AK-25-03b, Passive Acoustic Monitoring for Cetaceans in Lower Cook Inlet | M25AS00314

Opportunity Information: Apply for M25AS00314

AK-25-03b (Funding Opportunity Number M25AS00314) is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) grant opportunity focused on passive acoustic monitoring of cetaceans in Lower Cook Inlet (LCI), Alaska. The project is designed as a partnership between BOEM and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), specifically the Alaska Fisheries Science Center Marine Mammal Laboratory (AFSC-MML). The core idea is to use underwater listening instruments to capture and interpret whale and other cetacean sounds, then connect those detections to ocean conditions to better understand when and where marine mammals use this region.

The study will deploy integrated sub-surface moorings at three key locations: the three entrances to Lower Cook Inlet. These moorings will carry passive acoustic monitoring equipment capable of recording vocalizations and detecting echolocation activity. Using these data, the project will document the temporal occurrence (how presence changes over time, such as daily, seasonal, or interannual patterns) of multiple cetacean species, with an emphasis on humpback, right, fin, minke, killer, and beluga whales, while also capturing information on other cetaceans present in the area. Alongside documenting marine mammal presence, the effort will also characterize the acoustic environment more broadly, which includes both natural soundscapes and noise generated by human activities.

A major purpose of the work is synthesis: the acoustic detections will not stand alone, but will be analyzed in relation to oceanographic conditions. The project is explicitly aimed at relating changes in marine mammal occurrence to oceanographic variability, including inflow events affecting Lower Cook Inlet. In practice, this means combining animal detection timelines with environmental measurements or indices tied to water movement and conditions, then interpreting whether certain oceanographic patterns coincide with increases or decreases in whale presence.

The announcement lays out four main objectives. First, the recipient will participate in preparing for, deploying, and recovering the integrated sub-surface moorings at the three entrances to LCI. Second, the recipient will analyze recordings from standard passive acoustic recorders and echolocation detectors to produce information on the temporal and spatial occurrence of marine mammals within the study area. Third, the recipient will identify and summarize the temporal and spatial presence of anthropogenic noise sources (for example, vessel noise or other human-generated sound signatures) within the same monitored locations. Fourth, the recipient will provide expert interpretation to help investigate trends in marine mammal presence in relation to oceanographic inflow events, tying the biological results to physical drivers in a way that supports management-relevant conclusions.

This opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, meaning BOEM scientists are expected to have substantial involvement in aspects of the study development and/or execution. The eligible recipient identified for this specific announcement is the University of Washington, and eligibility is framed through the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) Pacific Northwest network. The notice emphasizes that this is not an open solicitation; it is a program announcement describing a specific intended project that may be awarded to the named university or eligible groups identified under the CESU arrangement, contingent on BOEM receiving an acceptable proposal. A Principal Investigator (PI) must be a staff member of the applying organization, and while the eligible applicants category includes state governments and public/state-controlled institutions of higher education, the announcement is targeted to the specified CESU context and the identified recipient framework.

Key administrative details include an award ceiling of $409,000, an activity category of Environment, and a CFDA listing of 15.421. The opportunity was created on 2025-07-22, with an original closing date of 2025-09-22. Overall, the project supports BOEM and NOAA needs for better baseline and trend information on cetacean occurrence and soundscape conditions at a set of strategically important entry points to Lower Cook Inlet, with the added goal of understanding how physical ocean processes shape when whales are present in the area.

• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "AK-25-03b, Passive Acoustic Monitoring for Cetaceans in Lower Cook Inlet" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.421.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-22. (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 $409,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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