NT-21-06: Mortality Risk for Whale and Basking Sharks During Energy and Mineral Operations | M21AS00388

Opportunity Information: Apply for M21AS00388

NT-21-06: Mortality Risk for Whale and Basking Sharks During Energy and Mineral Operations is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) discretionary funding opportunity focused on reducing and better understanding mortality risk to whale sharks and basking sharks associated with offshore energy and mineral activities. BOEM notes that projects it authorizes have been linked to mortality in large-bodied, low-trophic-level elasmobranchs, and while a lot is already known about how commercially important species use habitat around oil and gas infrastructure, there are still major gaps for non-commercial species like whale and basking sharks, even as their populations continue to face declines. The central idea is that better information on these animals behavior and habitat use can directly improve how industry and regulators evaluate and manage ongoing risks offshore.

The study aims to identify how ecological and behavioral drivers shape the likelihood of shark interactions with offshore operations, and how those interactions translate into mortality risk. To do that, the project is designed to both synthesize existing information and collect new data specifically in and around areas influenced by renewable energy development (such as offshore wind) and non-renewable energy operations (such as oil and gas). A major emphasis is on spatial ecology (where the animals go and when) and behavioral ecology (how they move and behave in the water column), because those pieces are what determine whether sharks overlap with vessels, construction activity, infrastructure, and other operational hazards.

A key technical component described in the opportunity is expanded use of telemetry and animal-borne sensor packages that record behavior at very fine time scales, often at sub-second sampling intervals. These sensors can capture pitch, roll, heading, and depth, and may also log additional oceanographic variables, allowing researchers to reconstruct detailed behavior and infer when animals are feeding, transiting, diving, lingering near the surface, or otherwise behaving in ways that could elevate risk. BOEM highlights that these tools are widely accepted for studying behavioral ecology and have already been used to assess vessel-strike risk in large whales, and that similar fine-scale methods are being applied in other BOEM studies focused on habitat use. In practical terms, the project is meant to convert raw movement and behavior data into clearer, evidence-based assessments of when and where sharks are most vulnerable near offshore industrial activity.

The opportunity is structured as a Cooperative Agreement, meaning BOEM expects substantial involvement and collaboration during the project rather than a hands-off grant relationship. The notice indicates BOEM intends this as a single-source award with the Georgia Aquarium, which is part of the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). Even with that single-source intent, BOEM explicitly encourages cooperative research through team formation, and allows the applicant to build out partnerships via subcontracts to eligible entities such as non-profit organizations, private universities, private companies, and public or state-controlled institutions of higher education. Federal entities can also participate as partners, but any work they perform and related budgets must be presented separately by the federal partner, while non-federal partner tasks and budgets should be included within the main non-profit proposal.

BOEM strongly encourages cost sharing or matching contributions, which can be cash or in-kind support like staff time, equipment use, or other resources. The guidance also places clear boundaries on what can count as match: previously incurred collection costs for data or samples already gathered cannot be claimed, and the value of instruments or equipment offered as match should be prorated to reflect the portion of their useful life actually used during the project period rather than counting full replacement value. The notice points applicants to the federal cost-sharing rules at 2 CFR 200.306 for additional detail.

Administratively, the opportunity number is M21AS00388 under CFDA 15.423, categorized under Environment. The original closing date listed is June 10, 2021, with a stated award ceiling of $400,000. Overall, the program is aimed at producing a stronger scientific basis for assessing and reducing whale shark and basking shark mortality risk near offshore renewable and non-renewable energy activities by combining existing datasets with new fine-scale tracking and behavioral sensor data, then translating that into clearer risk understanding tied to habitat use and operational overlap.

• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NT-21-06: Mortality Risk for Whale and Basking Sharks During Energy and Mineral Operations" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.423.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-04-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-06-10. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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