Opportunity Information: Apply for G21AS00469
This grant opportunity is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement aimed at improving how prey fish populations are measured across the Great Lakes. USGS is supporting the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the Great Lakes Council of Lake Committees (CLC) by funding annual, lake-wide acoustic estimates of prey fish abundance in all five Great Lakes. The work centers on active, down-looking acoustic surveys using scientific echosounders deployed from USGS vessels, with current survey operations specifically noted for Lakes Michigan, Huron, Ontario, and Superior. The core idea is that these standardized, repeatable acoustic surveys generate key information that fisheries managers rely on year after year.
The practical purpose of the project is to strengthen management decisions that depend heavily on reliable prey-fish data. Those data feed directly into predator stocking decisions (for example, how many salmonids or other predators to stock), evaluations of changes in lake productivity over time, and restoration planning for coregonines (a group that includes several cisco and whitefish species important to Great Lakes ecosystems and fisheries). Because these decisions are only as good as the underlying monitoring data, the opportunity emphasizes improving accuracy and usefulness of the survey outputs for real-world management.
A major focus is identifying, quantifying, and reducing sampling bias in the existing USGS prey fish density surveys. Acoustic surveys can be powerful, but they are also sensitive to methodological issues such as how targets are detected and classified, how survey transects are designed, how fish behavior affects detectability, and how calibration and processing choices influence density estimates. The funding is intended to support efforts that recognize major sources of bias and implement approaches to eliminate or minimize them, resulting in more trustworthy abundance estimates and better products delivered to Great Lakes resource managers.
Administratively, this is issued under the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, which is designed to streamline collaboration among federal agencies and a network of partner institutions that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Because it is a CESU-funded opportunity, eligibility is limited: applicants must be participating partners of the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, meaning USGS is expected to have substantial involvement in the project rather than simply issuing a grant with minimal agency engagement.
Key details from the notice include the opportunity title "Cooperative Agreement with Participating Partner of the Great Lakes Northern Forests (CESU) Program" and funding opportunity number G21AS00469. It is a discretionary funding opportunity from the USGS (agency name: Geological Survey) in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category, listed under CFDA 15.808. The maximum award amount (ceiling) is $499,999. The opportunity was created on April 14, 2021, with an original closing date of April 30, 2021. Eligible applicants are categorized as "Others," but in practice that is constrained to organizations that are formal CESU partners within the Great Lakes Northern Forests network.Apply for G21AS00469
- The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement with Participating Partner of the Great Lakes Northern Forests (CESU) Program." and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2021-04-14.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-04-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $499,999.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement issued through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. The project supports annual, lake-wide acoustic estimates of prey fish abundance across the Great Lakes to strengthen fisheries management decisions.
What is the official opportunity title?
The opportunity title is "Cooperative Agreement with Participating Partner of the Great Lakes Northern Forests (CESU) Program."
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is G21AS00469.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
The offering agency is the US Geological Survey (USGS), listed as "Geological Survey."
What type of award is this?
The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which means USGS is expected to have substantial involvement in the project (rather than a more hands-off grant arrangement).
What is the CESU Program and why does it matter for eligibility?
The CESU Program is intended to streamline collaboration between federal agencies and a network of partner institutions that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Because this opportunity is issued under CESU, eligibility is limited to participating partners of the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to organizations that are participating partners of the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU. While the notice categorizes eligible applicants as "Others," the practical constraint described is that applicants must be formal CESU partners within that network.
What is the main purpose of the project?
The purpose is to improve how prey fish populations are measured across the Great Lakes by supporting standardized, repeatable acoustic surveys that provide annual, lake-wide estimates of prey fish abundance for fisheries managers.
What specific work is being supported?
The opportunity supports annual, lake-wide active, down-looking acoustic surveys using scientific echosounders deployed from USGS vessels, producing estimates of prey fish abundance across all five Great Lakes.
Which Great Lakes are specifically noted for current survey operations?
The notice specifically notes survey operations for Lakes Michigan, Huron, Ontario, and Superior.
Does the project cover all five Great Lakes?
Yes. The stated goal is annual, lake-wide acoustic estimates of prey fish abundance in all five Great Lakes, even though current operations are specifically noted for four lakes.
Who is USGS supporting through this effort?
USGS is supporting the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the Great Lakes Council of Lake Committees (CLC) by funding the annual lake-wide prey fish acoustic estimates.
Why are these prey fish data important?
Managers rely on these data year after year to support key decisions, including predator stocking decisions (such as how many salmonids or other predators to stock), evaluation of changes in lake productivity over time, and restoration planning for coregonines.
What are coregonines in the context of this opportunity?
The opportunity describes coregonines as a group that includes several cisco and whitefish species that are important to Great Lakes ecosystems and fisheries, and whose restoration planning can depend on reliable prey-fish monitoring data.
What is a major technical focus of the funded work?
A major focus is identifying, quantifying, and reducing sampling bias in existing USGS prey fish density surveys, so the resulting abundance estimates are more accurate and more useful for real-world management.
What kinds of methodological issues can introduce bias in acoustic surveys?
The notice highlights that acoustic surveys can be sensitive to issues such as how targets are detected and classified, how survey transects are designed, how fish behavior affects detectability, and how calibration and processing choices influence density estimates.
What outcomes is USGS looking for from bias-reduction work?
The intent is to recognize major sources of bias and implement approaches to eliminate or minimize them, resulting in more trustworthy abundance estimates and improved products delivered to Great Lakes resource managers.
What category is this opportunity listed under?
It is listed in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.808.
What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling (maximum amount) is $499,999.
Is this a discretionary funding opportunity?
Yes. The notice identifies it as a discretionary funding opportunity from USGS.
When was the opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on April 14, 2021.
What was the original closing date?
The original closing date was April 30, 2021.
What management decisions are expected to benefit from the project?
The opportunity describes benefits to predator stocking decisions, evaluations of long-term changes in lake productivity, and restoration planning for coregonines, all of which depend heavily on reliable prey-fish monitoring data.
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