V -- Vessel Charter

The Department of Commerce (DOC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has a requirement to contract a research vessel and operator to conduct two research cruises in the Dry Tortugas region of Southwest, FL (SE Gulf of Mexico) in May and June of 2008. Cruise operations will be conducted over a total of 20 days and will support scuba-based surveys of reef fish, macroinvertebrates, other benthic fauna, and habitat characteristics. This research will facilitate the (1) assessment of natural system variability versus change result in from implementation of ?no take? spatial management zones recently implemented in the Dry Tortugas region; (2) assessment of correlations between spatially explicit multispecies abundance and biomass data with relevant biophysical structure; and (3) modeling of linkages between coral reef fishery resources and key environmental ?habitat? features. The contracted vessels shall support the following activities: Operations shall be conducted in and around the Dry Tortugas near 24.5 degrees North and 083.0 degrees West. Biological data will be collected by SCUBA divers using non-destructive, in situ, fishery independent visual monitoring methods. The scientific investigators are uniquely qualified to conduct this research based on past research and experience in the study area. The proposed sampling survey will obtain about 1500 visual census point samples over a short period to provide a spatially integrated ?snapshot? of the exploited reef fish community three (3) years after Tortugas marine reserves were impacted by several hurricanes. This work requires a labor-intensive effort with no shortcuts to ensure that sampling is cost-effective and precise. At a rate of 4-6 reef fish visual census samples per diver per day (depending on depth) a minimum of 20 field days of ship support are required to provide sufficient spatial coverage. By sampling both in and out of the marine reserves throughout the Tortugas region, science divers will provide: (1) spatially explicit estimates of population abundance and biomass by size (age) groups for both exploited species essential for quantitative stock assessments; and (2) statistical characterization reef ?habitats? in terms of nursery and population-productivity value. The estimated dates of cruises are as follows unless both parties agree to changes: May 11, May 12-21, May 22, May 30, May 31-June 9, 2008. The NAICS code for this requirement is 488390 and size standard is 6.5 million. All contractors doing business with the Government are required to be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and the On-line Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA). For instructions on how to register in CCR and ORCA please access the following web site: http://www.bpn.gov. In order to register with the CCR and ORCA and become eligible to receive an award, all offerors must have a Dun & Bradstreet Number. The Central Region Acquisition Division (CRAD), requires that all contractors doing business with this Acquisition Office must be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). NO award can be made unless the vender is registered in CCR. For additional information and to register in CCR please access the following web site: http://www.ccr.gov/. A Dun & Bradstreet number may be acquired free of charge by contacting Dun & Bradstreet on-line at https://www.dnb.com/product/eupdate/requestOptions.html or by phone at +1 (555) 000-0000. In addition, completion of the online representation and certifications application (ORCA) is required. Any questions should be directed to Kevin Buum at +1 (555) 000-0000 or email to contact@example.gov or Patsy Ybarra, telephone no. +1 (555) 000-0000 or fax no. +1 (555) 000-0000.