An Evaluation of Fish Movement in the Big Sandy Lake Watershed and Escapement of Fish through Big Sandy Lake Dam, Minnesota | W81EWF 21 SOI 0003

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 21 SOI 0003

This grant opportunity, titled "An Evaluation of Fish Movement in the Big Sandy Lake Watershed and Escapement of Fish through Big Sandy Lake Dam, Minnesota," is a Department of Defense (Engineer Research and Development Center) cooperative agreement focused on applied fisheries research and water-resource operations. The project centers on monitoring and tracking fish movements throughout the Big Sandy Lake Watershed in Minnesota, with special attention on walleye moving (or "escaping") through the Big Sandy Lake (Sandy Lake) Dam. The core tool for the work is acoustic telemetry, meaning fish are tagged with acoustic transmitters and tracked through an array of underwater receivers, allowing researchers to connect when and where fish move with dam operations and changing environmental conditions in the watershed.

A major driver behind the study is the importance of Big Sandy Lake to the local economy and community. The lake supports a high-value recreational fishery, with more than $1 million spent annually on fishing recreation from the opener through the end of September, which matters particularly in an economically disadvantaged area like Aitkin County. Big Sandy's main draw is its naturally reproducing and self-sustaining walleye fishery, so understanding how dam operations might affect walleye movement, loss downstream, or broader population dynamics is directly tied to sustaining that fishery and the economic activity it generates. The agency also points to future management needs, including informing decisions about a potential fish passage structure at the dam or, alternatively, developing practical ways to minimize escapement if passage is not desired or if escapement threatens the lake's fishery.

The work described combines dam and watershed hydrology with fisheries fieldwork. On the water-management and engineering side, the recipient is expected to provide and analyze hydrologic and hydraulic information relevant to Sandy Lake Dam, including calculations of water velocities through the dam gates. Those velocity estimates are important because they help explain when fish may be pulled toward the dam, when passage is likely, and how operational changes could reduce unintended downstream movement. The project also calls for developing strategies for water resource management for Big Sandy Lake, which implies translating the study findings into actionable recommendations about how the lake and dam might be operated to balance ecological and recreational outcomes. In addition, the awardee must perform quality assurance on annual quality reports, indicating a formal reporting structure and data-quality expectations over the project period.

On the fisheries research side, the anticipated tasks include acquiring telemetry receivers and related equipment, deploying and maintaining receiver arrays, and conducting fish capture and tagging so fish movements can be tracked over time. The opportunity also includes creel surveys, which are angler interviews and effort counts used to estimate fishing pressure, catch rates, harvest, and angler behavior. That information helps link fish population changes and movement patterns to real-world fishing outcomes and supports decisions about whether regulations are needed, and if so, how to avoid over-regulation while still protecting the resource. Complementing the telemetry and creel work, the recipient must collect water quality data twice per month, specifically temperature and dissolved oxygen, which are key parameters affecting fish habitat use, seasonal movement, and stress. Finally, the project includes analysis of fish population dynamics, suggesting the study is expected to go beyond simple tracking maps and into interpreting what movements and escapement mean for the walleye population and potentially other species in the system.

Administratively, the opportunity is a discretionary funding action using a cooperative agreement, which typically means the federal sponsor expects substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordination on study design, data collection, interpretation, or reporting). It is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development (CFDA 12.630). The posting lists a single expected award with an award ceiling of $50,000. The opportunity was created on November 5, 2020, with an original closing date of December 5, 2020, and eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice.

Overall, the grant is designed to produce an evidence-based understanding of how fish, especially walleye, move within the Big Sandy Lake Watershed and how many pass through the dam under different operating and environmental conditions. The practical end use is better dam and water-level management, better planning for or against fish passage, and fishery regulation decisions that protect the biology of the system without unnecessarily limiting angling opportunities that provide substantial local economic benefit.

• The Department of Defense, Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "An Evaluation of Fish Movement in the Big Sandy Lake Watershed and Escapement of Fish through Big Sandy Lake Dam, Minnesota" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 05, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 05, 2020. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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