Statistical Evaluation of Adaptive Management Study Duration | W81EWF 25 SOI 0013

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 25 SOI 0013

The grant opportunity titled Statistical Evaluation of Adaptive Management Study Duration (Funding Opportunity Number W81EWF 25 SOI 0013) is a discretionary, science and technology focused cooperative agreement from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center. It supports a collaborative study between the Corps and a selected partner from the Great Rivers Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU). The overall intent is to strengthen fisheries monitoring and adaptive management decisions on the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), specifically focusing on Pool 22 and nearby pools, by using rigorous statistical methods to determine how much sampling effort is actually needed to reliably detect meaningful biological change.

At the center of the project is a statistical power analysis built around long term electrofishing datasets and catch per unit effort (CPUE) metrics. The study is meant to answer a practical management question: given the natural variability in electrofishing catch data, how many sampling sites (per sampling period) are required to detect changes in fish populations with high confidence. The work explicitly considers multiple monitoring designs and scenarios, including two population change thresholds (30 percent change and 15 percent change) and two power targets (80 percent power with a 95 percent confidence interval, and 90 percent power with a 95 percent confidence interval). In other words, the recipient will quantify what it takes to detect either moderate or more subtle shifts in abundance while maintaining strong statistical reliability, which directly informs the duration and intensity of future monitoring programs.

A key deliverable is the identification of fish indicator species that can guide monitoring priorities going forward. The opportunity highlights several native species of special interest that may be used as indicators, including Bigmouth Buffalo, Blue Catfish, Lake Sturgeon, Paddlefish, Shovelnose Sturgeon, and Smallmouth Buffalo. It also flags Silver Carp as an invasive species of special interest, reflecting the dual focus on conserving native fish communities while tracking high impact invasive species. The indicator species component is tied to the broader goal of improving performance monitoring by focusing effort on species that are both ecologically meaningful and statistically informative for detecting change.

The scope is organized into tasks. Task 1 is the analytical core: the recipient will determine whether detectable changes in fish populations can be observed in Pool 22 and adjacent UMR pools, select and justify indicator species, and use CPUE derived from long term electrofishing records to estimate the sampling intensity needed under the specified change and power scenarios. Task 1 culminates in a summary report that documents the statistical evaluation, identifies the datasets used, presents findings, and provides recommendations for future performance monitoring, including evidence based guidance on sampling site numbers per period by species.

Task 2 moves from analysis into additional field data collection and evaluation. In Fiscal Year 2026, the selected CESU partner will collect and assess long term electrofishing data from multiple sites in Pool 22 using stratified random sampling techniques, then produce a summary report describing the data collected and related results. There is also an optional Task 3 that extends the same approach into Fiscal Year 2027, again using stratified random sampling in Pool 22 and producing a companion summary report. Together, these tasks are structured to both leverage existing long term datasets and validate or strengthen monitoring design recommendations with newly collected information.

The roles and responsibilities are clearly assigned to the selected CESU partner. The partner is expected to obtain, process, and analyze long term electrofishing data from the Upper Mississippi River; evaluate whether stratified random sampling is an effective method for detecting population changes; conduct species specific power analyses to estimate the number of sampling sites needed per sampling period to detect changes in Pool 22; provide quarterly updates to the Corps on methods, results, and interpretation; and collect and evaluate additional data using the same stratified random approach (for the FY 2026 effort and potentially FY 2027 if the optional task is included). The emphasis on quarterly updates suggests the Corps expects an iterative, transparent workflow where analytical choices and interim findings are shared regularly rather than only at the end of the project.

Eligibility is restricted to non federal partners of the Great Rivers CESU, which typically includes universities, nonprofits, and other qualified non federal research partners that participate in the CESU network. The opportunity anticipates a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $110,450. The application closing date is listed as August 11, 2025, and the opportunity was created on June 26, 2025. The CFDA number associated with the program is 12.630, and the funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement, signaling that substantial involvement and coordination with the Corps is expected throughout the project rather than a hands off grant structure.

In practical terms, this opportunity is aimed at making fish monitoring in Pool 22 more defensible and efficient. By tying monitoring design to power based sampling requirements, identifying indicator species, and producing clear recommendations, the project is meant to help the Corps and partners decide how long studies should run and how intense sampling must be to confidently detect changes that matter for management decisions in the Upper Mississippi River system.

• The Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Statistical Evaluation of Adaptive Management Study Duration" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-11. (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 $110,450.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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