Lake Trout Suppression Gillnetting Services

Swan Lake - Lake Trout Suppression Gillnetting ServicesAgency: U.S. Department of the Interior, & Property Management, Servicing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceNAICS: 114111 - Finfish Fishing (Size Standard: $24.0M).Estimated

Period of Performance: June 1-March 31, 2027, including required netting July 13-17, 2026.

Place of Performance: Swan Lake, Lake County, MT; net delivery/rebuild at Creston NFH or Contractor facility as proposed.THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This notice is issued solely for market research purposes. 1. Introduction:

This is a Sources Sought Notice issued for market research purposes only.

This is not a solicitation and does not constitute a request for proposals, quotes, or bids. The Government is seeking to identify all entities capable of performing lake trout suppression gillnetting services. 2. Requirement Overview: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supports recovery of threatened Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) within the Columbia Headwaters Recovery Unit. Lake trout predation and competition have contributed to bull trout decline in Swan Lake. Since 2016, lake trout abundance has increased while bull trout redd counts declined. Intensive gillnet suppression is required to slow or reverse these trends. Following gillnetting, used gillnets must be restrung/reconstructed to original specifications for future use.3.

Scope of WorkThe contractor shall:- Conduct daily gillnet deployment/retrieval (M-F) at Swan Lake during the period July 13-17, 2026.- Provide data collection support (catch, locations, net type, biomass) and effort quantification.- Minimize bull trout bycatch and mortality using a recovery tank with supplemental oxygen, bubbler, and suitably cold water.Gillnet Reconstruction / Restringing:- Restore USFWS provided gillnets to original specifications (mesh sizes, panel lengths, hanging ratios).- Juvenile nets (6' x 300'): custom hanging; 8" phrases/ties max; 1/4" diameter lead line (30# core); 1/2" diameter poly foam line (floats every 6'); 1/4" hollow core poly breast/bridle lines; 0.10-0.175 mm monofilament twine (USFWS-specified); mesh sizes 1.5" to 3.0" in 1/2" increments; offered as new or refill reconditioned (new twine on existing lead/float/bridle lines).- Adult nets (12' x 300'): custom hanging; 8" phrases/ties max; 1/4" diameter lead line (30# core); 1/2" diameter poly line (floats every 6'); 1/4" hollow core poly breast/bridle lines; 0.23 mm monofilament twine (white); mesh sizes 4.0" to 5.5" in 1/2" increments; offered as new or refill reconditioned (new twine on existing lines).- Delivery: Nets to be delivered/re-delivered to Creston National Fish Hatchery, Creston, MT, or shipped to USFWS offices as directed.Government Furnished:- Buoys, anchors, gillnets; MTFWP technician aboard to collect biological data.Contractor Furnished:- Gillnetting vessel, all operational equipment, recovery tank with supplemental oxygen, bubblers; all materials and tooling required to restring/reconstruct nets timely.Performance Metrics (PRS/QASP):- Deploy/retrieve all assigned nets daily (unless unsafe) during July 13-17.- Achieve or identify effort required to meet biomass removal targets: ~2.0 kg/ha adult lake trout; ~1.5 kg/ha juvenile.- Maintain bull trout bycatch mortality below USFWS/MTFWP threshold.- Reconstruct/restring all nets to original specifications (100% compliance).4. Specialized Qualifications- Demonstrated expertise in lake trout gillnetting operations comparable in complexity and environment.- Experience handling bull trout and minimizing bycatch mortality, including use of recovery tanks with oxygen supplementation.- Proven capability to hang/restring gillnets to custom hanging ratios, twine diameters, mesh ranges, and phrase/tie