SPECIAL NOTICE
B -- North Atlantic Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalog (NARWC) Services 2024
- Notice Date
- 8/8/2024 3:36:12 PM
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541715
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION US
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- 143021-24-0214
- Response Due
- 8/23/2024 4:00:00 PM
- Archive Date
- 09/07/2024
- Description
- NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT MAINTENANCE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE PHOTO- IDENTIFICATION CATALOG National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) hereby gives public notice of the intent to negotiate a sole-source contract pursuant to the authority of Federal Acquisition Requirements (FAR) 6.302-1(a)(2), as the services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other type of supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. FAR 6.302-1(a)(2) and 41 USC 3304(a)(1) establishes authority for the government to seek services from the New England Aquarium Corporation (NEAq) to maintain the overall maintenance of the North Atlantic Right Whale Photo-Identification Catalog (NARWC) services. The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) has a requirement to synthesize and archive information about right whales in a timely manner continues to be extremely important. Stock assessments for right whales are required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act to be reviewed and updated annually. The MMPA revisions also created a mechanism for reducing incidental takes of marine mammals in commercial fisheries operations, which involved the establishment of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team that requires reliable and current data. In addition, the Secretary of Commerce has appointed recovery implementation teams to provide advice on and oversee the implementation of the right whale recovery plan. In 2017, NMFS announced an unusual mortality events for right whales and is now tracking all mortality, serious injury, and morbidity (sublethal injury or illness) cases in near real time. These various management processes have increased the need for timely data for right whales as well as a variety of other marine mammal species. The Government intends to negotiate a contract with NEAq, for the NOAA, NEFSC requirement for non-personal service effort for a year-round basis coincident with submission of photographs and sighting data from Catalog contributors. Photo analysis and matching shall be undertaken using established techniques (Kraus et al. 1986, Hamilton et al. 2007). Individuals shall be classified and matched based upon variations in callosity patterns and topography, pigmentation and scars, and any other variable feature of the whale. The images through 2002 were collected as slides or prints which are archived at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Since that time, all documentation has been digital and the contractor will continue to archive all digital images and video on servers with appropriate, offsite backup. All catalog files shall be maintained digitally and made available for inspection by contributors and collaborators following protocols by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium (https://www.narwc.org/). Right whale catalog and data processing requirement tasks are as follows: Right Whale Catalog: Maintenance of the Catalog involves multiple steps. All images and metadata will be imported into the Catalog database via DIGITS (Digital Image Gathering and Information Tracking System), a custom-made software for all our data entry and editing. Every sighting and whale will be coded for its distinctive matching features and each image is reviewed and coded for body part and view direction. Associations and behaviors will be reviewed and coded using the photographic evidence to validate information provided by contributors- some of whom are skilled right whale observers and others the general public with little knowledge of what they are seeing. New whales will be added to the Catalog once there are images of sufficient quality to determine without a doubt that the whale does not match any other in the Catalog and researchers will be able to re-identify that whale in the future with moderate quality images. Digital composite drawings shall be created for all whales, and those drawings will be updated periodically if the appearance of the whale changes due to shifts in the callosity or the acquisition of new scars. Specific aspects of the Catalog maintenance include: Curate the existing collection of right whale photographs in the existing Catalog Accession into the existing Catalog of all new photographs and video Match new images and video with the existing Catalog to identify previously sighted and new individuals Archive all associated sighting data Submit copies of sighting data and information on individual identity for inclusion in the right whale database maintained at the University of Rhode Island (URI) (Kenney 2001). Work with URI to resolve any discrepancies Submit a matching report to photo contributors upon request, or provide them access to their own data through the DIGITS Citrix web portal. Maintain the Catalog public website at http://rwcatalog.neaq.org/#/ Track all genetic samples in the Catalog, confirm accurate link to the genetics database maintained by Dr. Tim Frasier at St Mary�s University, investigate errors Perform outreach in the form blogs, press releases, interviews etc.