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CLOSED: Ultrasonic

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) intends to charter a vessel to participate in a fisheries research project in the Spring/summer of 2006. The project will be in collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). NMFS and ODFW will be responsible for designing the project and will provide all scientific equipment.

The timeline for the project will be approximately five (5) days at sea from May 22 through August 31 and will require one chartered vessel. The actual sea dates are subject to change based upon weather, logistical, or other contingencies. Mobilization and demobilization will be conducted in Newport, OR. The mobilization time is necessary for completing the following tasks: (1) loading gear, (2) planning use of deck space, (3) setting up electronics, and (4) orientating the scientific crew with the vessel. The demobilization time frame will include cleaning, unloading, and packing any scientific gear brought aboard the vessel for the project.

The Contractor agrees to furnish a vessel, crew, fuel, ice, and fishing gear necessary for sampling between 20 and 300 fathoms in the Pacific Ocean for sablefish, halibut, Pacific hake, and various shelf and slope rockfishes. The Captain and crew for the selected vessel will support the scientific party by utilizing their experience in fishing with bottom trawl gear. In addition to the vessel’s usual large footrope bottom trawl, a selective flatfish trawl will be supplied by ODFW to be loaded in Newport.

The Captain and crew of the vessel selected will assist in the deployment and retrieval of an underwater camera outfitted with a video system and oceanographic sensors. The equipment mounted on the trawl provides lighted video and ultrasonic video data to a monitor and associated computer equipment mounted in the vessel’s cabin.

The vessel’s crew, in cooperation with the scientific party, will systematically set and retrieve the fishing gear in locations specified by the Project Design. The project will occur between Cape Perpetua and the Columbia River at depths between 20 and 300 fm. The number of stations sampled will be determined by several factors: (1) weather, (2) cost, (3) vessel cruising speed, and (4) other logistical concerns. Most fishing operations will occur from sunrise to sunset, however some camera deployments may extend past sunset. The captain and crew must be available during all scientific operations. In order to ensure full use of daylight hours, the captain and crew should make any necessary evening

Download RFP Apr. 28, 2006 alt text