Upper Salmon Fish Tracking Study | BOR PN 18 N003

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR PN 18 N003

The Upper Salmon Fish Tracking Study is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, focused on improving the scientific understanding needed to recover threatened spring/summer Chinook salmon in the Snake River Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU). These salmon are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and while substantial monitoring and restoration work has already been directed at Upper Salmon River populations, managers still lack key information about what juvenile fish do during winter. The central problem the opportunity targets is a persistent knowledge gap around winter movement, distribution, and habitat use of juvenile Chinook salmon, which limits how effectively restoration actions can be prioritized and designed.

The project’s scientific emphasis is on the winter rearing period, when juvenile Chinook must survive cold temperatures, altered flows, ice conditions, and limited food, all of which can strongly influence survival to adulthood. The opportunity notes that ongoing research is trying to link specific habitat characteristics to both juvenile rearing capacity (in summer and winter) and adult spawner capacity within watersheds where salmon populations remain depressed. In practical terms, that means identifying what types of habitat features and conditions allow watersheds to produce and support more juveniles and ultimately more returning adults, and whether winter habitat in particular is a bottleneck that limits population productivity.

A major motivation for the work is that many juveniles do not remain in their natal areas through winter. Instead, a substantial portion emigrate downstream to improve their odds of surviving the winter and later returning as adults. Because this downstream movement appears to be an important survival strategy, the grant centers on tracking and characterizing where juveniles go, how far they move, when they move, and what habitats they rely on during overwintering. By mapping these movement patterns and winter distributions, the study is intended to supply the missing information needed to make restoration decisions more targeted. For example, if juveniles consistently seek certain off-channel areas, low-velocity reaches, or specific thermal refuges in winter, restoration could be directed toward protecting or expanding those habitats rather than relying on general improvements that may not address the true limiting factor.

The expected outcome is decision-ready information that helps evaluate how different habitat restoration actions might increase habitat capacity and, by extension, improve salmon productivity and recovery potential. The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, signaling that the Bureau of Reclamation expects active involvement and collaboration during the project rather than a hands-off grant. Eligible applicants are unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entities (such as state agencies, tribes, universities, nonprofits, or others) can apply.

Key administrative details from the posting include the funding opportunity title (Upper Salmon Fish Tracking Study) and number (BOR PN 18 N003). It falls under the Natural Resources funding activity category and CFDA number 15.517. The original closing date was February 8, 2018, and the award ceiling listed is $1,412,456. The opportunity was created on November 15, 2017. Overall, the grant is aimed at filling a specific and consequential scientific gap: understanding overwinter juvenile behavior well enough to prioritize restoration actions that measurably improve survival and adult recruitment for threatened Upper Salmon River Chinook populations.

• The Bureau of Reclamation in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Upper Salmon Fish Tracking Study" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.517.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-11-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-02-08. (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 $1,412,456.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for BOR PN 18 N003

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