Program for the Rescue of Entangled/Entrapped/Stranded Marine Animals in Distress: Newfoundland and Labrador Region

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 Tangly Whales Inc., 244 Tolt Road, Portugal Cove, St. Philips, NL A1M 1R2. 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 purpose of DFO’s Program for the Rescue of Entrapped/Stranded Marine Animals in Distress is to provide a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week toll-free telephone line for commercial fishers and members of the public to report entangled, stranded and/or entrapped marine animals and maintain a ready team to safely respond to and assist or release entangled, entrapped and stranded marine animals. It aims to ensure the safe release of whales, small cetaceans, Leatherback sea turtles and other marine animals from commercial fishing gear, aquaculture nets, boat moorings or navigational markers, thus providing both a direct mitigation for species currently listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), and decreasing damage to commercial fishing gear. The program has the added benefit of both improving communications with commercial fishers and the general public regarding marine animal conservation and providing an opportunity to collect scientific data safely to improve our understanding of these species. OBJECTIVE The purpose of DFO’s Program for the Rescue of Entrapped/Stranded Marine Animals in Distress is to provide a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week toll-free telephone line for commercial fishers and members of the public to report stranded and/or entrapped marine animals and maintain a ready team to respond safely to and assist or release entangled, entrapped and/or stranded marine animals.