Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Lakes Northern Forests Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) | G25AS00353

Opportunity Information: Apply for G25AS00353

This opportunity is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement aimed at strengthening Great Lakes fisheries science by filling a specific technical gap: turning underwater imagery into very high-resolution habitat maps of the lake bed. The work sits under the USGS Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC), which has a formal mandate under the Great Lakes Fisheries Research Authorization Act to run a comprehensive, multi-lake freshwater fisheries science program that supports management decisions for the Great Lakes Council of Lake Committees and other major regional partners. GLSC already conducts basin-wide surveys, tackles targeted research questions on fish and ecosystem dynamics, maps habitats, and develops better sampling tools. In this case, the immediate driver is that several Great Lakes fish stocks are declining, and lake whitefish is highlighted as a key example where habitat degradation at spawning and early life stages may be limiting recovery and productivity.

The core project need is to better understand how lake-bed habitat conditions influence fish egg deposition, hatching, and early rearing success. USGS has collected underwater images using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), but it does not have enough in-house expertise in underwater photogrammetry to convert those raw images into the kind of spatial products managers and researchers can use. The selected cooperator is expected to apply photogrammetric approaches, specifically techniques such as Structure from Motion, to build high-resolution habitat maps from AUV imagery. These products are intended to directly support ongoing studies linking habitat features to fisheries production, helping scientists and managers identify where suitable habitat exists, where it has been degraded, and how that may be affecting recruitment and stock health.

This is not a general open call for any organization; eligibility is restricted to partners affiliated with the Great Lakes Northern Forests Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Program. CESUs are designed to create applied research and technical assistance partnerships, so the cooperative agreement format signals that USGS expects substantial collaboration rather than a simple pass-through grant. In practical terms, the awardee would be working closely with GLSC staff, combining USGS ecological and fisheries expertise plus existing datasets with the recipient's technical capabilities in underwater mapping and photogrammetric processing to pursue shared research objectives and deliver usable mapping outputs.

Key administrative details from the notice include that the agency is the Geological Survey, the funding instrument is a Cooperative Agreement, and the activity category is Science and Technology and other Research and Development (CFDA 15.808). USGS expects to make one award, with an anticipated award ceiling of $480,000. The opportunity number is G25AS00353, and the posted closing date is 2025-10-30. The broader significance emphasized in the description is economic as well as ecological: Great Lakes fisheries-related industries are described as supporting roughly $7 billion in annual revenues, and improving habitat understanding and fisheries productivity is framed as part of maintaining that economic prosperity while supporting the information needs of entities like the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement partners, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and the International Joint Commission.

• The Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Lakes Northern Forests Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-09-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-10-30. (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 $480,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G25AS00353

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