MM-22-03: Fish Fry: Frying Pan Shoals Ecosystem Dynamics | M22AS00327

Opportunity Information: Apply for M22AS00327

MM-22-03, titled "Fish Fry: Frying Pan Shoals Ecosystem Dynamics" (Funding Opportunity Number M22AS00327), is a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) cooperative agreement opportunity focused on improving the science needed to manage offshore sand resources responsibly while protecting important fish habitat. BOEM oversees Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) resources in federal waters, generally beginning 3 nautical miles offshore for most states (and 9 nautical miles offshore for Texas and the Gulf coast of Florida). Through BOEM's Marine Minerals Program (MMP), the agency can authorize the use of offshore sand, gravel, and shell for projects like beach nourishment and wetlands restoration. Because coastal erosion and development pressures are increasing the demand for beach-compatible sand, BOEM anticipates more interest in offshore "borrow areas" where sand could be dredged, and that raises the stakes for understanding ecological impacts and resolving competing uses of the seafloor.

The core problem this opportunity addresses is that many potential sand sources overlap with habitats that are ecologically and economically important for federally managed fish species. Much of the federal OCS qualifies as Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), a designation managed by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for species with commercial and recreational value. In addition, Frying Pan Shoals (FPS) has been designated as a Habitat Area of Particular Concern (HAPC) by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and NMFS for multiple species, signaling heightened sensitivity or importance. Before any dredging can occur, BOEM must consult with NMFS regarding potential impacts to EFH and HAPC. This grant opportunity is therefore aimed at producing baseline, decision-relevant ecological information that BOEM can use during planning, consultation, and mitigation design for offshore sand extraction in and around Frying Pan Shoals.

The geographic and community context is the Cape Fear Region of North Carolina, where rapid population growth, tourism-driven economic expansion, and rising land values have intensified the need to protect beaches and shorelines from erosion. Traditional sand supplies, including material obtained from navigation dredging, are not keeping up with demand in either volume or timing. As a result, offshore sand resources are increasingly viewed as necessary for long-term nourishment strategies. BOEM is signaling that future management decisions will require stronger evidence about how shoal habitats function and how fish and benthic communities use them, especially if sand extraction is proposed in areas that may also serve as key feeding, nursery, or spawning habitat.

Scientifically, the opportunity emphasizes understanding ecosystem dynamics and services associated with shoal complexes, including concepts like bioenergetics and trophic transfer (how energy moves through the food web). It notes that similar shoal systems, such as Canaveral Shoals in Florida, have been studied extensively in a subtropical setting, including the relationship between shoal habitats, benthic communities, fish assemblages, and broader trophic structure. By contrast, even though shoal habitat is relatively common along the inner shelf of the Mid- and South-Atlantic Bight, there is still limited knowledge about how federally managed fish species use these Atlantic shoals under baseline conditions. BOEM is seeking work that can close that gap and provide a clearer picture of habitat quality, habitat function, and the ecological role these shoals play over multiple time scales.

A notable feature of the scope is its emphasis on variability and disturbance. The opportunity highlights the need to understand how habitat contributions and ecosystem services change across storm events, post-disturbance recovery periods, seasonal shifts, and inter-annual changes. In practical terms, BOEM is looking for science that can inform not just what is present at one moment, but how the system behaves through time and how resilient it is when disrupted. This kind of information is directly relevant to identifying conservation measures and mitigation options that could reduce impacts from dredging, timing restrictions, spatial avoidance, monitoring requirements, or restoration actions.

From an administrative standpoint, the program is categorized as discretionary funding with a cooperative agreement instrument, meaning BOEM likely expects substantial coordination during project design, implementation, and reporting rather than a hands-off grant. The activity area is environmental (CFDA 15.423), and the listed award ceiling is $2,000,000. The original closing date provided is 2022-07-18, and the opportunity was created on 2022-05-17. Eligibility is targeted to Coastal State Governments and public, state-controlled institutions of higher education participating in the Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network, reflecting BOEM's intent to work through established regional research partnerships.

Overall, MM-22-03 is best understood as a targeted applied research effort to support offshore sand management decisions at Frying Pan Shoals by documenting and interpreting how fish and associated communities use shoal habitats that may be affected by future sand borrowing. The end goal is to equip BOEM and its consultation partners (particularly NMFS and regional fishery managers) with credible baseline data and ecological understanding to balance shoreline protection needs with sustained fish habitat function in federal waters.

• The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "MM-22-03: Fish Fry: Frying Pan Shoals Ecosystem Dynamics" 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 2022-05-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-07-18. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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