Expert taxonomic verification of fishes captured during the Canadian Beaufort Sea Marine Ecosystem Assessment

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government’s intention to award a contract for these services to Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, ON. Before awarding a contract, however, the government would like to provide other suppliers with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying the requirements set out in this Notice, by submitting a statement of capabilities during the ACAN posting period. If other potential suppliers submit a statement of capabilities during this ACAN posting period that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on either GETS or through traditional means, in order to award the contract. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, a contract will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier. BACKGROUND: The Arctic Aquatic Research Division of Fisheries and Ocean’s Canada (DFO), Central and Arctic Region, conducted a baseline survey of fishes and habitat parameters in the offshore Canadian Beaufort Sea between 2012 and 2014, as part of the federal government’s Beaufort Regional Environmental Assessment – Marine Fishes Project (BREA-MFP). The BREA-MFP was the first comprehensive baseline study of marine fish diversity and associated habitats in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. New knowledge gained during the BREA-MFP will support regulatory processes pertaining to offshore development and Oceans Management in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, and will provide baseline context for studies of climate variability and change. The Canadian Beaufort Sea – Marine Ecosystem Assessment (CBS-MEA, 2017-2019) is building on biological baselines established during the BREA-MFP to develop a comprehensive monitoring approach for the offshore Canadian Beaufort Sea, including trophic linkages. The CBS-MEA includes focused research on physical and biological couplings while expanding baseline coverage of species diversity, abundances, and habitat associations to areas of the Canadian Archipelago that are previously unstudied in this context. This contract involves expert verification of the taxonomic identification of fishes captured during the 2013/2014 BREA-MFP and CBS-MEA field seasons. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this contract is to accurately identify fish collected during the BREA-MFP and CBS-MEA programs, to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Fundamental to the success of this work is to ensure accuracy and continuity of identifications which will be achieved by employing internationally recognized experts in fish taxonomy and ensuring that identifications are conducted by those same experts during each year of collection. The Supplier will receive voucher specimens from the 2013 and 2014 BREA-MFP field years, and from each of the CBS-MEA field years. In most cases, preliminary identifications will already have been assigned to voucher specimens during previous lab processing. In these cases, the Supplier will provide expert confirmation of taxonomic identifications. In some cases, taxonomic identifications will not have been previously assigned due to the rare nature or rough condition of the specimens. In these cases, the Supplier will use their expertise and resources to provide taxonomic identifications. The Supplier will do so to the best of their abilities noting the limitations of specimen quality and limits of knowledge of specific problematic groups of fishes. WORK REQUIREMENT: Supplier shall provide taxonomic identifications of all specimens supplied by DFO Digital pictures that capture unique or specific identification features When unique or unusual specimens are encountered the Supplier will take digital photographs of whole specimens and specific identification features. The Supplier will provide a copy of the digital files to DFO. The images/files will be named according to the specimen’s unique identification number (assigned by DFO prior to shipment). Pictures will either be named individually or contained within a folder using this naming format. X-rays Where required, the Supplier will use radiograph imaging (X-rays) to determine the taxonomic identification of a specimen. The Supplier will provide a copy of the digital files of these X-rays to DFO. The images/files will be named according to format outlined in section 5.2. Barcoding Where required, the Supplier will use DNA barcoding to determine the taxonomic identification. The Supplier will provide a copy of barcoding data to DFO. Data/Information summary Upon completion of work, the contactor will add taxonomic identification information to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet provided by DFO along with any notes or remarks, and will return the completed spreadsheet via email or flash drive. It is critical that the identification information match the unique identification number provided on both the specimen and the data sheet. The Supplier will retain a copy of this spreadsheet for a minimum of two years after its submission to DFO. CONSTRAINTS Data generated during this contract are the property of DFO and cannot be shared or published without written consent of the Project Authority. The Supplier may need to sub-contract expertise of external scientists/taxonomists. Sub-Suppliers are held to the same constraints as the Supplier regarding publication and sharing of material and data stipulated in this contract. The Supplier will return specimens to DFO that are too small or damaged to identify. DFO is responsible for the associated shipping costs.