Submission deadline passed.

This project focuses on sampling of the recreational for‐hire fleet targeting North Pacific albacore and other highly migratory species (HMS) from ports on the U.S. west coast. The objective of the project is to design a data collection pilot program that would employ onboard observers, enhanced dockside sampling, or a combination of both to determine what long‐term modifications to current sampling programs would be necessary to produce more reliable estimates of catch and effort from the fleet.

Analysts with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southwest Fisheries Science Center have identified the west coast HMS for‐hire fleet (also called the Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel (CPFV) fleet) as a potential data source to develop a consistent and reliable index of relative abundance for North Pacific albacore tuna, which could represent a valuable addition to data for stock assessment.

The first phase of the project will involve a review of existing programs to determine the utility of the current database and to identify what additional data might be needed along with developing alternative strategies for collecting it. Since HMS for‐hire trips tend to depart and return from port outside of regular sampling hours, they are not sampled by state marine recreational survey programs at the same coverage levels as other recreational trips on the coast. Because of this coverage issue, current catch and effort estimates produced by the state marine recreational survey programs in Washington, Oregon, and California may not provide a sufficiently complete sample for developing an index of abundance.

In addition to the state survey programs, there is a logbook data collection program that has been mandatory since 2005. The logbooks collect catch and effort data from the for hire fleet, but there are questions about the completeness and accuracy of the data which is obtained. To date, the information from the logbooks has not been used in any manner by the stock assessment scientists.

The results of the analysis of existing programs will be used to develop a pilot sampling program to collect the data needed to test hypotheses about alternative potential enhancements to current sampling programs. The pilot program would help identify what enhancements to current data collection would be needed to develop the abundance index, and whether there is a cost‐effective way to collect this additional data.

Original posting date: 9.10.09

Submission deadline passed.

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit offers from qualified insurance brokers to provide brokerage and consulting services for the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Employee Benefits program. Such services will include, but not be limited to: (1) reviewing and advising on appropriate insurance coverage; (2) marketing and placement of insurance; (3) reviewing vendor contracts and evidence of coverage; (4) coordinating with other PSMFC benefits providers; (5) acting as a liaison and an advocate for PSMFC with insurance companies; and (6) developing and producing communications materials.

PSMFC’s employee benefits philosophy is to address employee wellness and preventative medicine. As such, the selected broker must be able to identify insurance providers who adhere to this philosophy and provide services accordingly.

Current PSMFC benefits include a self-funded health plan (medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage administered by Principle financial); group life, AD&D and Long Term Disability insurance administered by Lincoln Financial; a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for medical and family care expenses administered by Manley Services; a Post Employment Health Plan (PEHP); and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Cascade Centers. At this time, PSMFC would prefer to continue to offer the same level of benefits for its employees.

Q&A Responses – posted 8.26.09

Supporting Documents:

PSMFC Benefits Summary

PSMFC Benefits At-A-Glance

Original posting date: 8.10.09

Submission deadline passed.

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) intends to charter a double-rigged shrimp trawling fishing vessel to participate in a fisheries research project. The project will be in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)/Northwest Fisheries Science Center, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). PSMFC, NMFS, and ODFW will be responsible for designing the project and providing any supplies needed to modify the vessel’s groundlines for the experiment. PSMFC, NMFS, and ODFW will provide all scientific equipment.

Original posting date: 7.28.09

Submission deadline passed.

Identify spawning habitat availability basin‐wide. Compile, analyze, and summarize existing data and use aerial photo interpretation to estimate spawning habitat availability. Through coordination with the Siskiyou Resource Conservation District (SQRCD) conduct limited field work to map and quantify spawning habitat availability within or in the proximity of suitable rearing habitat. Map on aerial photos, digitize into GIS, quantify spawning habitat by sub‐reach, density, suitability, and habitat availability vs. spawning use.

Q&A Responses – posted 4.3.09

Original posting date: 3.5.09

Submission deadline passed.

The successful Respondent will perform project management including working with the CDFG, the landowner and the water users to complete the project in the time and dollar amount allowed.

