Practical application of environmental DNA

To maintain a sustainable fishery, it is crucial to have precise and current information about fished stocks. The researchers of this paper developed a non-invasive approach using environmental DNA to detect and quantify Cod populations in the North and Baltic Seas. The work includes a qPCR assay that can compute the number of eDNA copies from seawater and a quantitative model that can evaluate the Cod's biomass based on these genetic data. This study's results highlight the potential of eDNA as a beneficial technique for monitoring marine biodiversity, specifically in estimating Cod populations in the North and Baltic Seas.

Kasmi Y, Blancke T, Eschbach E, Möckel B, Casas L, Bernreuther M, Nogueira P, Delfs G, Kadhim S, Meißner T, Rödiger M, Eladdadi A, Stransky C, Hanel R (2023) Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) assessment approaches in the North and Baltic Sea: A comparison of environmental DNA analysis versus bottom trawl sampling. Front Mar Sci 10:1058354, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2023.1058354

More information on the research project can be found here.