Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) | G25AS00330

Opportunity Information: Apply for G25AS00330

This funding opportunity (G25AS00330) is a US Geological Survey (USGS) cooperative agreement aimed at supporting research on Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in the Great Lakes, with the strongest emphasis on Lake Erie. The core purpose is to generate practical, management-ready science on Grass Carp survival, movement patterns, and habitat use, because the species is now considered a serious ecological and economic threat. A binational Ecological Risk Assessment has identified Grass Carp as a risk to Lake Erie fisheries and to the Great Lakes ecosystem more broadly, and the invasion concern is no longer theoretical: reproductively capable fish have been captured, and eggs and larvae have been detected in Lake Erie tributaries, indicating active reproduction potential. The urgency is reinforced by socio-economic estimates suggesting that, if Grass Carp become established, losses could exceed 2 billion dollars over the next decade.

The work is closely tied to ongoing Great Lakes fishery governance and planning. Fishery management authorities operating under the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries have used a structured decision-making process to define what information is most needed to support eradication and control. Those research needs feed into an adaptive response strategy for managing and controlling Grass Carp in Lake Erie and its connected tributaries. Coordination for this response is happening through the Grass Carp Advisory Committee within the Lake Erie Committee. Congress has provided funding to USGS specifically to conduct Grass Carp research aligned with these Joint Strategic Plan objectives, and this award is one mechanism USGS is using to deliver that science.

A major emphasis of the grant is acoustic telemetry, because managers have prioritized understanding where Grass Carp go, how they use nearshore and tributary habitats, and how they move through potential migration corridors. The project is designed to leverage the existing Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS), particularly where GLATOS coverage has expanded into nearshore zones and tributaries that appear especially important for Grass Carp. Telemetry results are expected to inform several high-value management questions, including survival rates of tagged fish, identification of migration routes and choke points, habitat use across seasons, and detection of activity in or near spawning tributaries. The intent is to translate these findings into better targeted control actions and improved tools for reducing or eliminating Grass Carp.

The project scope includes supporting a tiered telemetry receiver array with three complementary components. First is a basin-wide array focused on nearshore and tributary habitats to track broader movement and distribution patterns. Second are dense receiver arrays in two spawning tributaries to enable two-dimensional positioning, which allows much finer-scale understanding of how fish behave within critical riverine areas (for example, how they use specific reaches, staging areas, or potential spawning zones). Third is an alert array that provides real-time notifications when Grass Carp are detected, which can directly support rapid response and operational decision-making. Beyond deploying and maintaining equipment, the award also emphasizes fieldwork support and timely quantitative analysis of telemetry data, with the clear expectation that results will be delivered in a way that provides decision support to state and federal natural resource managers.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement instrument, categorized under science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 15.808). The maximum award amount listed is 499,999 dollars. Eligibility is restricted: applicants must be participating partners in the Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program, which is a partnership framework used to deliver research, technical assistance, and education through collaboration between federal agencies and affiliated institutions. The opportunity was created on 2025-07-10, and the original closing date is 2025-08-10.

• 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 Forest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (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 2025-07-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-10. (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 $499,999.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for G25AS00330

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