Notice of Intent to Sole Source - Development and Validation of Epigenetic Aging Models for Northwest Atlantic Fish Species

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries is seeking a contractor to develop and validate epigenetic aging models for Northwest Atlantic fish species. The contractor will be required to extract high-quality DNA, perform methylation sequencing, and develop computational age-prediction models. The models will be developed for three regional species: haddock, Atlantic cod, and black sea bass, and will be validated using the new model. The contractor will also apply the model to a regional fish species that cannot be aged reliably, such as goosefish. The essential requirement tasks include DNA extraction and quality control, DNA methylation sequencing, bioinformatics and model development, and validation and comparative analysis. • The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, materials, laboratory facilities, and bioinformatics infrastructure necessary to extract high-quality DNA, perform methylation sequencing, and develop computational age-prediction models. • The contractor shall analyze tissue samples provided by NOAA Fisheries, identify age-correlated methylation sites, and deliver predictive algorithms that can be seamlessly integrated into NOAA Fisheries' routine stock assessment workflows. • The contractor shall participate in a virtual kickoff meeting with NOAA Fisheries scientists to finalize the sampling protocol, data sharing plans, and project milestones. • The contractor shall receive and catalog approximately 250-350 fin clip samples for each of the species: haddock, Atlantic cod, black sea bass, and approximately 20-40 goosefish fin clips.