UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
JOINT INSTITUTE FOR MARINE AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH
FISHERIES DISASTER RELIEF PROGRAM
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
The U.S. 108th Congress approved the Hawaii Fisheries Disaster Appropriation, 2003 (PL 108-7), which provided $5-million to the State of Hawaii for economic assistance to fisheries affected by Federal closures or fishing restrictions. The State of Hawaii submitted a grant application and received federal approval for the funds.
A major objective of the Fisheries Disaster Relief Program (FDRP) is to improve the productivity and management of fisheries affected by changes in Federal fisheries management regulations through involvement of affected fishers in cooperative research and development projects. The affected fisheries include Hawaii-based pelagic fisheries, bottomfish fisheries, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands lobster fisheries, and precious coral fisheries managed by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. The FDRP is soliciting proposals for cooperative research and fishery development projects. The general areas of work that will be considered include, but are not be limited to, the following:
1. Development of sustainable methods for improving fish harvest, fishery products, markets for fishery products, employment, or profitability in the fishing industry.
2. Outreach and education to the fishing community, consumers, and other stakeholders to ensure that they are fully and accurately informed of fisheries management issues and successes in Hawaii, and how these issues and successes relate to ecologically sustainable, economically viable fisheries and fishery management throughout the Pacific Basin.
3. Development of modifications to fishing methods to reduce or mitigate takes and mortalities of protected species. The emphasis would be on cooperation of industry, scientists and NGOs to develop new or improved gear or operations to reduce incidental takes of protected species.
4. Research and collection of data to update or improve assessment of fisheries stocks in support of managing for sustainability. Surveys, tagging, collection of biological samples for life history and genetic analysis are examples of how fishers knowledge of access to the resources can be used to improve fisheries management information.
5. Research on social and economic aspects of fishing operations and fishing communities to improve impact analysis and develop management alternatives.
6. Investigate connectivity between fish population in the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI), the Northwest Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) and Johnston Island and whether fisheries and fishery closures in one area have an effect on fish stocks in the other areas either through the displacement of fishing effort or though change in recruitment.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Interested specialists should submit a letter of intent to prepare a proposal by 31 March 2006. The letter should be no more than five pages long, should contain a brief description of the work to be proposed and an estimate of its approximate cost.
The FRDP Technical Working Group will review the letters of intent for relevance to FRDP goals and priorities. Certain research projects will be selected and the authors will be invited to prepare full proposals.
Research proposals will be sent out for peer review.
The FRDP TWG will review the research proposals and peer review comments, and to make funding recommendations to the FRDP Executive Steering Committee.
Please submit Letters of Intent to Mr. Earl Miyamoto the FDRP Coordinator at 1039 Sand Island Parkway, Honolulu, Hawaii 96819; via email: earl.miyamoto@verizon.net or via facsimile: (808) 832-5018.
Fisheries Disaster Relief Program
(SB05521517 2/26/06) Dr. John Sibert, JIMAR
