NOAA searches for contractors capable of performing the following Statement of Work. Interested contractors shall submit a qualifications statement documenting they are capable of performing all facets this this work to fax (206) 527-7755 and reference "NFFP7210600014". Statement of Work: Period of Performance: June 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007. There are three tasks required for this work. 1) Assist with determining the effects of growth on age of sexual maturity and ovarian development in chinook salmon, and determining the effects of temperature manipulation on spawn timing in spring chinook salmon. The following are required for this work: a) rearing of chinook and coho salmon on specified rations to control growth rate in different groups of experimental fish, b) collection of tissues and plasma from experimental fish, c) measurement of plasma and pituitary gonadotropins, plasma sex steroids, and IGF I by radioimmunossay, d) measurement of ovarian gene transcripts (gonadotropin and growth hormone receptors, IGF I and IGF II, steroid acute regulatory protein) from experimental fish by real time PCR, e) suppression subtraction hybridization cloning of ovarian genes, f) computer image analysis of gonad development from histological sections of gonads from experimental fish, g) ultrasound to identify maturing fish, and h) statistical analyses and interpretation of data collected from experimental fish. All analyses and fish rearing will be conducted at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. 2) Assist with laboratory, behavioral and field assessments of olfactory imprinting by sockeye and Chinook salmon. To determine the critical period(s) for imprinting, juvenile salmon are being exposed to known odorants at key developmental stages and are being tested subsequently for development of long-term memories of these odorants. Results of these experiments will be important to determine the critical periods for imprinting for the offspring of captively-reared fish destined for release into natal rivers or lakes. The following are required for this work: a) maintain odor exposure equipment and odorants, b) conduct routine sampling of fish for tissue and physiological assays to assess smolting and imprinting, c) assist with behavioral assessments of imprinting in experimental stream channel, d) conduct electro-olfactogram (EOG) assessments of imprinted sockeye salmon and e) assist with molecular assessments of imprinting f) assist with carcass and redd surveys to assess imprinting and homing success of Chinook salmon. 3) Assist with collecting biological information and conducting genetic and phenotypic analyses of inbreeding-study families of University of Washington stock Chinook salmon. Assistance is required to capture experimental adult fish as they return to the Portage Bay hatchery and retrieve biological data, coded-wire tag information, and genetic samples from them. Assistance with establishing experimentally inbred families and control families, followed by periodic sampling of juvenile study fish for size and growth, and with relating this information to family and cross information is also required. Modest assistance in conducting genetic analyses of the family data for estimation of inbreeding coefficients and for maintaining pedigree records for the study is required. Deliverables will be in the form of data collected from experiments and summarized in a FY07 annual report. The report shall be delivered to the COTR by September 30, 2007.

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