Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit | G23AS00320

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The opportunity supports research that strengthens ongoing efforts to restore native coregonine fishes in the Great Lakes. It is intended to expand the scientific foundation behind restoration actions by enabling applied experiments, integrating genetics and other diagnostic tools, and producing findings that managers can use across the basin.

2) Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is soliciting this award.

3) What type of award is being offered: grant or cooperative agreement?

It is a cooperative agreement. That indicates substantial involvement by the USGS in shaping and carrying out the work in partnership with the recipient, rather than a more hands-off relationship typical of some standard grants.

4) Who is eligible to apply?

Only organizations that are official participating partners in the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) are eligible to apply.

5) What CESU network is this opportunity tied to?

The Great Lakes-Northern Forest CESU.

6) What is the research focus area (species group) for this opportunity?

The focus is on coregonines, a sub-family that includes several whitefish and cisco forms, which have experienced major declines in the Great Lakes including extinctions of some species and local extirpations of others.

7) Why are coregonines a priority in the Great Lakes?

The Great Lakes have been heavily altered by human-driven pressures over time, leading to habitat loss or simplification and major biodiversity declines. Coregonines are identified as among the most severely affected groups in the basin, with some species lost entirely and others missing from parts of their former range.

8) What management and scientific framework guides this work?

The Coregonine Restoration Framework, a basin-wide, science-based approach endorsed by fishery managers across the Great Lakes in 2018. The Framework calls for a coordinated restoration plan supported by targeted scientific work.

9) What kinds of scientific support does the Framework emphasize?

The opportunity highlights experimental studies and genetic work to clarify threats to remaining coregonine stocks of conservation concern, and to identify barriers that could prevent successful reintroduction of species that have disappeared from particular lakes or regions.

10) What restoration approaches are referenced in the opportunity?

Reintroduction and hatchery-based supplementation are specifically referenced as approaches that are already being used and will likely remain essential for recovery.

11) What key challenge is the opportunity trying to address?

The Great Lakes basin has limited capacity to run controlled experiments that compare and refine best methods for capturing, transporting, rearing, and stocking fish in ways that reliably produce strong survival and re-establishment.

12) Why is hatchery fish quality (genetics, traits, behavior) emphasized?

The announcement stresses that hatchery-produced fish should be genetically appropriate and retain wild-like morphology and behavior. Differences in genetics, morphology, or behavior can reduce fitness, interfere with local adaptation goals, or undermine restoration outcomes.

13) Does the opportunity mention a specific lake or example scenario?

Yes. Lake Ontario is highlighted as an example where multiple coregonine species were lost locally but still persist elsewhere in the basin (such as Lake Superior). That creates an opportunity to use existing source populations, while also requiring validated rearing techniques for rare deepwater forms and careful attention to matching traits of wild fish.

14) What is the role of the selected CESU partner?

The USGS is seeking a CESU partner that can provide experimental support to USGS stations, helping increase applied experimental capacity, integrate genetics and other diagnostics, and generate actionable results for restoration practitioners implementing the Framework.

15) Which USGS locations are expected to be supported under this effort?

The opportunity specifies USGS stations in Cortland, New York and Oswego, New York.

16) Is this opportunity described as discretionary or mandatory funding?

It is listed as a discretionary financial assistance award under the USGS.

17) What is the assistance listing (CFDA) number provided?

The assistance listing (CFDA) number provided is 15.808.

18) What activity category is associated with this award?

The opportunity is categorized under science and technology/research and development.

19) What is the opportunity number?

The opportunity number is G23AS00320.

20) When was the opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on March 21, 2023.

21) What was the original closing date?

The original closing date was April 21, 2023.

22) What is the maximum (ceiling) award amount?

The stated award ceiling is $3,500,000.

23) Does the funding description indicate how large or complex the project might be?

Yes. The $3,500,000 ceiling suggests the project could be relatively large in scale, depending on the final scope, staffing, facilities, and experimental design needed to support the USGS stations and the broader restoration science agenda.

24) What kind of outcomes is USGS aiming to produce through this work?

The goal is to generate actionable findings that can be used by managers implementing the Coregonine Restoration Framework across the Great Lakes basin, particularly by strengthening the evidence base for reintroduction, hatchery supplementation, and related restoration methods.

25) How does this opportunity align with CESU program goals?

The cooperative agreement structure and the stated intent to link USGS science needs with partner expertise is consistent with CESU goals of connecting federal science priorities with universities and other partners through collaborative research and technical support.