R--Sources Sought Notice for Statistical Analysis of Fisheries-Independent Data Collected by the LDWF for the Region Influenced by the MRGO Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study - Violet Freshwater Diversion Project

The New Orleans District intends to award Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) a Sole Source, Firm-Fixed Price purchase order for statistical analyses of fisheries-independent data collected by the LDWF for the region influenced by the MRGO Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study - Violet Freshwater Diversion Project. The LDWF will relate the physical-chemical (i.e., water quality) and habitat (e.g., water flow, elevation) changes caused by the diversion to responses in the distribution, abundance and/or biomass of 15 commercially and recreationally important species in the region (e.g., brown and white shrimp, blue crab, oysters, red drum, spotted seatrout), as well as to the overall finfish-shellfish community structure of the region. A suite of statistical methods and models that relate the diversion effects to population and community responses will be constructed and evaluated using all available data, including but not limited to: simple and multiple linear and nonlinear regression, multivariate analysis of variance or multi-response permutation procedures, canonical correspondence analysis, and spatial characterization and correlation of species distributions to fine-scale water quality measurements taken within the region. The multivariate analyses will assess how species composition and/or trophic structure is influenced by diversion-induced fluctuations in habitat and water quality. The regression models will evaluate the functional relationships between the species population responses and water quality changes. Geospatial maps of species distributions and abundance changes will be developed from a geographic information system (GIS) which will illustrate region-wide spatial and temporal shifts in species abundances as a function of diversion-related changes in water quality, flow and elevation. Results from the modeling and statistical analyses will describe functional relationships among the population dynamics and physical-chemical changes caused by a freshwater diversion. These results to inform the aquatic model Comprehensive Aquatic Systems Model (CASM), provide quantitative estimates for the aquatic model calibration and results comparison; Interested parties shall notify Chris Nuccio at (504) 862-2704 by COB on 07/28/2010. It is the Government's intent not to compete this procurement due to its proprietary nature. THIS IS A SYNOPSIS AND SOURCE FOR SOUGHT COMBINED. THERE WILL BE NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING.