Conventional methods for ecological assessment based on catch-and-look approaches are expensive, often imprecise, and can harm species or sites they intend to monitor. The OceanDNA project, supported by the Canadian Ocean Supercluster, aims to revolutionize how we assess, monitor, and characterize the ocean by sampling DNA from the environment (eDNA) to identify what lives there, from bacteria to marine mammals, with a single unified sampling approach.
The OceanDNA program encompasses five major research projects aimed at advancing the use of eDNA in ocean monitoring. (1) We developed an eDNA sampling protocol with our partners from Nunavut Fisheries Association and Fisheries and Oceans Canada that can be widely deployed on any vessel to sample marine environments at depth. (2) We designed and compared two types of eDNA analyses for target species detection for monitoring commercial fish species and by-catch. (3) We designed a new quantitative sequencing method for eDNA analysis that is comparable to qPCR. (4) We used genome sequencing to develop new assays for monitoring specific genetic variants or populations within two commercial species using eDNA. (5) We integrated whole community biodiversity data from eDNA with complementary biodiversity from conventional surveys and environmental data to form new, enhanced ecosystem models. These combined models offer greater explanatory and predictive power than models based on eDNA or conventional biodiversity surveys alone.
This talk will include an overview of the OceanDNA project and presentation of key results in field sampling method development, quantitative analysis advances, and ecosystem modeling innovations. Environmental genomics offers unparalleled levels of detail about biodiversity and is an affordable solution to sustainable ocean management.