Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Funding supports research and technology development for a Chesapeake Watershed CESU partner to automate sonar-based fish detection, enumeration, and risk assessment for invasive carp monitoring at Brandon Road Lock and Dam.
⚑ Eligible applicants must be participating partners of the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU). · Cooperative Agreement; project is framed as research and technology development, not a service or operations contract. · Award ceiling is $180,000.
This is applied aquatic/ecological monitoring and computer-vision/sonar tool development for invasive carp management, which is outside IPPRA’s social-behavioral risk, policy, energy, weather, and education lines. The team could maybe comment on risk communication in a very indirect way, but none of the listed researchers’ programs fit as PI-level work.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-11-06
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 45 partial | portfolio topics: water_resources, environment (primary); social/behavioral work is none; funds applied research; capped at 45 (limited social-science role) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 45 partial | funds applied research; prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner to support research and technology development that advances automated fish detection, enumeration, and risk assessment at Brandon Road Lock and Dam through the use of the Live Imaging Sonar Surveillance Array (LISSA). This work directly contributes to federal efforts to prevent the upstream movement of invasive carp toward the Great Lakes. Continuous sonar surveillance at Brandon Road is vital for evaluating deterrent system performance, identifying high-risk events, and informing real-time operational decision-making. Previous collaborative efforts between the USGS and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have demonstrated LISSA's value as a low-cost, continuously operating sonar monitoring tool; however, a significant need remains to automate interpretation of the substantial data streams the LISSA generates.
Eligibility
This financial assistance opportunity is being issued under a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Program. CESUs are partnerships that provide research, technical assistance, and education. Eligible recipients must be a participating partner of the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
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View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Geological Survey <katherine_calder@ios.doi.gov>
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