SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Collect ond Keypunch Sablefish Fishery Logbook
- Notice Date
- 2/15/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 561990
— All Other Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Western Administrative Support Center, 7600 Sand Point Way, Northeast, Seattle, WA, 98115-6349
- ZIP Code
- 98115-6349
- Solicitation Number
- WASC-6-326
- Response Due
- 3/2/2006
- Archive Date
- 3/17/2006
- Description
- This requirement is being procured and an award will be made in accordance with FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures. National Marine Fisheries Service, (NMFS) located in Juneau, Ak. The period of performance for this contract is from March 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007 The objective of the Sablefish Logbook Program is to collect catch and effort information from sablefish longline fishery vessels. This request is for a contract to provide services to the Auke Bay Laboratory (ABL) for dockside logbook collection, data entry and verification, database maintenance and database output and reports. The stock assessment of Alaska sablefish is closely scrutinized because of the high value of the fishery, ex vessel value over $ 100 million, and because IFQ management gives some quasi-property value to fishermen. The current sablefish stock assessment is based on fisheries-independent data collected from annual longline surveys since 1979, fisheries data collected by observers since 1990, voluntary logbooks since 1997, and required logbooks since 1999. Detailed fishery data are collected so that the sablefish stock assessment is based on observational data rather than assumptions about fishery characteristics. The observer data covers about 15% of the catch by weight. The logbook program broadens coverage to about 30% of the catch. The Sablefish Logbook Program was instigated by sablefish fishermen's desire for NMFS to consider more fishery based information in the sablefish stock assessment. Incorporation of more fishery data into the sablefish assessment also has been promoted by the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The sablefish stock assessment will be more credible if these data are collected and analyzed by NMFS in assessing sablefish abundance. If these data are not collected and analyzed, the fishing industry likely will increase pressure on quota recommendations, possibly to the long term detriment of the sablefish population. Since 1999, the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) has had a contract with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Auke Bay Laboratory (ABL) to collect sablefish log sheets from skippers with vessels 60 feet and over, landing in the ports where IPHC samplers are located. Prior to IPHC involvement, there was a voluntary program funded by the fleet to provide CPUE data to the ABL sablefish scientists. The current project was initiated at the request of sablefish skippers, who worked with both agencies on the implementation. The initial agreement had IPHC samplers collecting the IFQ distribution log sheets from the NMFS Catcher Vessel DFL Groundfish/IFQ longline and pot gear logbooks for sablefish landings. If sablefish was the only species sold, the signed green (IFQ distribution) sheets were forwarded. If there were halibut and sablefish landed, photocopies of the signed sheets were forwarded to ABL. All log sheets sent to NMFS ABL had a skipper's signature acknowledging and agreeing to the following: 'IPHC will forward to Sablefish Assessment, Auke Bay Lab' Logbook Collection The IPHC will collect detailed fishery information on sablefish catch and fishing effort from NMFS logbooks required by quota share vessels and encountered by IPHC port samplers. Additionally, when available, IPHC will collect sablefish information from vessels with available sablefish catch in voluntary logbooks. These logs will be collected by IPHC port samplers at the landing location from the following ports: Bellingham, WA Petersburg, AK St. Paul, AK Sitka, AK Seward, AK Homer, AK Kodiak, AK Dutch Harbor, AK (May 16 - Nov 15) Juneau, AK In both cases, port samplers will collect data and interview skippers to complete any missing information, review the data, and ensure gear information is accurate. Additionally, port samplers will copy IFQ landed weights of sablefish onto the logs from processing plant information. Data Entry and Verification Log sheets collected by the port samplers shall be submitted for data entry and verification each year. The estimated number of required logbook sets per year is 3800 based on 2004. The estimated number of voluntary logs is between 100-200 per year representing about 1,000 sets, based on 2002-2003. All information necessary to determine CPUE by set contained in the logbooks must be keyed and verified. This includes all gear data, fishing information by set if sablefish is caught or targeted (fishing date, location, depth, skate information, sablefish numbers or weight, target species as noted on log), landed weight of sablefish. The Contractor will use internal verification procedures to ensure an accurate electronic record of the logbook data. The logbook data shall be double-keyed, accounting for any differences. The standard is 100% match between the paper logbook record and the electronic database. IFQ landing information will be matched to the logbooks. The IPHC will match the trip recorded in the logbook to the trip recorded in the IFQ landing reports. Additionally, IFQ landing information will be collected by IPHC port samplers and will be recorded on the logbook when logbooks are collected. At the end of the fishing season, all IFQ landing reports will be checked to verify that no matches of IFQ landing reports to logbooks were missed. Database Confidentiality The IPHC shall do the following to ensure that the data remains confidential: 1) The IPHC will provide ABL scientists sablefish data from log sheets that include the captain's signature acknowledging that the information would be provided to ABL. 2) The log data will be provided with a unique vessel identifier to protect the confidentiality of the vessel. The vessel identifier will be consistent for all landings by a given vessel so that a given vessel may be tracked over time. The data provided will be set specific and include target species as identified by skipper, fishing location (latitude/longitude), date, and effort information from sets involving any sablefish retention or target. The landing site or date will not be provided. 3) The IPHC will provide NMFS ABL staff using the data with a confidentiality agreement that will be signed by both parties. Under this agreement NMFS ABL staff will agree not to release individual vessel log book data to the public, agencies, Councils, or anyone outside the ABL. Any published or released data will be summarized by larger geographic regions and for three or more vessels, so that confidentiality of voluntary information is not sacrificed. This notice may represent the only official notice. This is a simplified acquisition with an estimated value of less than $100,000
- Place of Performance
- Address: Juneau, AK
- Record
- SN00988594-W 20060217/060215211842 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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