ECKERD COLLEGE, INC.

Agency: United States Department of Commerce
NAICS: 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
Period start: 2026-09-01
Period end: 2027-08-31
Budget: 953390.0
Place of performance: SAINT PETERSBURG, FLORIDA 33711, UNITED STATES

Description

THE PROPOSED MULTI-FACETED YEAR-LONG MONITORING PROJECT AT ECKERD COLLEGE IS ALIGNED WITH THE COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT ACT IN THAT EACH INITIATIVE SEEKS TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE COASTAL RESOURCES IN SUPPORT OF CONTINUED ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE TAMPA BAY AND ADJACENT WEST FLORIDA SHELF REGION OF THE GULF OF AMERICA. THE OVERARCHING FOCUS OF THE PROPOSED WORK IS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE HEALTH OF TAMPA BAY TO SUPPORT MANAGEMENT AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTALLY FOCUSED MARINE SCIENTISTS. NEITHER ORGANISMS NOR THE ECONOMY THRIVES WITHOUT ADDRESSING WATER QUALITY ISSUES. FURTHERMORE, MANAGEMENT PRACTICES CANNOT BE EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTED WITHOUT FOUNDATIONAL MONITORING DATA TO ESTABLISH BASELINE LEVELS AND ASSESS CHANGES. SPECIFICALLY, WE PROPOSE TO CONTINUE AND EXPAND ECKERDS ONGOING MONITORING OF MICROPLASTICS, RED TIDE, STONE CRABS, AND INVASIVE SPECIES. THE MICROPLASTICS EFFORT ADDRESSES THE NEED FOR A SUSTAINED MONITORING PROGRAM IN TAMPA BAY, AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER ESTUARIES AROUND THE NATION. FOLLOWING AN ESTABLISHED MONITORING PLAN, MICROPLASTICS WILL BE SAMPLED BI-MONTHLY AT SEVEN STATIONS. THE RED TIDE WORK IS LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A BENTHOS MONITORING PROGRAM TO AID IN FORECASTING BLOOM DYNAMICS, ESPECIALLY INITIATION AND TERMINATION. SAMPLES FROM ROUTINE FISH AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (FWRI) CRUISES WILL BE ANALYZED. A TAMPA BAY STONE CRAB MONITORING PROGRAM WILL BE ESTABLISHED AND ALLOW FOR MONITORING OF FISHERY TRENDS IN RECRUITMENT (NEW JUVENILES SETTLING IN TAMPA BAY) AND THE HEALTH OF RESIDENT ADULT POPULATIONS BOTH SPATIALLY (SEAGRASS VS. SAND VS. ROCK RUBBLE SITES) AND TEMPORALLY (MONTH TO ANNUALLY). FINALLY, IN THE MURKY WATERS OF TAMPA BAY HARBORS, TRADITIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES SURVEY METHODS SUCH AS VISUAL SEARCHES FREQUENTLY FALL SHORT. THUS, EDNA IS A MORE SUITABLE SAMPLING METHOD FOR INVASIVE SPECIES. THE LARCH DATASETS GENERATED ALSO ALLOW US TO ALSO MONITOR FISH, SHARK, AND MAMMAL SPECIES COEXISTING WITH THE INVASIVE SPECIES TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COMMUNITY IS CHANGING SEASONALLY AND IN THE FACE OF INVASIVE SPECIES.

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