Evaluation and Coordination of Pacific Lamprey in the Yakima River Basin | BOR PN 16 N012

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR PN 16 N012

The grant opportunity titled "Evaluation and Coordination of Pacific Lamprey in the Yakima River Basin" (Funding Opportunity Number BOR PN 16 N012) is a Bureau of Reclamation effort focused on understanding and reducing the impacts that Reclamation-operated water infrastructure may have on Pacific lamprey in the Yakima River Basin. The work is being carried out in coordination with the Yakama Nation Fisheries Resource Management Program (YNFRMP), which has played a leading role in identifying lamprey conservation issues in the basin. The central idea is to investigate how Reclamation facilities affect both adult and juvenile lamprey, then use the findings to recommend additional studies or practical actions that could lessen harmful effects.

A key technical concern highlighted in the announcement is juvenile lamprey entrainment, meaning larval and juvenile lamprey being pulled into irrigation diversion systems and canals. Under an existing assistance agreement (R15AC00044), one objective is to evaluate how significant this entrainment is and where it is happening. Surveys of irrigation canals in the Yakima Basin have already confirmed that entrainment occurs across multiple juvenile size classes, with especially notable issues observed at the Sunnyside, Wapato, and Roza diversions. The surveys also found that while some of the entrained lamprey are Pacific lamprey, many are Western brook lamprey, which are more common in the area. Even so, the presence of Pacific lamprey among the entrained fish elevates the conservation and management stakes because Pacific lamprey have been a priority species of concern in many parts of the Pacific Northwest.

The scope of the work is not limited to the Yakima Basin. The announcement notes that juvenile entrainment is also a concern in the Umatilla River Basin, and YNFRMP proposes to explore and test techniques to reduce entrainment in canal systems in both basins. In practice, this points toward evaluating or piloting deterrence, screening, bypass, or monitoring approaches that could keep lamprey out of diversions or improve their chances of survival and return to the river. The emphasis on "explore techniques" suggests the project is meant to move beyond simply documenting the problem and toward identifying workable mitigation options that could be expanded later.

Although the focus is lamprey, the proposal also includes salmonids because the same monitoring or detection equipment installed for lamprey-related work can generate useful data from tagged salmonids moving through the basin. This kind of multi-species benefit is common in fish passage and diversion monitoring projects, where tools such as tag detection arrays can support broader fisheries management questions at little additional cost once equipment is deployed.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding action using a cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.517, with the Bureau of Reclamation as the agency. The listed eligible applicants category is Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), aligning with the partnership described in the narrative. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $55,402 and a closing date of 2016-07-06, but it is explicitly not an open call for proposals. Instead, it serves as public notice of Reclamation's intent to fund specific project activities without full and open competition, meaning the agency already intends to support this work with the identified partner rather than solicit applications from the general public.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Evaluation and Coordination of Pacific Lamprey in the Yakima River Basin" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.517.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-06-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-07-06. (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 $55,402.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

Apply for BOR PN 16 N012

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