Fiscal Year 2023 Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Research Program | NOAA NMFS HCPO 2023 2007764

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2023 2007764

The Fiscal Year 2023 Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Research Program is a NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) funding opportunity designed to support applied research that can be used in the near term to improve how fisheries and habitats in the Chesapeake Bay are managed, restored, and protected. NCBO is required by law to provide technical assistance in three main areas: identifying science-based management options for living resources and their habitats, monitoring and assessing the status of those resources and habitats, and evaluating whether management plans are working as intended. In line with that mission, this competition emphasizes projects that produce practical results decision-makers can use soon, rather than purely exploratory research with long timelines to application.

Projects are expected to align with one of two major program themes. The first theme focuses on understanding how climate change, habitat quality, and other shifting environmental conditions are affecting fish and shellfish populations, with the specific aim of informing sustainable and ecosystem-based fisheries management. This can include work that links changing temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, acidification, sea level rise, or other stressors to recruitment, growth, survival, distribution, or habitat use, as long as the outcome clearly supports management choices. The second theme supports innovative approaches for evaluating nearshore habitat restoration, specifically methods that can demonstrate whether restoration efforts are actually enhancing fish communities and improving ecosystem resilience under climate change. In practice, this could involve improved monitoring designs, new sampling tools, stronger before-after or control-impact frameworks, or analytical approaches that better detect ecological responses to restoration.

A notable expectation of the program is a workforce development component that meaningfully involves students. Applicants are encouraged to employ and educate undergraduate or graduate students from groups that are underrepresented in marine science careers, including minorities. The opportunity also explicitly encourages proposals from principal investigators who have not previously been funded through the Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Research Program, signaling an interest in bringing in new teams and ideas while still keeping the focus on management-relevant outcomes.

This is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Commerce administered through NOAA, with awards made as cooperative agreements, which generally implies substantial federal involvement during the project period (for example, coordination, technical input, or data integration). The funding activity area is categorized under environment, natural resources, and science and technology research and development, and the associated CFDA number is 11.457.

Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and municipal governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. For FY 2023, NOAA anticipated a total program funding level of up to about $1,500,000 for projects that address the stated priorities and special interest areas. The expected number of awards was around 15, with an award ceiling of $150,000 per project. The opportunity was posted on January 11, 2023, and the original application deadline was April 17, 2023.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fiscal Year 2023 Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Research Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.457.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 11, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 17, 2023. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for NOAA NMFS HCPO 2023 2007764

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