FY 2021 Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) | NOAA NMFS SE 2021 2006610

Opportunity Information: Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2021 2006610

The FY 2021 Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) is a discretionary federal funding opportunity run by the Department of Commerce through NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Region. The program is designed to support research and development projects that help optimize how fisheries are used and managed in key U.S. waters, specifically the Gulf of Mexico, the waters around Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the South Atlantic region off North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. In practical terms, MARFIN is aimed at generating usable science and applied solutions that improve fishing outcomes while supporting NOAA's mission goal of "Healthy Oceans."

Projects funded under MARFIN are expected to involve the U.S. fishing industry directly, and that includes both commercial and recreational sectors. The opportunity is broad in the types of work it will consider, as long as the proposed activity connects to improving fisheries use, performance, sustainability, or value. Examples of eligible topic areas mentioned in the notice include fishery biology and life history work, stock and resource assessment efforts, socio-economic assessments that examine impacts or benefits to communities and businesses, management and conservation research that informs practical decision-making, evaluation of selected harvesting methods and gear approaches, and post-harvest topics such as fish handling, processing, and related techniques that can improve product quality or reduce waste. The program emphasis suggests NMFS is looking for proposals that are not purely academic, but instead tied to real-world fisheries needs, operational constraints, and decision points faced by fishermen, managers, and coastal communities.

Funding is provided through grants and cooperative agreements, which means awards can range from relatively independent research grants to more collaborative projects where NMFS may have substantial involvement during the period of performance, depending on the structure and needs of the project. The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $525,000 and anticipated making about five awards, indicating a competitive process with a limited number of relatively sizable projects likely to be selected. The assistance listing associated with this program is CFDA 11.433, and the funding opportunity number is NOAA NMFS SE 2021 2006610.

The application window for this FY 2021 notice opened with a creation date of August 20, 2020, and the original closing date was October 23, 2020. Eligibility is noted as "Others" with additional clarifications referenced in the full announcement, which typically means applicants may include a range of organizations depending on the specific eligibility language in the notice, often encompassing universities, nonprofits, state or local entities, commissions, industry groups, and other qualified partners, particularly where strong industry participation is built into the project design.

Overall, MARFIN is best understood as an applied fisheries program for the Southeast region that funds industry-relevant research and development. The central goal is to support projects that improve knowledge, methods, and outcomes in fisheries and seafood systems, strengthen science that informs management, and promote conservation-minded use of marine resources across the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Caribbean, and the South Atlantic coast.

• The Department of Commerce in the environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.433.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 20, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 23, 2020. (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 $525,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NOAA NMFS SE 2021 2006610

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