20 -- Notice of intent to Negotiate a Sole Source Contract

The Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) plans to negotiate a sole source contract with Cantrawl Pacific Inc. to acquire a Model 300 Widebody trawl. This purchase aims to support the NMFS Ocean Carrying Capacity program, which monitors juvenile salmon and related nekton in the North Pacific Ocean. Since the program began in 1995, fish samples have been collected using the Cantrawl Model 400 midwater rope trawl, and maintaining the use of a consistent net design is critical to ensuring continuity and comparability of research data on juvenile salmon catch per unit effort, which is a key factor in predicting future salmon run strength. The contract is a simplified acquisition valued under $50,000 and will be conducted solely with Cantrawl Pacific Inc. to maintain consistency with previous data collection methods. The contract is managed by the Department of Commerce's NOAA office based in Seattle, Washington. This focused procurement highlights the importance of equipment standardization in long-term ecological monitoring and fisheries management efforts.