The Scope of Work includes:

1) Determining fish passage flows and flood flows using techniques listed in Part IX of the California Salmonid Stream Habitat      Restoration Manual. The Little Shasta River dries up annually around the Hart diversion. Alternative minimum flows should be      used for the juvenile and adult low fish passage flow.
2) Completing a topographic survey that includes; a long profile of the bed and water surface upstream and downstream of each      diversion structure, diversion ditches from the point of diversion to downstream of the fish screens and fish screen bypass      returns, existing structure detail, cross sections and a ditch profile with water surface. The extent of the survey shall be sufficient      to thoroughly evaluate alternatives such as dam removal or lowering, in‐stream grade control structures, re‐profiling of ditches      and improved fish screen and bypass structures.
3) Performing a geotechnical investigation of subsurface conditions at each project site.
4) Developing a Basis of Design Report that includes 30% plans including, but not limited to a site plan, grade control structure      plan and sections, fish screen plan and sections (if necessary), and engineer’s cost estimate for review and approval by the      grant manager and a CDFG hydraulic engineer. The respondent shall attend a stakeholder meeting with representatives of the      CDFG, the landowner and the water users to discuss the report and to agree on the proposed design and any requested      changes.
5) Submitting plans, specifications, and engineer’s cost estimate at 50%, 90%, and 100% completion for review and approval by      the grant manager and a CDFG Fisheries Engineering Team hydraulic engineer. The CDFG will complete California      Environmental Quality Act documentation and all other permitting requirements for the project.

Supporting Documents:

Upper Little Shasta River Diversions 448-474

Updates:

Site Visit Sign Up Sheet – posted 1.22.09

Site Visit Q&A Responses – posted 1.22.09

Q&A Responses – posted 1.26.09

Memo: Schedule Update – posted 2.6.09

Original posting date: 1.13.09

Submission deadline passed.

Prior to the construction of Dwinnell Dam on the Shasta River and diversion of Parks Creek into Lake Shastina, salmonids were able to migrate to the foothills and headwaters reaches, where spawning habitat was likely abundant. Several other tributaries also provided abundant spawning habitat accessible to adult salmonids. Gold mining, gravel mining, stream channelization, and permanent dam construction have all cumulatively reduced salmonid access to available spawning gravels, and degraded the quality of remaining spawning gravels. In addition, the combination of volcanic geology and low‐gradient morphology of the main stem Shasta River result in much less spawning habitat than is typical of many other main stem river channels. Coarse sediment supply and the availability of suitably‐sized spawning gravel may thus be constrained by both natural and anthropogenic causes in reaches currently accessible to salmonids.

Despite a growing awareness of this condition, spawning habitat quantity and quality have not been well documented. A spawning gravel augmentation project was implemented by DWR in the early 1980’s, and remnants of those gravels are heavily used by salmonids (primarily Chinook) to the present day. An assessment of spawning gravel quality (but not spawning gravel abundance) was conducted in 1997 (Ricker 1997) along the main stem Shasta River. The Shasta River Watershed Restoration Plan (SVRCD 1997) recommended a detailed assessment of spawning gravel conditions that would lead to an effective long range plan of action. The Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon (CDFG 2004) recommended preparation of a gravel budget for the watershed as a high priority task (Shasta HM‐3a). Recently, the Watershed‐wide Permitting Program (Program) developed by the Shasta Valley Resources Conservation District (SVRCD) and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) (CDFG Draft EIR 2008) identified the need to develop and implement a Spawning Gravel Enhancement Plan for the Shasta River watershed. As stated in the Draft EIR “ Under the Incidental Take Program, SVRCD will work with CDFG to develop and implement a Spawning Gravel Enhancement Plan (Gravel Enhancement Plan). The Gravel Enhancement Plan will identify areas where gravel for coho salmon spawning could be placed effectively and where gravel can be recruited, and prioritize immediately‐ needed gravel enhancement projects throughout the Program area”.

This project will evaluate the quantity, quality, distribution, and sources of existing coarse sediment and spawning gravel supplies, to determine if spawning gravel augmentation is needed in the Shasta River and tributaries. Based on the results of this evaluation, the project will develop a Spawning Gravel Enhancement and Monitoring Plan that recommends spawning gravel restoration or enhancement actions, identifies potential spawning gravel augmentation locations, specifies augmentation methods and volumes, develops sediment composition specifications, and recommends initial augmentation sources and frequencies. The Plan will evaluate the need for spawning habitat structures to enhance and/or retain existing gravel supplies and, if deemed necessary, recommend at least five priority stream reaches where spawning gravels should be augmented. Where river access is available, the Plan should encompass the following reaches: the Shasta River Canyon, Yreka Creek, Shasta River from Dwinnell Dam to Hwy A12, Parks Creek, Big Springs Creek, the Little Shasta River, and the mouth of Julian Creek.

