Monitor and Evaluate Hatchery Production of Spring Chinook Salmon | F18AS00002

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00002

The funding opportunity titled "Monitor and Evaluate Hatchery Production of Spring Chinook Salmon" (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00002) is a discretionary grant offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the agency expects to have substantial involvement in the project as it is carried out, rather than simply providing funds and receiving a final report. The opportunity was created on October 11, 2017, with an original closing date of October 18, 2017, and the notice indicates that a recipient has already been selected.

The purpose of the project is to monitor and evaluate hatchery production of Spring Chinook Salmon in Oregon's Warm Springs River, with a strong emphasis on understanding how hatchery operations may affect wild fish populations. The central goal is to generate reliable, field-based data that can be used to investigate and evaluate potential impacts from hatchery practices, such as how hatchery-origin fish may interact with naturally produced fish in the same system. By focusing on monitoring and evaluation, the project supports evidence-based fishery management rather than assumptions about whether hatchery production is helping, harming, or having neutral effects on wild populations.

A key deliverable implied by the description is the collection of data that is "crucial" for effective management of fish populations in both the Warm Springs River and the broader Deschutes River system. In practical terms, this kind of effort often supports decisions about hatchery release strategies, timing and size of releases, survival and return rates, straying rates, interactions on spawning grounds, and overall population performance. The broader management objective described is to balance two public interests at once: maintaining harvest opportunities for the public while also protecting wild Spring Chinook Salmon populations. That framing reflects a common management challenge in the Pacific Northwest, where hatchery programs are often used to support fisheries, but managers must also ensure that hatchery operations do not undermine wild fish recovery and long-term resilience.

The opportunity falls under several funding activity categories, including Environment, Information and Statistics, Natural Resources, and Science and Technology and other Research and Development. This categorization signals that the work is intended to be both applied and analytical, combining on-the-ground monitoring with data management and interpretation that can directly inform management actions. The listing includes CFDA number 15.608, linking it to a broader federal assistance program area associated with fish and wildlife-related conservation and management efforts.

Eligibility is limited to Native American tribal governments that are federally recognized, as well as Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. This indicates the program is designed to support tribal participation and leadership in fisheries science and management in a watershed where tribes often have long-standing cultural, treaty, and resource management interests.

Financially, the award ceiling is listed as $50,000, with an expectation of a single award. That suggests a relatively targeted, focused project scope, likely supporting a defined monitoring and evaluation effort for a specific season, component of the hatchery program, or a discrete set of metrics. Overall, the grant is positioned as a small, purpose-built investment to produce actionable information about hatchery-produced Spring Chinook Salmon and their relationship to wild fish in the Warm Springs and Deschutes River basins, supporting management decisions that aim to sustain fisheries while safeguarding wild stocks.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, information and statistics, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Monitor and Evaluate Hatchery Production of Spring Chinook Salmon" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.608.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 11, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 18, 2017 THE RECIPIENT HAS BEEN SELECTED. (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: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

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