Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance Programs | F19AS00213

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00213

The Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance Programs grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00213) was a discretionary grant offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. It falls under environmental and natural resources research and development (CFDA 15.664) and was created on July 15, 2019, with an original application closing date of August 12, 2019. The stated maximum award amount (award ceiling) was $447,199. Eligibility was limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, meaning the program was geared toward universities and similar publicly governed research institutions capable of carrying out applied conservation science and aquaculture system development.

The purpose of the opportunity was to improve the survival of delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) larvae from refuge stock in a conservation hatchery setting, specifically focusing on larvae raised as single-family, full-sibling groups. Delta smelt are an endangered species, and conservation hatchery programs are used to maintain genetic diversity and support recovery efforts. Rearing fish in single-family groups is a strategy often used to preserve pedigree information and manage genetics, but it can introduce husbandry challenges at the larval stage, when mortality is typically highest. This project’s core aim was to develop and scale a culture approach that increases the recovery rate of these larval family groups, effectively producing more surviving juveniles while still maintaining the family-based structure needed for careful genetic management.

The project objectives were structured around both engineering and husbandry improvements. First, the project sought to design, construct, and test a dedicated culture system that supports rearing larvae in separate single-family, full-sibling units, implying the need for equipment and protocols that prevent mixing while still maintaining stable water quality and consistent feeding. Second, it aimed to optimize the culture conditions and determine the best timing for consolidating multiple family groups into juvenile rearing tanks, a key transition point where fish may be combined for efficiency once they are robust enough, but where timing and conditions can strongly affect survival and stress. Third, it focused on improving the rearing conditions for juvenile single families using existing aquaculture systems, meaning it intended to refine how juveniles are managed after the larval phase, potentially addressing factors like tank density, flow, diet, photoperiod, and handling practices. Fourth, it emphasized increasing overall production capacity so the system could support large-scale larval rearing, indicating that the final deliverable was not just a small pilot setup but a method and system that can be expanded to meet conservation program needs.

The grant was authorized under a set of major U.S. fish and wildlife conservation laws: the Fish and Wildlife Act, the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, the Fish and Wildlife Improvement Act, and the Endangered Species Act. In practical terms, that legal foundation signals that the work was intended to directly support federally recognized conservation and recovery priorities, including endangered species propagation and coordination of activities that benefit fish and wildlife resources. Overall, the opportunity targeted applied, conservation-driven aquaculture research: developing a reproducible hatchery culture system and set of operating procedures that increase delta smelt larval survival and enable reliable production at a scale useful for long-term species conservation efforts.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.664.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 15, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 12, 2019. (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 $447,199.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for F19AS00213

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