Mackerel Spawning Seasonality

Definition of the Requirement: Objective: Provide Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) with biological information on mackerel in Newfoundland region. This information includes recording of mackerel presence in the area and fish measurements (length, weight, gonad weight, maturity stage and sex). Data collected by the Contractor will be used by DFO to determine mackerel arrival and spawning seasonality (i.e., timing of reproduction) on the East, South, and West coasts of Newfoundland. Results obtained will help understand spawning behaviour of mackerel in these regions. Scope of Work: The Contractor will implement a systematic data collection program to 1) document mackerel presence in the designated areas and to 2) collect biological measurements, in accordance with the requirements of the Contract. Deliverables under the Contract consist solely of the required datasets and the Contractor is not required to submit fish specimens to DFO. Refer to the Advance Contract Award Notice document for full details. CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT OF THE STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES (MINIMUM ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS) Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that it meets the following requirements: The Contractor must: 1. have an established network of at least 20 commercial harvesters per Newfoundland coastline (East, South and West; 60 in total), active during May to August. 2. demonstrate a minimum of 5 years of experience coordinating scientific projects that rely on data collection by commercial harvesters; 3. demonstrate experience in a minimum of three (3) separate scientific projects involving the collection and management of fisheries biological data; 4. demonstrate sufficient human resource capacity, including qualified technical staff and a scientific project coordinator, to successfully execute the work; 5. maintain adequate infrastructure for sample handling, storage, and data management.