development and Utilization Research and Development Grants and Cooperative Agreements.

11.433 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Valuable information has been obtained under this program. The following are a few of the highlights: In 1996, in the Gulf of Mexico, red snapper life history, ecology and fishery interactions were studied. The Shark fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic were characterized for catch and economic parameters. Juvenile gag life history and movement patterns were described for the southeastern portion of the U.S. Bycatch reduction devices were evaluated for trawl fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. A comprehensive life history study of red drum in the South Atlantic was completed. During fiscal year 2000, projects funded were multi-year proposals completing the second or third year of their research. Selected projects are still ongoing but are designed to collect economic and socio-cultural information to help evaluate potential impacts of fishery management regulations on the industry and affected New England communities. During 1999, selected projects focused on stock identification with three projects funded (micro satellite analysis of cod, striped bass migrations based on microprobe analysis of otoliths and yellowtail stock assessments using DNA fingerprint).

11.433 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Type of Assistance: Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements).

Obligations: (Cooperative Agreements) FY 99 $2,265,225; FY 00 est $1,792,621; and FY 01 est $1,000,000.

Budget Account Number: 13-1450-0-1-306.

Authorization: Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, 16 U.S.C. 753a; Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, 16 U.S.C. 1854(e); Saltonstall-Kennedy Act, 15 U.S.C. 713 c-3(d).

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature: For cost principles see OMB Circular Nos. A-21, A-87, and A-122. A description of MARFIN activities is available and published in an "Annual Report." A copy may be obtained from the Southeast Regional Office. There is no funding history in the Northeast Region prior to FY 1998.

11.433 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office: Ellie F. Roche, State/Federal Liaison Office, National Marine Fisheries Service, 9721 Executive Center Drive, North, St. Petersburg, FL 33702. Phone: (727) 570-5324. Use the same number for FTS. Kenneth L. Beal, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Regional Office, One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Phone: (978) 281-9267. E-mail: Grants.Information@noaa.gov.

Headquarters Office: Not applicable.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

11.433 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements: This program has no statutory formula. Cost-sharing is not required under this program. However, cost-sharing is encouraged.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: The money must be spent during the award period and is received on request from the recipient from NOAA Vendor Express, NOAA Financial Assistance Disbursement System (FADS).

Uses and Use Restrictions: Funds can be used to develop harvest methods, economic analyses of fisheries, processing methods, fish stock assessment and fish stock enhancement. Projects are restricted to the fisheries in the Southeast Region including the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic beginning with North Carolina, South Carolina to Florida. Funds are not used for loans. Also, projects in the coastal New England States will be considered. In the Northeast, project priorities have varied during the first two years of funding availability. During Fiscal Year 1999, the area of emphasis was new methods or techniques to improve the ability of scientists to identify the stock structure of selected species of fish and shellfish to improve fisheries management.

11.433 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports: Semi-annual progress and financial reports are due six months after the start date of the award. Progress reports should summarize all work accomplished during the six months following the start date of the award and the financial reports should reflect the use of funds. A final report is due 90 days after completion of the project.

Audits: In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), recipients that are States, Local Governments, Non-profit 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: All financial and programmatic records, supporting documents, statistical reports, and other records of grantees or sub grantees are required to be retained for 3 years from the date of the final financial status report for each award.