US VIRGIN ISLANDS SPINY LOBSTER FISHERY INDEPENDENT SURVEY

This is a Sources Sought Notice in preparation for an upcoming procurement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) is conducting market research to determine potential sources to develop a fishery independent lobster recruit survey in the US Virgin Islands to provide abundance and size composition data to inform fisheries management decisions.

Implementing annual catch limits (ACLs) is hindered by the lack of adequate catch monitoring and biological information in these small-scale, multi-species, multi-gear fisheries which require complex methods and indices to assess. Since the 2007 reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA), shortcomings in the Caribbean stock assessments have become apparent.

This region has more managed species than the continental United States (US) fisheries and insufficient support for monitoring has led to high uncertainty about landings. There is a lack of biological information and fishery-independent data for these stocks. These limits on the scientific information to support accurate and timely resource management decisions, threatens the economic and cultural vitality of these communities as well as the sustainability of the territorial fisheries.

If these stocks are to be managed with confidence, as mandated by MSA, NOAA must make this focused investment in territorial fisheries science. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 541990 – All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services. The small-business size standard for this NAICS code is $19.5m in average annual receipts. A draft Statement of Work (SOW) is provided for informational purposes only. Standard brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this notice. Submitted Capability Statements shall include the following:

General Information: Provide the company name and address, Unique Entity Identifier, Cage Code, type of business under NAICS code 541990 (e.g. Small business, 8(a), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and/or women owned small business; or other than small business) as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM), and company point of contact including name, phone number, and e-mail address.

Capabilities: Demonstrate how your firm has the capabilities to meet all requirements in the statement of need.

Documentation Comments: In order to facilitate the exchange of information with industry, provide any comments, questions, or suggestions that pertain to the statement of need included with this notice. Identify any areas that appear ambiguous or otherwise unclear.

Interested vendors are invited to submit an electronic response to this Sources Sought Notice to Kurt Weilbaecher, Contracting Officer, via e-mail at: kurt.weilbaecher@noaa.gov no later than 05:00 p.m. Central on Jul 17, 2024. Capability Statements and documentation comments must be submitted in writing; telephonic inquiries will not receive a response. This is not a request for technical or price quotations.

The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this notice or reimburse for costs incurred by interested parties providing the information requested herein.