Marine Sciences Seminar: Sustainable Fisheries: Tim O’Donnell at UConn Avery Point

Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute Inc.

Using eDNA to support fisheries assessment and conservation in Massachusetts 

Sustainable fisheries management relies on monitoring surveys that accurately represent fish stock abundance, distribution, and dynamics, especially among shifting ocean conditions. Environmental DNA (eDNA) measures genetic material shed by an organism into the surrounding water, revolutionizing our ability to identify the presence and distribution of aquatic organisms. eDNA metabarcoding can monitor populations across broad spatiotemporal scales and be conducted in any habitat, which could help fill data gaps created by gear bias or habitat restrictions associated with traditional fisheries surveys. We conducted eDNA metabarcoding in conjunction with ongoing monitoring surveys to fill data gaps for coastal fish populations in Massachusetts waters. Additionally, we established a vertebrate eDNA metabarcoding survey from May-November 2023 at 40 sites within three southern New England offshore wind lease areas where deploying traditional fisheries gear is challenging to understand the impact of offshore wind construction on the biodiversity and distribution of fisheries species. For each project, one liter of water was collected at each site and filtered using 1 um cellulose nitrate filters. DNA was extracted using the Qiagen PowerSoil Pro kit and metabarcoding was performed using 12S V5 primers to target vertebrates. Results indicate that eDNA serves as a powerful monitoring tool, revealing hidden patterns in fish distributions and biodiversity that would otherwise go undetected when relying only on traditional surveys. These efforts build the foundation for integrating eDNA sampling and analysis into fisheries monitoring, allowing us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of marine fisheries and the impact of anthropogenic activities on them.

Host: Hannes Baumann
Time & Date: 11:00 am, Friday, November 15, 2024
Place: Lowell Weicker Building, Seminar Room 103 (or WebEx)

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