FWC seeks proposals for Red Tide Control and Mitigation Program grants

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute is seeking proposals for the Red Tide Control and Mitigation Program. The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. Dec. 15. As a partner in the program, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START) will organize a nine-member panel to evaluate and rank applications. From the panel's rankings, the FWC will develop a list to determine final grant awards.

The FWC plans to distribute up to $300,000 in fiscal year 2009-10 through the program for exploration of environmentally acceptable techniques or technologies for potential control or mitigation of Florida red tide blooms.

The program focuses on blooms of “Karenia brevis,” the Florida red tide organism. For the purpose of the program, “control and mitigation” represent efforts to minimize the size, intensity or duration of Florida red tide blooms or reduce the environmental, economic, social or public health impacts of future blooms.

Grants awarded by the program will not provide compensation for economic losses sustained as a result of red tides.

To view the call for proposals or to learn more about the program, visit http://research.MyFWC.com/features/view_article.asp?id=27877 and http://www.start1.com/.

For more information on the FWC's red tide research programs, visit http://research.myfwc.com/.