Q&A Responses – posted 1.19.09

Memo Announcing Selected Contractor – posted 2.13.09

Original posting date: 1.5.2009

Submission deadline passed.

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), in cooperation with NOAA Fisheries Northwest Fisheries Science Center, is conducting business and household surveys for eight small, fishing engaged communities in Washington, Oregon, and California. The communities in the West Coast Community Economic Survey include two in Washington (Westport, Blaine), two in Oregon (Newport, Brookings), and four in California (Crescent City, Fort Bragg, Bodega Bay, Moss Landing).

The purpose of the surveys is to collect the following information from businesses and households:

Business Survey

• Proportion of business revenue generated by sales to different classes of customers (other businesses, consumers, and    governments) in different locations
• Proportion of business expenditures on goods and services by supplier location

Household Survey

• Household income sources by type
• Household expenditures by type and location
• West Coast Community Household Survey

Q&A Responses – posted 7.20.2009

Original posting date: 7.9.2009

Submission deadline passed.

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) are seeking an engineering consultant to submit a competitive bid to develop an irrigation efficiency study for the Shasta Springs Ranches. The purpose of the study will be to identify potential opportunities to reduce surface water use on the Shasta Springs Ranches. These potential water savings will provide a basis for negotiations to increase in‐stream flows in the Shasta River and Parks Creek to benefit salmon and steelhead. The properties are located approximately 4 miles below Lake Shastina, in Siskiyou County. The project will include an analysis of surface water and groundwater diversions on the Shasta Springs Ranches. The study will result in recommendations for modifying irrigation practices based on the premise that opportunities exist to maintain ranch productivity; allow the ranch to remain profitable and reduce, if possible, surface water diversions from the Shasta River and Parks Creek; which may make water available to improve conditions for fish.

The Shasta Springs Ranches are primarily used to raise cattle. The ranch produces grass hay and forage by irrigating with water diverted from the Shasta River, Parks Creek, springs and groundwater. The surface diversions are under decreed, appropriative or riparian water rights.

Shasta Springs Site Visit Sign Up – posted 4.17.09

Original posting date: 3.31.2009

Submission deadline passed.

This solicitation is for proposals to design and conduct a data quality assessment (DQA) for confidential economic data submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service and its contractor, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. The data to be assessed are reported under federal regulation on an annual basis by fishing vessels operating within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska.

Amendment 80 to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) fishery management plan (FMP) was adopted by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) in June 2006 and was implemented starting with the 2008 fishing year by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), under regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Commerce. This action allocates harvest privileges for several BSAI non-pollock trawl groundfish species among trawl fishery sectors, and facilitates the formation of harvesting cooperatives in the non-American Fisheries Act (non-AFA) trawl catcher/processor sector.
Amendment 80 implements an economic data collection program to assess the impacts of Amendment 80 on various components of the fishery, including skippers and crew. Amendment 80 establishes a requirement for collecting and reviewing economic data generated under Amendment 80 by requiring the annual submission of an Economic Data Report (EDR) from each Amendment 80 quota share holder.

In order to ensure that the data submitted by respondents in the EDRs is accurate, we would like to develop and implement an EDR review and verification system for the purpose of data quality assessment. This system will involve reviewing the data contained within submitted EDRs, conducting verification audits for a representative random sample of submitted EDRs as well as EDRs containing odd or suspicious data values. Verification audits will comprise solicitation and detailed analysis of the documentary basis for submitted data to identify the completeness and quality of supporting records and the accuracy of reported data. Amendment 80 shareholders are required to retain all records supporting the submitted data and supply them to auditors upon request. In this RFP we are seeking your ideas on how you would develop such a system and what it would cost to implement and conduct the process.

Therefore, PSMFC is soliciting proposals for a records review and verification protocol, and to carry out a data quality assessment of the 2008 EDRs. A review committee coordinated by PSMFC will review proposals and make a selection. Any individuals or entities that are members of the review committee and who also submit proposals or who may directly benefit from a proposal must recuse themselves from the review process.

Q&A Responses – posted 1.30.09

Original posting date: 1.16.09