The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium is accepting proposal submissions to estimate the abundance of red snapper in the U.S. waters in the Gulf of Mexico. MASGC anticipates funding one proposal at a level of $9.5 million plus a non-federal match requirement of $2.5 million. Proposals from institutions of higher education are welcome.

This funding opportunity is to develop an independent abundance estimate of Age-2 and older red snapper. The successful applicant will determine the absolute abundance of the red snapper population by habitat type, including artificial reefs, natural reefs and unclassified habitats. The design must include mark-recapture tagging and advanced technology methods.

A letter of intent is required to submit a full proposal and is due by 5 p.m. CDT on Friday, April 7, 2017. The proposal submission deadline is 5 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 9, 2017.

A webinar will be held to discuss this funding opportunity on March 31 from 1-2:30 p.m. CDT. Please visit the MASGC red snapper RFP webpage for instructions on how to participate in the webinar.