Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc., (SSRAA), is soliciting bids from interested parties to conduct rearing operations for the spring of 2021 season at its Kendrick Bay South Arm rearing site located in southern Southeast Alaska.

SSRAA is a regional non-profit aquaculture association based in Ketchikan, Alaska. SSRAA’s mission is to enhance and rehabilitate salmon production in Southern Southeast Alaska to the optimum social and economic benefit to salmon users. SSRAA operates eight production salmon hatcheries/facilities and five remote release rearing sites. SSRAA rears and releases approximately 190 million chum, 7.5 million coho, and 2.1 million chinook smolt annually.

Location of Project
The South Arm of Kendrick Bay is located near the southern tip of Prince of Wales Island and is approximately 40 miles southwest of Ketchikan, Alaska at coordinates 54o 51’12”N/132o 02’40”W. This is a remote site only assessable by boat or float plane.

Description of Project
The site will be comprised of fourteen (14) 40’X40’ net pens and a 26’X60’ steel barge for fish food and equipment storage. The barge will have a small structure that can be utilized for dry storage and temporary crew quarters for visiting SSRAA employees whom may be conducting periodic site visits. In addition, there will be a tent structure for fish food storage. Approximately thirty (30) million chum fry will be reared and released in 2021. The project dates will run annually from approximately late-January through late-April or approximately 100 days. Based on environmental conditions and rearing performance, the dates of operations could vary slightly year to year. Length of work day will typically vary from between 6-10 hours/day.

Scope of Contractor Services Required

• Provide an adequate live-aboard vessel, skiff and outboard, fuel, food and living supplies, and all other expenses associated with crew wages, and operation of equipment provided by contractor.
• Provide a minimum of two people, from approximately late-January to late-April for the rearing of fry per size goals and release objectives prescribed by SSRAA staff.
• Contractor will provide 24 hours/day, 7 days’/week presence at rearing site for security. • Assist with mobilization of the site including: barge prep, loading fish food and all equipment and supplies in Ketchikan and deploying rearing nets, and general site set-up at Kendrick Bay.
• Fish culture duties will include: feeding fish to achieve desired growth and health performance, net cleaning, weekly growth sampling, removing rearing mortalities, and performing end-ofseason fish health assessments and compiling post season rearing summaries. SSRAA Kendrick South Arm Rearing Program RFP 2
• Maintain rearing records to include: recording daily water temps, weekly growth sampling, daily feed amounts fed, daily mortalities, weekly fish inventory, keeping a daily diary of all activities, and other pertinent data/records as specified by SSRAA staff.
• Perform weekly and monthly monitoring per SSRAA’s ADEC General Discharge Permit.
• Maintenance duties will include: servicing all SSRAA equipment, maintaining and repairing nets and net pen structures, and maintaining barge and other infrastructure.
• Conduct scheduled daily welfare checks and daily/weekly operational status updates to specified SSRAA personnel.
• Perform miscellaneous fish culture tasks and maintenance to infrastructure as needed or required by SSRAA staff.
• Upon completion of rearing operations, assist with end-of-season demobilization of site including: pulling rearing nets for cleaning, general clean-up of barge, equipment, rearing site, trash removal to Ketchikan, and gear maintenance and storage.
• Maintain and provide proof of vessel and crew insurance.

SSRAA Responsibilities

• Provide oversite and on-site training of standard rearing procedures and provide clear expectations of goals to be accomplished.
• Provide all equipment and supplies needed for rearing operations that are not listed under the Contractor Services above.
• Provide communications gear such as satellite phone, cell signal booster equipment, inReach, or single side band equipment.
• Provide SSRAA personnel as needed to assist in specific tasks or general operations as needed.
• Mobilize barge to and from Kendrick Bay South Arm by contracted licensed tow boat.
• SSRAA maintains comprehensive liability insurance and will name contractor as additionally insured.

Interested applicant should complete the attached Proposal Form, detailing a lump-sum bid price for the 100-day contract and a daily rate in case additional days are necessary, names and qualifications of crew to perform work, specifications and capabilities of the live-aboard vessel and skiff, communications ability, and other relevant information that would assist SSRAA in selection of a contractor.

SSRAA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received; to negotiate different terms and conditions which may differ from the initial proposals received; and to award any access licensing contracts in a manner which is determined to be the most beneficial to SSRAA.

Please direct all responses to this RFP and/or any questions to:

Bret Hiatt
Southern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc.
14 Borch Street Ketchikan, Alaska 99901
Ph. 907-228-4393 or breth@ssraa.org

All proposals must be submitted by no later than 4:00 pm June 30th, 2020