Eder Family Fund for Dungeness Crab Research

Dungeness crab is an important part of the Northwest’s seafood heritage. Commercially harvested since the 1800’s, Dungeness crab is Oregon’s most valuable ‘single species’ fishery. The Eder Family Fund for Dungeness Crab Research supports research related to this iconic species.

   

Marine Studies Initiative

Request for Proposals- Eder Family Dungeness Crab Research Fund

Eder Proposal Announcement PDF

Summary

  • Proposals Due: Friday, January 31, 2020, before 5:00 p.m. PST
  • Funding available: $50,000
  • Anticipated Funding: One or two projects
  • Project Duration: one or two years. Earliest start date: February 15, 2020

Purpose

With the support of a generous private gift, the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, in collaboration with the Marine Studies Initiative, invites proposals for innovative and potentially transformative research related to biophysical research needed for improved management of Dungeness crab fisheries. This seed funding is available to support faculty and students in any academic or research unit at OSU for research or scholarship support (or combination of both) as long as the project purpose is directly focused on Dungeness crab biology as it relates to the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishery.

Previous RFPs included several research areas related to Dungeness crab – see information about projects funded in 2018.

This call is focused on the following research area:

  • Define better estimates of the mortality of male Dungeness crabs as they become eligible recruits to the fishery. These are the three to four-year olds that molt predominantly in spring and summer and enter the fishery as recruits the following winter. Better estimates of natural mortality are needed to inform bio-economic models of the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery. An example of such a model was recently completed by Davis et al. (2017).

Proposals should be for new research, synthesizing known information from previous studies as appropriate. Proposals that involve the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishing community are especially encouraged.

Example Research Areas

Proposals may include, but are not limited to, research in the following examples areas:

  • Crab natural mortality, i.e., the life cycle of the crab in the absence of fishing.
  • Crab movement, e.g. via tagging studies.
  • Ocean acidification and hypoxia effects.
  • Gear alterations to improve the system, including further reducing bycatch.
  • Long-term ecological study akin to the Newport Hydrographic Line studies.

Proposals that involve the Oregon fishing community are especially encouraged.

Timing

Proposals are due electronically to the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife by January 31, 2020, before 5:00 p.m. PST. Submit an electronic PDF to [email protected] with the subject line “Eder Family Dungeness Crab Research Fund proposal”. Decisions will be communicated within approximately two weeks of receipt. Projects may start on February 15, 2020, and may be for 1 or 2 years in duration, including time to report completion.

Funding

Individual requests may be up to $50,000 in total (project duration = 1 or 2 years). Formal cost share is not required, but leverage with other funding or institutional support is encouraged. It is anticipated that one or two projects will be funded.

Eligibility 

Faculty and students in any academic or research unit at Oregon State University. Proposals that involve the Oregon fishing community are especially encouraged.

Review Criteria

  • Degree that the proposed work is responsive to this call for research on Dungeness crab natural mortality
  • Clearly described research questions, objectives, plans and outcomes
  • Feasibility and likelihood of success, defined as results that address the research questions
  • Degree of involvement of the Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishing community
  • Funding leverage, including matching funds, faculty time, or equipment

Process

All proposals will be reviewed by a team of 3 marine biologists, using a scoring rubric. Conflict of Interest will be evaluated prior to the review process. Comments from reviewers outside OSU may be solicited. Final funding decisions will be made by the Head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife based on reviewer scores and available funds. Please contact Dr. Selina Heppell ([email protected], 541-737-9039) if you would like to discuss your proposed project ideas before submitting a proposal, or if you have questions about the review process.

Your proposal should be based on the outline below. All components listed below are required. Please include the following information:

  • Title
  • Principal Investigator(s) names, institutional affiliation, and contact information including email address.
  • Requested amount and project start date and duration
  • Proposal Narrative (three page maximum, 12-point type, single-spaced, not including figures and references):
    • Describe the problem or opportunity that is to be addressed in the form of one or more clear, precise research questions.
    • Provide a brief background that establishes the significance, relevance, timeliness, generalizability, and benefits of the project. Indicate the current status of knowledge concerning the problem or opportunity to be addressed, including a summary of previous applicable work with relevant references.
    • List Objectives. Provide your specific objectives in a numbered list format. You should ask yourself whether these objectives, as stated, will result in outcomes that can determine that this project has been successful, and not just completed.
    • Describe how you will approach this problem or opportunity. Concisely present information on your approach and the general methodology that will be employed for each step of the project. Include sample sizes necessary for the level of inference you hope to achieve.
    • Provide contingency plans, as needed (weather, small sample sizes, etc.)
    • Answer the perennial question: "So what?" What will happen as a result of this project? Describe the potential outcomes or impacts that might be valuable to the fishery. If this will be a pilot project, describe how the results will be used in future work or proposals.
    • Deliverables and Dissemination of Results. What will your final product be, and how will you share the results to researchers and stakeholders?
  • References/Literature Cited.
  • Project Personnel Information. Who will be involved in the project? List names and institutional affiliations, and briefly explain specific roles and qualifications. Please submit a one-page biographical sketch for each PI and for other significant contributors to your project. List all formal project partners. Letters of support may also be included.
  • Budget and Budget Justification. Please use this budget outline to show how much, to the nearest dollar, is requested. Please note that there are no indirect costs and permanent equipment over $5,000 is not eligible for this award.
  • Personnel Salary or Wages (name, FTE or months, and dollars requested for each project member)
  • Personnel Benefits (rate and dollars requested for each project member)
  • Supplies and Services (give a total and explain in the Budget Justification)
  • Travel (note, international travel requires special approval)
  • Other costs (publication costs, subcontracts, or other costs not included in any category above. Explain in the Budget Justification)
  • Tuition (see https://fa.oregonstate.edu/business-affairs/tuition-and-fee-information)
  • Total Requested
  • Budget Justification. Please provide a narrative to explain how the requested funds will be used. Include any leverage funding or support (faculty time/salaries, equipment, vessel time, graduate student support, etc.)
  • Dataset Description(s): What data will be produced by this study and how will they be documented and made available (e.g., descriptive details on data types, inclusion of metadata, data format(s), collection times / date ranges, etc.). Who will own the dataset, if not the lead PI? What are your plans for using, sharing and preserving any data produced in this study? Are there any legal, access, retention, etc. issues anticipated for the dataset? If yes, please explain. Are there any additional comments related to the data that will results from your study?

Contact

If you have questions about the proposal submission process please contact Selina Heppell ([email protected], 541-737-9039).