Juvenile Sportfish Community and Habitat Suitability in Florida Bay

Background
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, is issuing a Request for Statement of Interest for a project titled 'Juvenile Sportfish Community and Habitat Suitability in Florida Bay.' This project aims to monitor juvenile sportfish communities and their habitat conditions as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

The initiative is crucial for understanding the ecological health of Florida Bay, which supports a vital recreational fishery and contributes to the local economy.

Grant Details
The project involves several mandatory tasks:
1) Conducting a Project Initiation Meeting and developing Annual Project Plans;
2) Performing field sampling of juvenile sportfish and submerged aquatic vegetation across four basins in Florida Bay;
3) Analyzing data on fish and vegetation communities annually;
4) Participating in RECOVER Regional Team Support meetings.

Optional tasks include reviewing the Monitoring and Assessment Plan, developing System Status Reports, and creating abundance indices for spotted seatrout. The recipient must provide personnel, equipment, and materials necessary for project execution.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants must be members of one of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Regions: Gulf Coast, Piedmont–South Atlantic Coast, or South Florida-Caribbean Regions. Applicants should hold a PhD in relevant fields such as Biology or Ecology and have experience in sampling spotted seatrout and submerged aquatic vegetation.

Period of Performance
The base period of performance is 12 months from the date of award, with up to four additional 12-month follow-on periods based on funding availability.

Grant Value
The total value of the grant is approximately $350,000, which includes $300,000 for mandatory tasks and additional funding for optional tasks.

Place of Performance
The project will be performed in Florida Bay.