Cooperative Agreement issued to Partner of the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. | G21AS00326

Opportunity Information: Apply for G21AS00326

This grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number G21AS00326) is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement aimed at supporting targeted research on Grass Carp in the Great Lakes, with the main focus on Lake Erie. Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are viewed as a serious invasive threat based on a binational Ecological Risk Assessment, and the concern is not theoretical anymore: reproductively capable adults have been captured and eggs and larvae have been found in Lake Erie tributaries, indicating real invasion pressure and a pathway toward establishment. Beyond ecological damage to fisheries and food webs, the opportunity notes a major economic stake as well, citing an estimate that Great Lakes establishment could drive losses exceeding 2 billion dollars over the next decade.

The work is framed around management needs identified through the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries (JSP). JSP partners used a structured decision-making (SDM) approach to spell out what information is most urgently needed to support eradication and control actions. Congress provided funding to USGS specifically to advance Grass Carp research aligned with these JSP objectives. While early life stage monitoring is part of the broader effort, this particular opportunity emphasizes acoustic telemetry as a priority tool because managers need clearer, real-world information on where these fish move, when they move, what habitats they use, and how long tagged individuals survive in the system.

A central feature of the project is leveraging and expanding the existing Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS). GLATOS already provides a regional detection network, but the opportunity highlights a gap: nearshore waters and tributary environments are not monitored as thoroughly as offshore/open-water areas. Those nearshore and tributary zones are also where managers are most likely to intercept fish for removal and where spawning-related movements may occur. The proposed work therefore centers on expanding receiver coverage into these under-sampled habitats and producing timely, decision-ready analyses from the resulting telemetry detections.

The specific objectives laid out in the announcement include: (1) supporting expansion of the GLATOS acoustic telemetry network by establishing new monitoring stations to improve information on Grass Carp movements in Lake Erie; (2) evaluating how well acoustic receivers perform in nearshore and inshore environments, which is important because detection ranges and reliability can change with depth, vegetation, substrate, noise, and water conditions; (3) quantifying survival and periodically estimating how many tagged fish remain at large, including providing these estimates on an as-needed basis to support active management decisions; and (4) developing quantitative analyses of seasonal movement patterns and habitat use to identify the key places and times when Grass Carp can be most effectively intercepted for eradication or control.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued as a cooperative agreement, meaning substantial involvement and coordination with USGS is expected rather than a hands-off pass-through award. The activity category is science and technology and other research and development, listed under CFDA 15.808. Eligibility is restricted to partners of the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program, reflecting the CESU model where universities and other partners collaborate with federal agencies to deliver research, technical assistance, and education. The posted award ceiling is 500,000 dollars. The opportunity was created on February 10, 2021, with an original closing date of March 23, 2021.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement issued to Partner of the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program." and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-02-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-03-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G21AS00326

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