CalCOFI Summer Fall 2024

CalCOFI MMARINeDNA Summer cruise 2024

We aim to understand the transport, persistence and distribution of environmental DNA (eDNA) in marine environments from marine mammal targets. With support from the ONR Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives (MURI) program, we will use ongoing and existing large-scale projects across the West Coast to understand eDNA on multiple spatial, vertical, and temporal scales, with a minimum of additional sampling effort. Our major objectives are: (1) to understand the fate and transport of eDNA and thereby interpret eDNA detections from marine mammals in a spatially and temporally explicit context; (2) to evaluate eDNA as a complement to -- or plausibly, as an alternative to -- traditional visual observations and acoustics detections for cetaceans; and, (3)To apply the lessons learned to map marine mammals along the US west coast using eDNA. As part of this effort we will integrate marine mammal eDNA sampling and detection protocols into quarterly CalCOFI (California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations) ocean ecosystem monitoring cruises in the California Current Ecosystem. We will also pair eDNA marine mammal sampling with ongoing acoustic and visual surveys of marine mammals as part of the CalCOFI cruise plan. Collectively, these efforts will provide an unparalleled testbed for the validation and calibration of emerging eDNA sampling methods for cetacean detection and location prediction.