Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU | G17AS00017

Opportunity Information: Apply for G17AS00017

The Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) opportunity for the Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU is a US Geological Survey (USGS) funding call focused on understanding why several Lake Superior Coregonus (whitefish) species have experienced weak or inconsistent recruitment. The project centers on early life stages, specifically egg development and larval survival, because problems at these stages can strongly limit how many fish ultimately enter the population. The target species named in the announcement are Coregonus artedi, Coregonus hoyi, and Coregonus kiyi, all of which are important components of the Lake Superior fish community and are relevant to broader management concerns, including commercial harvest and population sustainability.

The grant is framed around a clear biological problem: Lake Superior Coregonus stocks have shown poor recruitment for many years, and current population structure indicates only a small number of successful year classes are strongly represented. The opportunity notes that, based on annual spring surveys of age-1 fish and age analysis from agency assessments and commercial fishery catches, the population is dominated by just a few cohorts, specifically those produced in 1998, 2003, 2005, and 2009. This kind of “gapped” year-class pattern suggests that conditions required for strong recruitment occur only intermittently, and that something in the environment or ecosystem is periodically suppressing survival between spawning and the juvenile stage.

A key motivation in the announcement is the suspicion that winter conditions, especially ice cover, may influence recruitment success. While the exact cause of recruitment decline is described as unknown, the notice highlights that winter ice conditions appear connected to whether a year class succeeds or fails. This matters because Lake Superior’s ice and water temperature regimes have shifted over the last two decades, which could alter incubation conditions for eggs, the timing of hatching, food availability for larvae, and exposure to predators or other stressors. In practical terms, the project is aiming to link changing climate-related conditions (ice and temperature patterns) to measurable outcomes in egg development and larval survival, helping explain why some cohorts survive while most do not.

The work supported under this opportunity is expected to combine field and laboratory approaches. Field work would likely involve collecting eggs or larvae, monitoring spawning or incubation habitats, and measuring environmental conditions such as temperature and potentially ice-related variables. Laboratory components would typically be used to control and test specific factors affecting development and survival, such as temperature thresholds, timing of development, or other mechanisms that might be difficult to isolate in the wild. The overall intent is not just descriptive monitoring, but producing actionable insight into the “bottlenecks” that limit recruitment for these species in Lake Superior.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity administered by the Department of the Interior through the USGS. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates that USGS expects to have substantial involvement during the project (for example, coordination, data sharing, or collaboration on study design and execution), rather than simply providing funds with minimal interaction. The opportunity number is G17AS00017, it falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category, and it lists CFDA number 15.808. The award ceiling is $150,000, with an expectation of one award. The posting indicates it was created on November 17, 2016, with an original closing date of December 2, 2016. Eligibility is listed broadly as “Others,” with the note that applicants should consult the additional eligibility language in the full announcement for clarification, which is typical for CESU opportunities that often involve partnerships among universities, agencies, and other qualified research entities.

Finally, the announcement places this project within a larger collaborative management and research context. The USGS Lake Superior Biological Station, together with state, federal, tribal, and international partners, already has multiple efforts underway related to Coregonus, including evaluating commercial harvest of adult fish and investigating drivers of poor recruitment. This grant opportunity is positioned as a complementary piece of that broader portfolio, aimed specifically at early-life-stage dynamics so that management agencies can better understand what is limiting population replenishment and how changing winter conditions might be shaping future recruitment potential.

• The Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests 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 Nov 17, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 02, 2016. (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 $150,000.00 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).

Apply for G17AS00017

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