- connect individual right whale stories to these communications Maintain the Right Whale Scarring Database: The contractor shall conduct an annual assessment of all photographs to determine the frequency and severity of entanglement and vessel strike interactions based on scars observed in the annual photo-identification surveys. This is to be used for annual counts of entanglements and vessel strikes, an assessment of severity, and an assessment of trends in relation to regulatory measures. These data are needed for the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Monitoring Strategy that was introduced in January 2012.� This assessment will be conducted on the most recent year of data for which all data have been fully processed Continue Reporting Anthropogenic Injury Case Studies: The contractor shall compile two-page case studies showing all vessel strikes and serious entanglement events with gear attached. Each case study includes life history information, date when the event was detected, and a drawing and suite of photographs showing the nature of the event. Additional information related to rope parameters or vessel strike characteristics will be included when available. These case studies have provided an important visual mechanism for sharing the nature of anthropogenic impacts on right whales with various industry personnel and for keeping NMFS apprised of these cases in a summary fashion. NMFS and the Marine Mammal Commission have used them to update mortality and serious injury databases.� Continue the Near Real-Time Matching for Biopsy Efforts, Entangled, Injured, Sick, or Dead Right Whales: The contractor shall provide near real-time matching support to multiple field teams during the right whale calving season to determine females that could calve and identify targets for genetic sampling. Further, near real-time matching is provided year-round for sick, injured, entangled, or dead right whales. This matching will ensure that genetic sampling is conducted efficiently (minimize both missed sampling possibilities and unnecessary duplication) as well as provide individual-specific information to necropsy teams (for example, �this whale was tagged on right shoulder- investigate wound site�). Near real-time matching of entangled whales provides individual sighting histories and age which is factored into the decision of whether to intervene with entanglements. Finally, near real-time matching will be conducted for whales found in unusual locations or time of year as they often spark public attention. Maintain the Health Assessment Database: The contractor shall conduct a Visual Health Assessment on the most recent year of data for which all data have been processed. In 2000, the NEAq developed the first technique to visually assess and score right whale health using photographs (Pettis et al. 2004). The non- invasive nature of the method and its ability to qualitatively assess right whale health utilizing archived photographs make it a powerful tool. Analyses of visual health assessment data have demonstrated the usefulness of this method to investigate relationships between health, reproductive parameters, and survival (Pettis et al. 2004; Rolland et al. 2007; Rolland et al. 2016). The Visual Health Assessment method is based on evaluation of four parameters: body condition, skin condition, rake marks forward of the blow holes, and cyamids around the blow holes. Parameters are scored on a numerical scale, with lower scores indicating less severe or better condition (Pettis et al. 204). Maintain WhaleMap: The contractor shall maintain the software system WhaleMap, a tool that provides an efficient and effective means of collating and displaying whale survey results from the entire east coast of the U.S. and Canada in near real-time (within ~1 day). WhaleMap has improved conservation outcomes for baleen whales, especially the endangered North Atlantic right whale, and it serves as a critical outreach and engagement tool by making the latest whale survey results available to a diverse group of stakeholders including those from industry, research, government, nongovernmental organizations, and the general public. WhaleMap�s utility is dependent upon stable, long term curation. Responses to this notice must be provided within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of this notice. Vendors who believe they can meet this requirement are required to submit in writing a proposal and affirmative response demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the requirement. All written responses must include a written narrative statement of capability, including detailed technical information demonstrating their ability to meet the requirement, including historical and near real time identification products. The response must be sufficient to permit agency analysis to establish a bona fide capability to meet the requirement. Failure to submit such documentation will result in the Government proceeding as previously stated. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Affirmative written responses must be received no later than 5:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, August 23, 2024. The responses must be submitted via e-mail to Jamie Abu Shakrah, Contract Specialist, at Jamie.AbuShakrah@noaa.gov.
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