Request for Statements of Interest (rSOI) Funding Opportunity Announcement Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center 3909 Halls Ferry Road Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199 Funding Opportunity No: W81EWF-20-SOI-0003 CFDA No: 12.630 Statutory Authority: 10 USC 2358 Project Title: An Evaluation of Fish Movement in the Big Sandy Lake Watershed and Escapement of Fish through Big Sandy Lake Dam, Minnesota Announcement Type: Initial Announcement Issue Date: 05 November 2020 Statement of Interest/Qualifications Due Date: 5 p.m. CST on 05 December 2020 Full Application Package Due Date, if Invited: 5 p.m. CST on 20 December 2020 Estimated Award Ceiling: $50,000 (FY21) Estimated Total Program Funding: $145,000 Expected Number of Awards: One award with a potential to cover four years (FY21-FY24) Section I: Funding Opportunity Description Background: Reservoirs are prominent features across much of North America and are constructed for multiple purposes, including, but not limited to, water regulation, irrigation, and recreation. Management of these fisheries is confounded by numerous factors, including diverse stakeholder interests, socioeconomic conflicts, watershed land use, flood control, novel food web interactions, habitat alterations, and degraded water quality (Willis 1986; Stein et al. 1995; Miranda and DeVries 1996; Allen et al. 2008). One of the most obvious challenges to managing reservoir fisheries is fish escapement over spillways and through water release structures that may result in substantial loss of populations (Lewis et al. 1968; Navarro and Cauley 1993; Paller et al. 2006). Yet, little is known regarding escapement rates of reservoir fishes, factors influencing escapement, impacts of escapement on fish populations, or management options for reducing escapement. Big Sandy Lake is a 6,500 acre reservoir in north-central Minnesota. Big Sandy Lake Dam, constructed and operated by the Corps of Engineers (Corps), is part of the Mississippi River Headwaters Reservoir Project. The Headwaters Project was completed in 1911 to augment flows in the Mississippi River for navigation. The Headwaters project also includes five other dams that regulate reservoirs at Gull, Leech, Pokegama, Cross (including the connected Whitefish Chain) and Winnibigoshish Lakes. Big Sandy Lake Dam is located about 1.25 miles upstream from the confluence of the Sandy River with the Mississippi River at River Mile 1106.85 above the mouth of the Ohio River, in Aitkin County, Minnesota, about 120 miles north of Minneapolis, MN. The drainage area upstream of the dam is 421 mi2, that includes several major tributaries (Sandy, Prairie, West Savanna, and Tamarack Rivers) and numerous natural lakes including Big Sandy, Aitkin, Minnewawa, Horseshoe, Island, Glacier, Sandy River, Rat, Flowage, Round, Round (near Tamarack), Rock, Davis, Prairie, Savanna, Wakefield, Cuttaway and Tiesen Lakes. Average daily outflow is 269 cfs and ranges between 0 and 2035 cfs, with typical spring pulse flows through the dam of 490 cfs. Minimum flow requirements range from 10 to 20 cfs, depending upon water elevation (Potter, 2012). Existing conditions at Big Sandy Lake Dam are problematic for upstream fish passage. Although there has never been a formal assessment, the configuration of the dam constricts flows through lift gate openings with the implications that velocities are too high for fish to pass upstream, except during periods of very high water in the Mississippi River, which occurs about once every ten years. Additionally, downstream fish passage from Big Sandy Lake into the Mississippi River may present a challenge for managing sustainable fisheries within the lake. Anecdotal observations suggest that Walleye, an important sportfish throughout Minnesota, may be leaving Big Sandy Lake in high numbers during parts of the year. The Walleye population in Big Sandy Lake is dominated by individuals under 14 inches (Figure 1), potentially due in part to high escapement rates. For instance, Walleye escapement was estimated at 26% in Lake Rathbun, Iowa, with an estimated cost of nearly $400,000 (Weber et al. 2013). However, angler observations suggest that a portion of the large Walleye in Big Sandy Lake may move upriver in spring during spawning and may not immediately return to the lake, making these fish unavailable to MN DNR standard sampling, which may have negatively biased Walleye size-structure estimates in Big Sandy Lake. