PC-25-02, Probability Analysis of Derelict Fishing Gear Interactions with Floating Offshore Wind Mooring Systems Offshore California | M25AS00319

Opportunity Information: Apply for M25AS00319

PC-25-02, titled "Probability Analysis of Derelict Fishing Gear Interactions with Floating Offshore Wind Mooring Systems Offshore California" (Funding Opportunity Number M25AS00319), is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) discretionary funding action that will be carried out through a cooperative agreement. The project focuses on a practical, emerging offshore management problem: understanding how often derelict fishing gear (lost or abandoned nets, lines, traps, and related material) is likely to interact with offshore energy infrastructure, especially floating offshore wind mooring systems, in waters off California. The central deliverable is a probability-based assessment that helps BOEM and partners anticipate where interactions are most likely and what that means for environmental review, infrastructure planning, and risk reduction.

The overarching goal is to quantify and map the likelihood of derelict fishing gear coming into contact with offshore energy-related infrastructure, including floating wind structures and their mooring components. This work is intended to translate scattered information about derelict gear, ocean conditions, and infrastructure footprints into a coherent picture of risk. In practice, the study is meant to identify regions with the greatest interaction risk offshore California, so that planning and decision-making can focus on the most sensitive areas rather than treating the entire coast uniformly. The outputs are also framed to be directly useful for mitigation planning by pointing toward strategies that could reduce interactions, whether through design considerations, siting decisions, monitoring approaches, or operational practices.

A major emphasis is on decision support for BOEM. The information produced under this effort is expected to feed directly into BOEM environmental assessments and decision documents, strengthening the agency's ability to evaluate whether mitigation is needed and, if so, what types of mitigation are effective and appropriate. Instead of being purely academic, the project is positioned as applied science that supports regulatory and planning workflows tied to offshore renewable energy development. Alongside risk identification and mitigation insights, the opportunity explicitly aims to highlight gaps and opportunities for future research and to inform future predictive modeling efforts, meaning the work is not just about a single snapshot, but also about setting up better modeling and forecasting capabilities over time.

Another stated objective is improving access to integrated data products for both scientific and stakeholder communities. That typically implies the project will not only generate analyses but also organize, integrate, and share relevant datasets or derived products in a way that can be used by multiple audiences. Stakeholders in this context can include fisheries representatives, offshore wind developers, environmental organizations, researchers, and government agencies that rely on consistent, transparent information when evaluating offshore activity and its potential conflicts or impacts.

Structurally, this is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, which generally indicates BOEM expects substantial involvement in the project during performance, such as coordination on scope, methods, deliverables, or data integration. Eligible applicants are listed as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, but this particular announcement is not an open solicitation and is intended as a single-source cooperative agreement specifically with the University of California, Santa Cruz. The justification provided is that UC Santa Cruz and NOAA Fisheries have unique expertise and an existing partnership that BOEM wants to leverage to meet the study objectives efficiently and credibly.

Key administrative details include an award ceiling of $410,168 and an original closing date of 2025-08-22. The agency is BOEM, the assistance listing (CFDA) number is 15.423, and the funding activity category is Environment. The notice was created on 2025-07-22 and serves primarily as a formal public announcement of BOEM's intent to undertake this specific project rather than a call for competing proposals.

• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "PC-25-02, Probability Analysis of Derelict Fishing Gear Interactions with Floating Offshore Wind Mooring Systems Offshore California" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.423.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-22. (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 $410,168.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

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