ELECTROFISHING RESEARCH VESSEL AND ACCESSORIES

The purpose of this solicitation is find a qualified vendor to fabricate an Electrofishing Vessel and include the associated items detailed in the specifications and scope of work section and the bid form. The vessel will be located at Seattle City Light’s Boundary Powerhouse location in Pend Oreille County.

Electrofishing is a technique used by fish biologists to collect fish in freshwater streams, rivers, and lakes. This tool uses an electric field, emitted from a pulser, to temporarily stun fish. The fish can then be collected via dip net for identification.

City Light requirements for Boundary Dam licensing studies and monitoring of fisheries populations are ongoing and evolving and require an electrofishing boat with a deep-v style construction capable of safely navigating and sampling at night all of Boundary Reservoir to include increased and consistent presence below Boundary Dam in the tailrace. The Boundary Dam tailrace location presents challenging conditions to include swift current, rough water with standing waves, and swiftly changing elevations and flows during surveys. Additionally, future success of these surveys with a white-water capable boat is further enabled by the ability for the integrated electrofishing system to provide GPS spatial monitoring and downloadable data for analysis as survey efficiency measured in “catch per unit effort” is a key component of result interpretation and validation. The combination of a hull design made specifically for rough flowing water and an electrofishing system with downloadable GPS data of output efficacy will facilitate the safety and scientific integrity of these studies and inherent surveys.

The current electrofishing boat has proven to be unreliable in the Boundary Dam tailrace due to its “jon boat” design with a flat bottom, straight sides and abrupt bow angle made for shallow draft in calm waters. Its use to this point has required frequent cancellation of surveys due to the unpredictable rough conditions below Boundary Dam leading to safety concerns. Conducted surveys have been cut short due to dynamic conditions that in a matter of hours exceed the capabilities of the current electrofishing boat. Purchase of a more purpose designed boat will greatly increase access to the Boundary Tailrace safely while not measurably detracting from survey success in calmer waters above Boundary Dam.