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency staff have observed two walleye (up to 450 mm) in electrofishing samples in the Prairie River in June 2015 (PCA unpublished data provided to MN DNR). If large Walleye in Big Sandy Lake do move upstream during the spring, they may also be less likely to escape the reservoir during this time when most reservoir Walleye escapement tends to occur (M. Weber, ISU, unpublished data) compared to individuals that remain in the lake. However, what portion of Walleye in Big Sandy Lake remain in the lake versus move upriver during the spring and potential size-structure and escapement differences between these groups is unknown. Finally, angler harvest has been another proposed explanation for small size-structure of Walleye in Big Sandy Lake. Hence, a slot-limit was enacted in 2011 to reduce angler harvest of larger Walleye and improve size structure. However, to date, expected improvements in size-structure have not been observed, and the relative effects of angler harvest versus reservoir escapement for limiting the Walleye population in Big Sandy Lake are unknown. In addition to Walleye, other important fish in Big Sandy Lake include Northern Pike, Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus), Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) and Tullibee (Corengonus artedi) that are also periodically observed downstream of the dam, but the effects of escapement of these fishes on their populations and the fish community is also unknown. Little to no information exists in the literature regarding escapement rates of these fishes. Tullibee are commonly seen entrained at Lake Oahe (Fincel et al. 2016) and in Iowa, 53% of a Muskellunge population escaped a spillway reservoir in less than two years (M. Weber, ISU, unpublished data), suggesting that escapement of these other important fishes may also be substantial. Information on how fish move through the Big Sandy Lake watershed are needed. These data will provide managers with a better understanding of fish behavior, harvest, movement, and escapement in this reservoir. These results could then be used to alter harvest regulations, guide dam management, and guide the construction, operation, and timing of fish passage structures and/or barriers to reduce or optimize fish escapement. The primary means by which fish movements are tracked will be via acoustic telemetry. Walleye and possibly other species will be captured and tagged during the study throughout Big Sandy Lake at known spawning locations. Passive acoustic receivers will be strategically located throughout Big Sandy Lake, including in front of and downstream below the dam, at the confluence of the Sandy and Mississippi rivers, and in tributaries of Big Sandy Lake to record fish presence or absence near the receiver that will provide information on coarse movement and geographic habitat use as well as survival rates. Detections of tagged fish by the acoustic receiver near the intake will provide information regarding when, where, how often, etc. fish approach the outlet, how long they spend near the structure, and what proportion of fish that approach the outlet end up escaping. Detections of tagged fish by the acoustic receiver in the tailrace will provide an estimate of escapement rates from Big Sandy Lake whereas the receiver at the confluence of the Mississippi River will provide an estimate of emigration into the Mississippi River, as well as what proportion of those fish move back upriver. Tracking is anticipated to conclude in October 2022 and data analysis will occur through August 2023. Brief Description of Anticipated Work: The project will be a collaborative study between the selected CESU, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), and the Corps of Engineers (Corps). The purposes of the project are to: 1) Estimate escapement rates through the dam of juvenile and adult Walleye from Big Sandy Lake in relation to environmental and chronological conditions; 2) Estimate the proportion of the Walleye population that remain in the lake compared with those that move upriver into the Sandy River, Prairie River, and Aitkin Lake Flowage systems; 3) Estimate mortality rates (fishing and natural) of Walleye. 4) Estimate angler harvest of Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie and Yellow Perch in Big Sandy Lake. 5) Monitor population dynamics for Walleye, Northern Pike, Tullibee, Black Crappie and Yellow Perch. Roles and Responsibilities: The selected CESU will: 1) support MNDNR field work associated with fish tagging (2-4 weeks/year); 2) download, collect, process, analyze telemetry data including escapement rates and assist in maintaining telemetry array (at least twice/year); 3) provide annual project updates and reports to the MNDNR and Corps on study methods, results, and interpretation. Public Benefit: The Big Sandy Lake is a valuable resource with more than $1 million annually spent on fishing recreation between fishing opener and the end of September (based on fishing effort data from Berg (2017) and fishing expenditures from USFWS (2011)).