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Special Notice: ACQ-26-0498 NOAA / NMFS / AFSC The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), intends to award, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with LFS, Inc., of Bellingham, Washington , to procure the following: Provide trawl materials and supplies that will be to construct seven (7) new trawls in preparation for surveys and research conducted in Alaskan waters. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) conducts five distinct bottom trawl surveys in Alaska; some are performed annually and some biennially. The data collected on these fishery-independent surveys are integral to the stock assessments of all commercial fish and crab species in Alaska, and successful completion of these surveys is a core function of the AFSC. This requires both fishery-independent surveys and scientific research fieldwork in which trawls are often used. The trawls suffer damage and wear during these activities and need repair and eventual replacement to continue operating as designed. In order for the trawl surveys to provide reliable and unbiased information, the fishing gear and methods are strictly standardized so that observations are consistent and unbiased from location to location and from year to year so that the change in materials or methods does not bias abundance estimates. A variety of materials are used to construct and repair these trawls, including wire rope, floats, Poly web, and assorted hardware. These materials must be the same from year to year, and the specifications must remain the same over time to ensure standardization. Rope and twine looming techniques are held to secrecy and patented, where each manufacturer produces the specific fibers, natural or synthetic, used for their product and specific to each reseller. The rope and twine fibers are twisted and braided together to create a specific tensile strength. The specific fibers used and the tensile strength applied by each manufacturer is distinct and unique. The rope and twine selected for the AFSC trawl nets must support a certain amount of stress when stretched. The constructed trawl net receives considerable impact and force when fishing on the sea floor, where the average catches within the trawl net is approximately 1,100 - 1,200 kg. It is imperative that the rope and twine is manufactured to withstand the stress and weight of both the bottom fishing and the resultant catch. The AFSC Research Fishing Gear Program is responsible for the construction and repair of all trawls used for both survey and research purposes. There are a variety of trawl types that all have different characteristics to meet the requirements of the survey or research to be completed. • WEB: #60 TW Nylon x 4” DG&B approx. 308 lbs 921mL x 100.5MD, 7 BALES • WEB: #96 TW Nylon x 3.5” DG&B approx. 343 lbs 614mL x 100.5MD, 2 BALES • WEB: 4mm DBL 5" app…

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