Vessel Charter for Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and Multibeam Survey

Title
Vessel Charter for Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and Multibeam Survey

Synopsis
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is responsible for monitoring marine protected areas in Canada, including the SGaan Kinghlas Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area (SKB MPA), 180 km west of Haida Gwaii.  A charter of a suitable vessel platform, with knowledgeable and qualified research crew to undertake vessel operations, remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations, and multibeam sonar surveys is required to complete a survey of Zones 1, 2, and 3 of SKB MPA. 

Vessels must be certified by Transport Canada to conduct research work. Contractors submitting bids must complete the Charter Vessel Application Form provided (see attached).

Contract Period
1 June 2015 through to 31 March 2016. 

Survey / Project dates  
Project work will take place between June 2015 and October 2015 by mutual agreement with DFO, NOAA collaborators and the Contractor. The work cannot be undertaken from 3-22 July, or from 26 – 31 August 2015 due to conflicts with other scheduled DFO commitments.

Introduction
The Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), will require a vessel equipped with a deepsea ROV and multibeam sonar equipment for a minimum of 3-5 days to conduct a survey of benthic species and habitats on SK-B MPA and collect high resolution multibeam bathymetry and backscatter (angular response and mosaic) data from throughout the MPA (Figure 1).  This work must take place between June and October 2015, and must be coordinated with related surveys led by DFO and/or NOAA in the northeast Pacific Ocean to ensure that researchers are able to meet other commitments. Total days are dependent on funding, but a minimum of three full days on SKB MPA are planned. Charter operations for the survey will begin and end in Ketchikan, Alaska, USA, unless mutually acceptable alternatives are agreed upon by DFO, NOAA, and the contractor (see included Proposed Itinerary). 

The successful bidder will be responsible for both the vessel operations related to the survey effort and conducting the research services required. The Captain shall be responsible for all matters relating to safety of personnel, vessel, and equipment operation.  The Captain shall adhere at all times to Navigational Rules and Rules of the Road whether it be while towing, running, drifting, or when at anchor.  

The precise sampling and data collection techniques require a stable, manoeuvrable vessel platform capable of maintaining a deepsea ROV in position for an extended time period (e.g. 30 minutes) and driving it along predefined transects for several hours at a time to collect spatially-referenced, high quality, high definition video, digital still photographs, voucher specimens, and geological samples from the seafloor while minimizing disturbance to benthic communities. The contractor must provide the capacity to collect high resolution multibeam and backscatter data.  The vessel operator and crew must have demonstrated prior research experience to provide the precision and timing needed to successfully conduct these ROV and multibeam surveys.  
 
SCOPE OF WORK
Project Objectives 
The survey objectives are: 
1.	Collect multibeam and backscatter data from SKB MPA to classify the seamount according to substrate type (e.g. bedrock vs soft sediment). Together, bathymetry and backscatter data can be used to derive indices of habitat structure and substrate type (e.g. soft sediment vs bedrock). 
2.	Collect high definition video and still photographs to characterize community structure in Zone 2 and Zone 3 of SKB MPA, to catalogue biodiversity, document endemic or unknown species, and establish baseline estimates of abundance of indicator species. By randomly stratifying transects in Zone 2 and Zone 3, the data obtained from the ROV survey could be used to address multiple research questions related to the known and predicted distribution of biodiversity (species, habitats, and communities) and the degree to which SKB MPA supports unique species or assemblages in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. 
3.	Collect genetic samples of Primnoa sp. to determine its evolutionary lineage, and quantify genetic structure and degree of connectivity among populations. 
4.	Collect voucher samples of rocks or specimens of unknown/endemic species encountered during the survey. 

All ROV survey and sampling locations in 2015 will be predominantly in Zones 2 and 3, but may also occur in Zone 1 of SKB MPA. The DFO scientific authority (TBD) will provide proposed locations prior to departing and may update these each day of the survey as dictated by conditions.