Beschrijving
Marine organisms release DNA molecules into the environment through tissues, excrements or slime. This environmental DNA (eDNA) allows to detect fishes by simply collecting seawater. As such, eDNA has tremendous potential for environmental and fisheries-related research, especially when eDNA collection can be automated. As the Belgian fishing fleet covers an extensive geographic range and is out at sea throughout most of the year, a close collaboration between researchers and fishermen sets the scene for marine data gathering at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions.We developed an automatic eDNA multi-sampler that is placed on the fishing vessel, which can filter subsurface seawater at specified geographic locations. The eDNA on the sterivex filter is preserved with a fixative, after which the tubing system is flushed with bleach to prevent cross-contamination between samples. The sampler can be preprogrammed and controlled remotely in real time without intervention of fishermen. The successful deployment of the sampler on a fishing vessel for almost three months provides the entry to rollout eDNA sampling towards the whole fishing fleet.
Secondly, we developed an easy and standardized protocol with low-cost passive eDNA samplers to study fish diversity in data poor regions. Fishermen attach these so-called metaprobes to their fishing nets and beam trawl chains. The metaprobes are stored at room temperature in ethanol or silica beads. So far, eDNA collected by metaprobes inside the net and preserved in ethanol gave the most accurate reflection of the catch composition. Finetuning of the preservation with silica beads is ongoing to improve sample handling and transportation. The participation of the fishing fleet in eDNA sample collection invokes the data collection framework of the future, where standardized protocols and easy-to-use samplers ensure reliable data collection in the marine environment at scales scientists alone can never achieve.
| Periode | 18-mrt.-2025 |
|---|---|
| Titel evenement | Exploring Aquatic Ecology through omics |
| Soort evenement | Congres |
| Locatie | Evian, FrankrijkTonen op kaart |
| Mate van erkenning | Internationaal |